Page 73 of By Sin To Atone

Jericho watches us, quiet but observing, not missing a thing.

Zeke walks over to the desk and retrieves something from inside the drawer. He comes to me, and I see it’s my phone.

“Code is 84651. Check on your sister then go to bed, understand? Do not make me regret giving this to you.”

I take the phone, look up at him, grateful again. “I won’t. I promise. Thank you.”

He nods.

I bite the inside of my cheek and glance at the others over his shoulder, then walk out of the room.

“What the fuck are you doing with that girl, Brother?” I hear Jericho ask before the door closes behind me.

25

Ezekiel

“Are you fucking her?”

I slowly turn to face my brother.

Jericho is on his feet. He takes a deep breath as we step toward each other. “Are you?”

Robbie makes a whistling sound and I see his eyebrows shoot up while he keeps pounding on the keyboard.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” I tell Jericho.

“She’s a little young, isn’t she?”

“Remind me. How old was Isabelle when you put a baby in her belly?”

He narrows his eyes. Truth isn’t fun sometimes. “And apart from that, she’s got shit on you that can land you in prison. She blackmailed you, which is how you met, in case you forgot. And I’d bet my ass she’s lying about those missing files.”

He is right about all those things. I didn’t miss how she scratched her nose on her shoulder when she said she didn’t know where the external drive was. But I’m not about to tell my brother that.

“Whether or not I’m fucking Blue is irrelevant.” I take a step toward him.

He takes one to meet me. “I beg to differ.”

“Explain to me how my sex life is of any significance to you, Brother.”

“It’s of significance if it can get you in trouble. Your judgment is clouded, Zeke. I see it. I’m sure Robbie here sees it.”

“Whoa, whoa, keep me out of your sibling rivalry.”

“This isn’t fucking sibling rivalry. This is my brother needing to get his head out of his ass,” Jericho says to Robbie or to me, I’m not sure. He stands there studying me for a long moment. “Helping her won’t bring Zoë back,” he says, tone a little gentler.

“Why is everything I do about Zoë?”

“Isn’t this about her? Isn’t you saving Blue some sort of atonement for having failed to save Zoë? And by the fucking way, that wasn’t your job. And her death wasn’t your fault. It was our father’s. That’s the end of that story.”

I take a minute. I need it to get the swell of emotion under control. I only speak once I’ve collected myself. “Blue is not Zoë. End of story,” I say, my voice low. “If I want to fuck her, I’ll fuck her. Quite frankly, it’s none of your business. Also end of story.”

“She’s trouble. I’m telling you?—”

“You think I don’t know that?”

“Do you know that?” he asks, eyebrows so high they disappear into his hairline.

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