Page 141 of Bishop

He raises his chin, his lips thin, his rage palpable. If he wasn’t likely to die in the process, I know we’d be on the floor exchanging blows right now.

“She’s been on the brink of mental collapse since I found her at that gala,” I sneer. “The panic attacks aren’t bullshit. I’ve had to save her from four of those fucking things in as many days. And do you want to know why?” I stop at the edge of the bed, glaring down my nose at him. “Because you and your self-centered brothers have no fucking clue of the nightmare she’s in. You’re the one who left her to live in hell. You abandoned her. You didn’t save her from the scars she now has to contend with on a daily basis.”

If looks could kill I’d be greeting the devil, but I don’t fucking care.

“You have no idea what I had to save her from that first night.” I stab a hand through my hair, wanting to kill Finch all over again for the memory of her half-naked on the bed as she faked enthusiasm about the prospect of being raped. “Or how that type of bullshit has become a common occurrence for her since she was a teenager.”

“I’d ask what you saved her from,” he mutters, “but I have a feeling you won’t tell me.”

My unwanted loyalty to Abri is like a choker around my neck, tightening with every breath. She needs to be answering his questions. Not me.

“You failed her.” I swing an arm toward the door. “And Remy and Salvo lived under the same fucking roof and didn’t pull their heads out of their asses long enough to see what she was going through.”

“They’ve had their own shit to contend with.”

“Their own shit means nothing when pitted against hers. So excuse me for comforting her in the only way that fucking worked. I’ve held her. I’ve touched her. I’ve done whatever it goddamn took to distract her.” I let my arm fall to my side. “And I’ll be damned if I apologize to the guy who left her behind all those years ago and tried to forget she existed.”

He stares. Stares so hard it goes without saying that I’ve taken this guilt trip too far. That the decade-long brotherhood we’ve shared has now shifted.

“You know I never forgot her.” His voice is barely audible.

I refuse to wince even though I know it’s true.

I was by his side every time he travelled from D.C. to Denver to keep an eye on his siblings. I watched as his hatred for his estranged parents grew because of their traumatic parenting style.

“And you know I’d never do anything to betray you or Lorenzo.” I return to the window, staring at the cause of all my problems as she clutches the bench, fixated on the grass beneath her feet. “But I’ve watched her for years, too.”

“Does this mean I should get used to something permanent between you two?”

“No.” Hell fucking no. “Lorenzo has me flying out first thing tomorrow.”

“Right… So you’re abandoning her now as well?”

The jab stings.

“What’s Lorenzo got you doing that’s so important?” he asks.

“Does it matter? You want me away from her and so does he.”

“What does Abri want?”

“Her daughter. End of story.”

He sighs, the lengthy exhale filled with regret. “I still can’t believe she’s got a kid. Or why she would give her away to someone else to raise.”

“Give is the wrong verb,” I mutter.

Silence hangs heavily between us for a few stagnant heartbeats. I shouldn’t have opened my mouth, but being the gatekeeper to her trauma is a position I don’t deserve. Once I leave, she’ll need someone close who can empathize with her pain.

Even if I had a choice to stay, that person shouldn’t be me.

“Emmanuel took her daughter?” he asks.

Her secrets claw at my throat. Why is it so hard to give him the truth?

“Answer me.” Langston struggles to his feet. “Did he force her to give up her child?”

“He forced her to have sex,” I snarl. “Forced her to carry to term. Then when she decided she wanted to keep her child, he forced her to give the baby up. He fucking stole his grandchild from his own daughter, and Abri hasn’t seen the kid since.”

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