Page 45 of A Sinner's Virtue
“For how long? You said it yourself. We’re fucking cursed, Marcel. There is no happily ever after for any of us,” Santo grunts while bringing that ever-present bottle of whiskey to his lips.
I walk over and snatch the bottle from his hand. “This shit ain’t going to fucking help right now. Our brother is sitting in a fucking cell. We’ve got more important shit to do.”
“Marcel? What happened?”
I pivot on the heel of my shoe and my heart fucking sinks at the look on Daisy’s face. Gabe’s girlfriend. Those two have become really serious lately—more so since they’re not hiding their relationship anymore. It’s the fucking curse. Gabe found his happiness, and now this shit happens.
“It’s going to be okay. Gio and Xavier will have him home before you know it, sweetheart,” I tell her. I have no fucking idea if that’s true or not. But if a little white lie helps wipe that heartbroken look off her face, then that’s what I’ll do.
“What was he arrested for? Why isn’t anyone telling me?” she asks.
I look to Santo. He’s no fucking help. The asshole is sprawled out on the sofa with another bottle of whiskey in his hand.
“I’m not sure. We need to wait for Gio and Xavier to fill us in. In the meantime, we need to stay positive. You know, put those good vibes out into the universe. All that juju shit.” I’m pulling crap out of my ass now.
“Hey.” Vin walks in, looks at Daisy and then over to me. “What’s going on?”
“Gabe got pinched in Sydney,” I tell him.
“What for?”
“Where’s El? Go and see what she wants for dinner,” I reply instead of answering his question. I won’t lie to my brother, but I also won’t tell him in front of Daisy. The last thing this girl needs is to be Googling just how long someone can be put behind bars for fucking arms dealing.
Thankfully, Vin reads the fucking room. Unlike Santo, who’s still busy drowning himself in that fucking bottle.
“Come on, Daisy. Let’s go find that sister-in-law of mine. Getting her to decide on dinner is like pulling fucking teeth.”
“She’s not that bad,” Daisy says.
“Yes, she is. This one time, we argued for two hours over pizza or fish and chips. Two hours, Daisy. And you know what we ended up with?”
“What?” she asks.
“Both.” Vin shakes his head before walking right back out of the room again. “Come on, I’m not dealing with this one alone.”
Daisy looks at me and then follows Vin out. She’s not stupid. She knows we’re trying to distract her, keep her from spiralling over the fact her boyfriend is currently sporting a pair of silver bracelets.
A few hours ago, I was debating on whether or not I was going to get on a flight to New York. Now, I need to go and find out what I’m supposed to be handling while Gio’s stuck in Sydney and Santo is out of his fucking mind.
Gabe was the one picking up the slack. He stepped up when Santo needed the break. If Gabe’s locked up, that responsibility is going to fall on my fucking shoulders. That’s not a job I want. It’s one I’ll do, if I have to do it. But at the same time, I’ll be looking for a way to get Santo back to his old self sooner rather than later. I don’t want to be anyone’s fucking underboss.
Chapter Twenty
“Are you sure about this?” Izzy asks for the tenth time in the last ten minutes.
“I’m sure. I need to go back, Iz. I can’t keep hiding out in this house,” I tell her.
“I don’t see a problem with you staying and hiding out here forever,” Mikhail says, his arms folded across his chest and his signature scowl on his face.
“I know you don’t, but it is a problem. And as much as I’d love to stay here, it’s not what’s best for me. I have a good life in Melbourne.”
“What if I get rid of him? Your life would be better without him.” Mikhail smirks—his way of trying to play off his very real suggestion to get rid of Marcel.
“Don’t do that. He’s not my problem.” I sigh. “I like him. Which is my problem. I don’t want to like someone this much.”
“You deserve to be happy, Zoe,” Izzy says while baby Lex babbles at me from where he’s perched on her hip.
“I know.” I made a decision to go back to Melbourne and to give this thing with Marcel a real chance. I want to be able to have the life that I see others have. I want it so desperately. I just fear I’m never going to be able to.
