Page 17 of Secrets Unveiled

“She can’t find out—she’s not to know about the inner workings of the club. I can’t imagine what she would think if she truly knew the depths of what we do to eliminate the threats against the club. We’re not good people, Saint. Murder, torture, gun running—I can see her face now if she found out. Luther was her hero, and she never knew how truly brutal that man could be to his enemies. I never want her to think anything less of him.”

“What exactly does she think we do with the club?” I ask, never actually knowing what he’s divulged to her about what her family’s created with the club.

“I’ve told her we provide people with the resources they need to accomplish the tasks they’ve been handed.” I let out a scoff of a laugh.

“Cryptic,” I respond. He nods, a menacing smile pulling the corner of his mouth before it disappears just as quickly as it came. Letting out a long sigh, he continues. “She’s been through enough in her life. She doesn’t need to be constantly worried about us.”

“Us?” I question him, giving him a sly smile, knowing damn well he knows the love, hate relationship between me and his sister. Letting out a chuckle, he eyes me.

“Yes, dumbass. She cares about you too. As much as the pair of you pretend to hate one another, I know she sees you as a brother figure too.” The doorbell rings, alerting us the pizza has arrived. Thank fuck cause I’m starving. Saxon leaves the kitchen and heads to the door to retrieve our dinner. I mull over his words. Sage does care about me, it’s obvious. She and I go way back, and he’s right, we do have a close bond, but does she see me as a brother or something more? Would she ever admit it to herself if she does have stronger feelings for me? Would I?

Before my brain explodes from the constant inner turmoil I’m creating for myself, Saxon returns with pizza in hand. I stand from my barstool and grab three plates for us. Footsteps filter in through the kitchen as I hear Sage making her way down the stairs. This ought to be an interesting dinner.

“Hey, sis. Pizza’s here. Grab a plate.” Sage does so without saying a word. The smile she gives her brother is warm and inviting, and I can’t help watching her as she grabs her plate and dishes out a slice of extra cheesy pizza for herself. Her long blond hair is still wet, dampening her oversized sweatshirt that’s swallowing her completely. She looks so small right now. She licks her bottom lip as she drops the pizza on her plate. This small gesture makes the bulge in my pants grow. I can’t remember when my feelings for her went from being innocent to this, whatever this is. This isn’t good. I can’t be the one who falls for my best friend’s little sister. It’s so wrong.

Just then, a pair of bright silver eyes meet mine. I hold her gaze, a silent conversation being spoken between us. A light shade of red dusts her cheeks. Her mouth opens and closes as if she can’t say what she truly wants to. She’s so cute when she’s flustered.

“Come on, let’s finish watching that Saw movie.” Saxon leaves us in the kitchen, assuming I’m going to follow behind him. But instead of immediately following him, I make my way over to her. I lean my back on the island while she’s still facing her plate. She doesn’t look at me. She continues peering down at her food as if she’s too nervous to turn towards me. She smells so delicious, like vanilla and strawberries. The perfect dessert flavors. I lean into her, my lips right at her ear, and whisper, “I won’t tell your brother you watched me in the shower.” Her whole body stiffens before she turns toward me, fire now burning in her eyes.

“And I won’t tell him you came into my room while I was in my towel.” I give her a chuckle before pushing her hair back from her shoulder. “Do I make you nervous?” My voice is still a whisper. Her eyes narrow on me. The feisty and sassy Sage is out to play tonight, and it does something to me. She’s about to say something hateful by the expression she’s wearing, but suddenly her demeanor changes.

She shifts closer to me, her body now completely pressed against my side. I can feel her warmth even beneath her obnoxiously large hoodie. With a delicate hand, she threads her fingers through my slightly damp hair, scratching my scalp just enough to give me goosebumps. Standing on her tiptoes, she presses the side of her face to mine, her lips brushing my ear.

“No more nervous than I’m making you right now. We’re playing with fire, Saint. If we’re not careful, we’ll both get burned.” She gives me a kiss on my cheek before grabbing her plate and leaving me utterly speechless in the kitchen. She’s right. Fuck, is she right. This “thing” we’re creating between us is more than dangerous, it’s straight up inappropriate. Again, I can’t help thinking, what would Saxon say?

Letting out an exasperated breath, I head to the living room where Saxon has already started watching Saw VI.

“These movies are so crazy. Ugh, seriously, whoever made them needs to see a therapist. They can’t be right in the head.” Sage is wincing as she looks away from the screen. I take a seat beside Saxon, who loves horror movies so much it might be concerning to some. I’ve never seen the guy watch anything besides a horror film. I can’t say I hate them either. I personally like watching horror films over any other genre. We all sit and watch the film as Sage adds her commentary throughout.

