Page 40 of We Are All Sinners

“He opened a restaurant back in Florida. He named it Bayou Bites. We all own several businesses as well as properties there.” He explains.

“Oh, are you going to want to move back there?” I ask, not knowing if that’s something I can do, realizing we talked about a lot of things, but not much about him and his businesses now. He told me about his strip / sex club but wants to wait until I see it to really explain it all.

“Actually, I think I want to stick around here and make the club a chain. Liam has been looking at a few options with a new realtor that works with the Deveraux Corporation, which is one of ours. It’s time the Diocese come back to NOLA and claim their birthright. Things have gone downhill here since we left.” He explains further, making me feel a little better, knowing deep down that I can’t say no to him.

“I’m happy to hear you say that, Brix. I don’t know if I could ever leave New Orleans, it’s my home, all I’ve ever really known.” I smile, relieved.

“I figured it was bothering you after our conversations last night. I will want and need to go back to Florida from time to time for business, and you will have to start taking vacations and hiring people to work at the store so that you have days off to go withme. We can finally have it all, Eves.” His smile reaches his eyes as he takes my hand and kisses it softly, sending butterflies in my stomach again before I’m hit with another vision.

We are in the bayou; it was our first time. I watch as the red and blue butterflies surround us. My attention is broken from me and Brix to a man in the shadows of the bayou, hiding behind a cluster of cypress trees in a black trench coat and hat. He is chanting something, holding my father’s grimoire, watching us.

He looks up at me, showing his face and bright green eyes in the moonlight, continuing his chant. He is holding a necklace dangling from a long silver chain that looks like a ruby. The man smirks as he holds out a hand towards me. I notice he is also holding the purple crystal, but its one whole piece. He flicks his wrist and I feel like I just got punched right in my lungs as I’m thrown back into the present, flopping back in my chair as I pull away from Brix, gasping for a deep breath.

“Fuck, Evie, are you okay? What did you see baby?” Brix is on me quickly, pushing my hair out of my face.

I look up at him as he cups my face, my eyes meeting his as I try to remember how to breathe, “Someone else was there that night, when we were together the first time. I can’t be sure, but I think it was Mark. He has the same eyes as my mom. He was doing a spell or something, I couldn’t hear him, but he had the grimoire I found. He did this to us, not the ancestors. Or maybe with the ancestors. I don’t know!” I try to explain as my lungs finally allow me to take deep enough breaths to get my words out.

I watch Brixon’s face morph from worried to pissed off.

“Tell me what he looked like. I don’t know Mark personally, but I have seen photos. I might have one.” He says as he gets up going over by the stove, grabbing his phone.

I watch him tap on his phone and scroll for a minute, “Is this the guy?” he asks, flipping his phone around towards me.

I look at it intently, focused on his eyes, “Yeah, that’s him.” I say, dropping my eyes to the table.

“It’s okay, Eves, he is hiding right now, but we will find him. We will figure this all out.” He assures me, before kissing my forehead.

“That’s my dad. The guy who gave me away so he could be with some sadistic bitch from hell. He looks evil. I still can’t believe that the scholarship, grant money, and everything else I thought I accomplished on my own was all a lie.” I confess as if his sins are mine just because I came from him, making me feel even more like a fraud.

“You earned your degree and were top of your class. He just made sure you were provided for. It was his way of doing one thing right in his entire life. He made sure you had the opportunity to make it out of this life. You are the only good the man ever offered the world. Don’t let him, being who he is, take that away from you.”

“I appreciate that, but I’m still just processing it all. I know I have earned it, but to know where it all came from now. The money I got after I got my bachelor’s degree, which was supposedly from an anonymous donor for my research, ultimately helped me open the store. It just makes me feel dirty, knowing that all of that money was blood money.” I try to explain why I just feel dirty.

I worked so hard to do everything the right way, just for me to find out it was all a lie.

“I get it, but you took that money and did good with it. That has to account for something. You aren’t a bad person. Technically your dad paid for your college, and made sure you were still provided for, that’s all. Most parents do that and buy their kids grades in our world, at least you can say you did it all on your own.” He tries to make me feel better and I know he’s right, it’s just a lot.

“Thank you, I will get over it, but I also want him to pay for what he has done. It’s only right.”

“Come on, let’s have a nice breakfast without all the heavy today. I know we talked about a lot of things last night, and we have a lot more to talk about, but let’s take today, and just think about how lucky we are to even get a second chance.” Brixon’s eyes shine as he gives me an almost pleading look.

“Okay, what time is dinner, and what should I bring?” I ask, knowing that worrying isn’t going to change anything.

I just need to accept the things that I can’t do a damn thing about right now and enjoy what I have been given.

“You don’t have to bring anything; Noah will have everything ready by six. If you thought his chicken piccata was good, wait till you try his gumbo. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.” I watch as his eyes light up talking about his best friend, our brother.

I have always loved Noah like a brother. When we were kids, he got picked on in school for being little. We had each other’s backs from first grade on.

I think about how lost I was going back for my Senior year to a new private school, not having any friends. I was a loner, always a good student, but I knew then that something was missing. I guess I have known that for the last ten years, until it all just came crashing back, hitting me like a fucking tidal wave.

It's nice having family again. I have had Emily, and that was enough for me. I love Em and can’t imagine where I would have been the last couple of years without her, especially after mama died. Em came in when I needed someone the most. She saved me as much as I saved her.

I don’t know how much longer I can keep what I know from them. I know I can’t tell them either. I just hope that what I am trying to do will change the outcome before my time is up.

Chapter 13

Brixon

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