Page 31 of A Sinner's Virtue
“Stop fucking hitting my door, Marcel, unless you want my fist to hit your face,” Gabe’s voice yells out from the other side. Then the door swings open and I’m met by a glare that would send most men running. “Why the fuck are you banging my door down this early in the fucking morning?”
“Santo’s losing it. I’ve been with him all night. It’s your turn.” I run a hand over my face. I’m fucking tired.
“What do you mean he’s losing it? He was fine when I left last night.” Gabe glances over his shoulder, into the room, and I can see what’s been keeping him busy—or should I say who? Daisy’s dress is laid out by his feet. Daisy, as in our new sister-in-law’s best friend. Either Gabe doesn’t want his balls to stay intact or my brother is just plain stupid. Because messing with one of El’s friends is the quickest way to land yourself on her shit list. A list none of us want to be on.
“Well, if you weren’t preoccupied, you’d have noticed that he started losing it about an hour after Gio and El went to their room for the night,” I grunt.
“Wait here,” Gabe says as he’s slamming the door in my face. It only takes a minute before he opens it again.
Pushing off the wall, I follow him down the path that leads to Santo’s room. “So Daisy, huh? Thought it was a onetime thing?” I ask him.
“Shut it. You didn’t see anything. You don’t know anything,” Gabe grinds out.
“Oh, it’s like that? Fine, I didn’t see the exact same dress Daisy was wearing on your floor this morning.” I laugh.
“I mean it, Marcello. She doesn’t want people to know,” he says, his tone taking on a more serious note.
“And you do? El is going to give you hell if she finds out. She was very vocal about us not fucking her friends,” I remind him of the stakes of this secret relationship of his.
“It’s not like that.”
“So, I can assume you’ll be the next one exchanging vows.” I raise a brow at him.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Gabe groans, before quickly changing the subject. “What’s Santo been doing?”
“Besides drinking himself stupid? He’s talking to Shelli. It’s like he can see her or at the very least it’s like he thinks he can. It’s fucking creepy.” A cold shiver runs down my spine. I just can’t shake the eeriness of all this.
“What if he can? I mean, no one knows for sure, right?” Gabe asks.
“Yeah, I’m not buying it. His head is messed up. He needs help, like professional help. Not the sort we can give him.” I might believe in curses and shit, but seeing dead people? I don’t think so.
Vin stomps the toe of his shoe into the ground as we approach the room. I don’t need to see it to know what the kid’s been up to. I can smell that shit a mile away. I wait for Gabe to start in on a lecture about the weed. We might sell some shit, but we don’t ever indulge.
“Don’t let Gio see you doing that,” Gabe says, and I swear my head spins around like one of those stupid cartoon characters. Maybe Daisy literally fucked his brains out.
“Good thing he’s too busy playing house then.” Vin laughs.
We all pile into Santo’s room, and I stand back and let Gabe take over. Hoping like fuck he can talk some sense into our brother.
“Santo, you good?” Gabe asks.
Santo turns his head and smiles at Gabe like a kid on fucking Christmas morning. It’s scary as fuck. “Shelli’s here. Come and say hello, Gabe. She’s back.”
Gabe glances over his shoulder at me and Vin. I shrug while giving him one of those I’ve got no fucking idea looks. Then Gabe sits next to Santo and looks at the wall. “Hi Shelli,” he says.
“She’s come back,” Santo repeats.
“Yeah? Did she say why she left?” Gabe asks him.
They aren’t facing my way but I can see the way Santo’s body stiffens. “No. Why’d you leave, Shelli?” he asks the empty space.
“What’d she say? I didn’t hear her,” Gabe questions, and I have to give it to him. He’s handling this talking to dead people shit a hell of a lot better than I could.
“She said she didn’t want to, but it’s okay because she’s back now.”
Gabe looks at me again. I don’t know what he’s expecting me to do. I’ve been trying to figure out this shitshow all fucking night. “Oh, good. Maybe you and Shelli should get some rest, mate. We’ve got a plane to catch in a few hours.”
“Yeah, good idea,” Santo agrees and lies on the bed while Gabe makes his way over to me. “Make sure Gio knows Shelli’s coming home.”
