Page 22 of Sin

What’s not fair, Sin, is that he’s gone. He’s gone because you had daddy issues and gave your father a second chance when he didn’t deserve one.

My mouth dried thinking back to those words about Mack, and I cast my gaze away from the two men as I struggled to keep my shame at bay.

Blade perched her hip on the edge of the table Lewis had set up as a workstation, and Mare was studying a monitor with several zoomed in images of Lucas, a furrow between her dark brows. Jinx was doing something on his phone, his large, thick fingers surprisingly nimble on the tiny screen.

After a minute, London nodded at something Mend said and left him to take a seat in one of the many office chairs in the room. Mend stood awkwardly in the corner for a second before he sauntered over to me.

Mend, a gentle giant of a man, was one of Mercy Heights most treasured Supers. With the ability to heal, he was essential to the medical field. Even small amounts of his blood could heal someone gravely injured enough to be treated. Though, in order to fully restore someone to full strength, it required multiple blood transfusions. It was why the hospitals only used his blood in severe instances. I knew he donated blood regularly, but injuries were a daily occurrence in the world. I was lucky to have received any of his blood to treat my wounds.

He smiled hesitantly, like one approaching a skittish creature. When he came to a stop in front of me, he asked, “I know you already had a medical examination before your release, but if it’s all right with you, I’d like to oversee one myself?”

The thought of undressing for him and letting him look me over didn’t sit well with me. Not because I thought he had any nefarious intentions, but because I’d been so manhandled over the past couple of days and didn’t want to deal with this right now.

“Is it necessary?”

London’s hard gaze snapped to mine. “Yes.”

Mend glanced between the two of us, shifting uncomfortably on his feet as he placed a medical bag on the ground.

London held my gaze for several long moments, and I wondered how many strings he’d had to pull to get Mend here. Especially if it was to give me a checkup.

I knew Mend’s time was valuable, though. So if London wanted me to do this, I just needed to make it quick.

With a low groan of pain from sitting in one position for so long, I stood and set my mostly untouched drink on the desk to finish later. “Okay, but can we, you know, not do it right here?”

Mend nodded vigorously and snatched up his medical travel bag. “Of course. We can move somewhere private and—”

“Absolutely not,” London cut in, and Mend startled at his harsh tone.

“I’m confused. I thought you wanted me to—”

Once again, London cut Mend off. “No, I do. But he’s not allowed to be alone with anyone but someone from the Legion. It’s President Osborne’s orders.”

The unspoken meaning hung heavy in the air. Because I was still considered a criminal until this mission was over. That’s why I couldn’t be alone with Mend.

Once again, that uneasy feeling settled deeper in my gut.

London snapped his fingers, gaining the room’s attention. “Give us twenty minutes. Get a snack or something. I think Bennett hid some Oreos in the back of the cupboard with the cheese graters. Though you didn’t hear that from me.”

Cheese graters? As in, plural? The thought was so bizarre that it nearly distracted me from my pity party.

Lewis and Blade smirked at each other before sauntering from the room.

“Whatever you say, boss man,” Blade called while Lewis’s chuckle echoed from the stairs.

Jinx jumped to his feet to chase after her. Problem was, someone tied his shoelaces together, and when he tried to take a step, he faceplanted.

Mare smirked at her nails, studying them like they were the most fascinating things in the world. She stepped over Jinx’s prone body, and he cursed. “Hey! Wait for me!”

“Looks like you’re a little tied up,” she called from outside the door. “But I’ll see if I can’t save you an Oreo.”

Jinx muttered something under his breath before foregoing his shoes altogether. He cradled them in his arm like a football and ran after Mare and the others in mismatched socks.

That left Mend, London, and me alone in the room. London eyed me with an assessing gaze before scooting up to the desk to study something on one of the computer screens. I was pretty sure it was an attempt to give us some semblance of privacy, but I knew he was planning to listen to every single word.

Mend glanced between London and me before clearing his throat. “Right, well, if you want to have a seat on the couch over there, I think you’ll be more comfortable. I just have some questions to ask you before moving on to a physical exam.”

I swallowed and sat on the sofa in the corner of the room. “I’m really fine.”

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