Having finished eating, I lean back further into the couch, but my eyes keep betraying me by wandering over to where Sage is sitting. She’s on the opposite couch, her knees drawn into herself while she clutches a throw pillow. Her eyes are locked onto the screen as the torture device called The Shotgun Carousel begins spinning around with its victims tied to the metal poles. I have to say the creativity in these movies is top tier.

I watch Sage as her eyes look like they’re going to bug out of her head. Her reactions to all these torture devices are how most people react to such horrors. Then it dawns on me: Sage is so innocent. So innocent in the sense that if she knew the true inner workings of the club, she would be horrified. The lives we’ve taken, the families we’ve destroyed, the people we’ve tortured, and so, so much more. This is what Saxon was talking about; she can’t know the truth about us. About me. What would she do? How would she feel? My stomach churns at the thought of her hating me, or even Saxon, for doing what’s necessary to keep us all safe. What we do can be considered over the top and illegal, obviously, but the pair of us have been doing fucked up shit for so long we’ve become desensitized to it. I think back to all the guys I’ve hurt and tortured simply because they said the wrong thing to Sage, or broke her heart, or dumped her for not having sex with them. My latest victim, Seb, wasn’t even a full month ago.

My eyes lower to the shag carpet in front of me. Do I regret the things I’ve done? No. Would I do them again? Yes. Why? Because no one, and I mean no one, hurts Sage and gets away with it. She is the light that this world needs, that I need. I will prevent anyone from trying to snuff her out, even if that means eliminating every one of them. Saxon is right. She can’t know what we’ve been up to these past few years. Can’t say we’re going to stop either, not until the mission is complete. Not until everyone that was involved is dead.

Saxon’s phone vibrates in his pocket. When he pulls it out, I see the expression on his face go from neutral to pissed in 0.4 seconds flat—a new record. He lets out a deep sigh before pocketing his cell and standing from the couch.

“I’ll be back later. Don’t wait up.” He extends his arm for mine and gives me a slap on my hand before side stepping between me and the coffee table to give Sage a kiss on the cheek.

“Need me to tag along?” I ask, but deep down, I’m not wanting to leave.

“Nah, man. It’s just that bullshit, ya know.” He means Sky. The two of them have what some call a toxic relationship, constantly bickering or arguing over stupid shit. I see why Saxon gets so annoyed, but then I wonder why he stays.

“You mind staying here tonight? Keep an eye on things just in case I get held up?” A scoff from the couch draws my attention to Sage; her eyes are narrowed on Sax.

“I don’t need a babysitter, Sax. Jesus, I’m twenty-one. When are you going to realize I’m an adult?” Shaking his head, he turns back to her.

“It’s more for my peace of mind, knowing you’re safe, sis. That’s all.” Exiting the living room, his boots echo across the tile floor before opening the front door and closing it softly behind him. Sage and I look at each other at the same moment the lock clicks on the door, and I can’t help the smirk that spreads across my face.

“Just you and me, witch stick. Just you and me,” I practically purr out, only getting me an eye roll from her before she turns back to the movie.

“Fantastic,” she says on an exhale.

SAGE

Why am I being tested? What have I done in my life to continuously be put in these situations with Saint? Situations that have become increasingly tense, and, dare I say, sexually frustrating. I love Saint, yes. He has been a part of my family for as long as I can remember. He’s been here for me and Saxon after the fire and has always been another brother figure for me. He’s someone who would protect me without any hesitation. We’ve always just… been. I don’t know how to explain it further. But recently, the bond between us has become blurred and has started to morph into something… dangerous. When I saw Saint in the shower, a burning sensation exploded in my core, climbing up my spine and leaving my head feeling dizzy. I have never, and I mean never, felt anything greater for Saint in a lust filled way, however, my body is suddenly betraying me.

As we sit here in silence, watching the remainder of this insanely disturbing movie, the tension between us becomes palpable. Whether he feels it too, I don’t know. I’m constantly stealing glimpses of him from the corner of my eye, and I can’t help but feel the heat of his gaze on me as well. Saint has this presence about him, an electrical charge that has my senses on high alert. He dominates a room just by being in it. I can’t help but feel this pull towards him recently, and I don’t know if I will be able to stop it. Especially if he keeps acting the way he’s been acting towards me. It’s clear he’s noticed a shift between us as well, if his constant hovering and need to invade my personal space is anything to go by. I can’t say that I hate it. He’s intoxicating—his scent, his stature, his animalistic eye color. I become hypnotized when he looks at me like I’m his prey.

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