Page 99 of The Secrets of a Sin

Not at St. Catherine’s.

Not back home, where my parents couldn’t find the heart to accept me for who I was.

We were taken back to the school where Priscilla was placed under custody, and to my surprise and shock, Verity had been the one to call Detective Pierce. She was the one who saved our lives. I wanted to ask why she betrayed them to rescue us, but she was busy with Rolland as he and another cop began interrogating her. Every now and then, her eyes would float over to ours, and I could sense the regret in her gaze. Maybe she had finally realized that her friends were complete psychopaths and came to terms with the fact they had brainwashed her. Whatever it was, I was glad she came to her senses. She still belongs in a mental ward or prison for her complicit behavior, but one thing that made my hatred for her lessen was knowing she didn’t murder Phoebe.

“You okay?” Arsen rouses me out of my daydreaming, and I snuggle in closer to the nape of his neck.

“Not really.” I admit. “But I will be.”

I don’t think I was ever going to fully recover from the events that had transpired tonight or the days prior, but I knew Arsen would piece me back together until I was almost fully mended. Then once he knew it was safe and I was no longer fragile, he would tear my walls back down just so he could feel the power in his ability to fix me.

We remain silent in each other’s hold, not quite sure what to say or ask as everything still feels fresh and raw. I wanted to know how he felt and what happened to him before he got tied up in the woods but reliving the events that had just happened was too hard right now. So instead, we both just clung to each other as if we wanted to melt in the embrace and become one.

My eyes focus back on Verity, who’s speaking closely and intimately with Detective Pierce. Her stare bores through his with such a strong emotion that it reminds me of how I look at Arsen. Like she’s completely enamored, but by his defective gaze, the feeling must not be reciprocated. Then suddenly, with a scowl, he spins her around gently and places cuffs on her hands. She stands beside the cop car, expressionless and motionless. Not fighting him like I would have expected, not doing much of anything really, as her face is void of feeling. Opening the back door of the vehicle, he softly pushes her inside until he whispers something into her ear that causes her face to flush.

What the hell did he say to her?

Then, slamming the door, he lets the other cop take her away.

With his hands now shoved deep into his pockets, he watches the back of the car drive away with a look that’s difficult to read. Then, with a sigh, he turns and catches both Arsen and me watching him. Since we walked back to the school, he hasn’t had the chance to speak with us, so now was his chance to ask questions.

“How are you both doing?” He asks as he comes to a stop in front of the ambulance and stares closely at our embrace.

Arsen’s arms tighten around me, and I give him a reassuring squeeze before lifting my head from the curve of his neck. “As good as you can be, I suppose.” I shrug, noticing the tension and regret in his eyes as they filter over to Arsen.

No one believed him when he said Phoebe wasn’t suicidal. No one gave him a chance to see it from his point of view or the time of day to listen to his doubts. Now, it turns out he had been right about everything, so in return, he’s barely giving Detective Pierce any acknowledgment.

“And you, Mr. Hale?” He directs his focus to Arsen, who I can feel stiffen under my legs. I can hear a slight scoff brush past my ear, but I squirm around in his lap, trying to get him to say something back. He did save our lives, so he owed him at least a few words in return, even if they weren’t nice.

“Pretty far from okay, Detective, but once we leave this fucking hell hole of a school, I’ll be better.” His arms squeeze around my frame as his heart pounds violently against my back. Detective Pierce just nods in return and drops his stare to the ground for a second before peering back up.

“Verity told me everything. About Phoebe, them drugging you and the cult. She confessed to it all.”

“How did you find us?” I ask, knowing that it was most likely Verity, but I wanted to know for sure.

His eyes shift over to mine. “She called me frantic and sobbing. Could barely get a damn word out of her mouth until she said that there were two people tied up in the woods.” He continues. “I didn’t know whether to believe her or not, but there was something in her voice telling me that she wasn’t lying. Then she mentioned your name, and I panicked.”

Apparently Arsen didn’t appreciate the fact Detective Pierce was worried about me, so he possessively rests a palm over my bare thigh. He notices the shift in Arsen and sighs.

“Look, I just wanted to check in on you both to make sure you were okay. And I wanted to apologize. None of this would’ve happened to the two of you if we had just looked further into Phoebe’s death.”

“You're right. It wouldn’t have happened if you had just listened to me.” Arsen snaps. “More so, it wouldn’t have happened to Charlotte. Me, I couldn’t give a fuck about.”

Here we go.

“I know we fucked up, Arsen. And I know that whatever I say won’t make it any better or less painful for you. If I could go back, I would, but I can’t. And now I have to live with knowing I could’ve prevented all this from happening.” Detective Pierce proclaims with a heavy tone as I hear and watch the sincerity in his emotions. He pauses on a deep sigh and runs a hand through his wild curly hair. “I’m sorry. I just hope you find some closure and peace after this. After it all coming to an end.”

“Peace and closure will be something I’ll never experience.” Arsen announces calmly. “But knowing the girls who killed Phoebe are gone makes the agony of her being gone a little more bearable.”

Fuck, I was proud of him. Proud of his strength and the courage her carried, even though he was about as broken as they came. Even when he knew they fucked up horribly, he still managed to speak with composure.

My mouth felt greedy to claim his lips and show him just how honored I was to be his, but instead, Detective Pierce spoke once again.

“Nine years and counting, and I’m still not over it.” Detective Pierce says as if he’s suggesting he lost someone too. “But it does get better.” He nods in pain as his eyes float over to the side where his cop car sits. “If you two need anything else, you know how to get a hold of me.” Then with a sad smile, he saunters away from us.

My eyes follow his back as he moves towards his car.

“Just so you know, if you think you’re staying here tonight, you’re fucking crazy.” He announces, and I can’t help but grin.

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