Page 71 of By Sin To Atone

“That doesn’t make any sense. How do you even know? The serial number is filed off.”

“Not well enough,” Robbie says.

“So, unless your father is a member of The Society, and I’m pretty sure he’s not, you’re lying,” Jericho says, accusation loud and clear. He does not like me.

My throat goes dry, my stomach twisting in knots as I look up at Zeke whose face is stone.

“Explain yourself,” Jericho says.

“Where did you get the gun, Blue?” Zeke asks.

“I—”

Zeke crosses the room so fast, I gasp and lean as far back in the chair as I can. He grips a handful of hair and tugs my head backward. I wrap both hands around his forearm.

“We made a deal, you and me. Not five fucking minutes ago. I’m done with your lies. You tell the truth, now, or it’s off.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you lose my protection. Your sister loses my protection.”

“You can’t do that.”

“No? What did I tell you upstairs about playing me for a fool?”

“I’m not. I swear. Let go. You’re hurting me.”

He looks at me. I’m half off my seat trying to alleviate the pressure on my scalp. He releases me but doesn’t move away.

I rub my scalp and see how Jericho is watching us. I get the feeling he wants to know what’s going on between his brother and me. I get the feeling he won’t like it that we fucked.

“I never told you it was my dad’s,” I say to Zeke. “You assumed and when you asked me I just?—”

“You just lied. Which you seem to do fairly casually.”

I shake my head, look down at my lap, try to think. I wipe my eyes because this is going from bad to worse and I have a feeling we’re just getting started.

“Whose gun is it?” Jericho asks.

Jericho looks angry and like he’s not surprised. Zeke, though, there’s more there. Not just anger.

“I don’t know,” I say, my voice sounding more fragile than usual. At least the answer is true. “Can I?” I point to the whiskey and Zeke nods, so I pick it up and drink a sip. I hold onto it, to have something to do with my hands.

“Continue,” Zeke says.

I look up at them and I know I am in so far over my head. This world, I don’t belong here. These men are dangerous. So dangerous.

“Blue, last fucking chance.”

I nod. “After my dad was arrested, I left. I took my mom’s car and Wren and I left. I was in a hurry and scared and hadn’t thought it through. I had no money. I was sixteen. And Wren, well, my big sister was gone. She was always good at taking care of us and the Wren I knew was gone.” My hands shake as I bring the tumbler to my lips and force myself to swallow past the lump in my throat. “I knew where Mom hid her checkbook and there wasn’t a lot of money but some, so I went back to the house to get it. It was late and no one should have been there, but someone was.” My voice breaks as I recall that night. What almost happened. “Two men.”

“Who were they?” Zeke asks.

I shrug my shoulders. “They didn’t take the time to introduce themselves,” I say, trying for casual but failing. “The house was torn apart. I was stunned. When I walked in, I mean, I just stood there, and he was right there although he didn’t see me at first. If I’d been faster, I maybe could have run. But then another man came out of the bedroom. He saw me right away. And he said something, I don’t know what. I tried to run then but I was too slow. The first man, he grabbed me, and held me while the other one asked me where it was.”

“Where what was?” Jericho asks.

I point to the laptop. “He said my dad had left something for him, but it wasn’t where it was supposed to be. I knew that much. I’d already taken it. I couldn’t tell him where it was or they’d find Wren. When I wouldn’t give him the answer he wanted, he just got bored or something. He checked his watch like he was late. Then he told the other one to take care of me and left. And then he, the one who was left behind…” Oh God. This part. This next part. Another secret I’ve kept, like what happened to Wren. What my father did to her before he beat her.

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