Page 4 of A Sinner's Saint

“Why do you get so nervous during exams?” he questions.

“Why do you watch me all the time?” I counter.

“You’re like a bright light. I can’t help but notice you,” he says.

Okay, well, that’s… weird. I’m not sure why he’d think I’m a bright light. To be honest, Vin has always been a little strange.Standoffish. He has two friends he’s always with, Dash and Marcus. He doesn’t give anyone else the time of day, while peoplegive hima wide berth when he walks by. Though that has more to do with the rumours that surround his family. That’s to say,I’venever seen Vin do anything that warrants the fear people have of him.

“You should go back, Cammi. You being here, with me—well, you shouldn’t be,” he says.

“You invited me,” I remind him.

“A moment of weakness. You shouldn’t be around me.” He takes another puff of the joint and blows the smoke upwards. Away from me.

“Why? You said you wouldn’t cut me up into pieces.”

“There are worse things people can do to you than kill you.”

“Are you going to do those things to me?” I ask.

“No. But if I were, it wouldn’t be in my interests to tell you, now would it?” he fires back.

“So, you’re not going to cut me up, or do anything worse to me. I don’t see why I shouldn’t be around you, then? Unless you just plain don’t want me to be here. I mean, I can take a hint.”

Vin stares at me, and for a moment, I think he’s going to tell me he doesn’t want me here, and then he shakes his head. “The problem isn’t that I don’t want you here. It’s that I do.”

“Mm, I’m not sure we have the same definition of the wordproblem.” I smile at him.

Chapter Three

Itold Cammi she wouldn’t get into trouble because of the exam, and I made sure she wouldn’t. I did have to promise Ms Natt that I’d bring my ‘guardian’ in for a parent-teacher meeting. My English teacher has never been subtle about her obsession with my big brother. Ever since the news of my father’s death, she’s been trying everything she can to get a meeting with Gio.

I may have told her I’d bring a guardian. I didn’t tell her it’d be Gio. And when I showed up with Eloise, the look on Ms Natt’s face was priceless. She was furious and tried to suspend me on the spot. I knew she wouldn’t just accept that my brother’s new girlfriend was my legal guardian, which is why I had adoption papers drawn up and filled out. I may have bribed someone down at the courts to expedite the process.

Eloise didn’t even seem all that pissed off. Surprised, maybe. But she went with it. Especially after she picked up on how much my English teacher really just wanted a meeting with my brother. I’m glad Gio found Eloise. I really think she’s going to be a great addition to our family. Plus, she seems to make him happy, which is no easy feat.

I know the moment I walk into the games room that I should have just stayed out. Gio is sitting on one of the black leather sofas. A glass of amber liquid in his left hand, his right leaning on the armrest of the sofa, fingers tapping. It’s too late to walk out now. He’ll just call me back in.

I walk over to the bar and pour myself a glass of Cinque. Gio waits until my body flops onto the sofa across from him to look up at me. “Want to tell me about the shit you pulled at school?”

“You need to be more specific. I pull a lot of shit at school, bro.” My smart-ass remark does nothing but piss him off more, to the point that I see the veins in his forehead twitch.

“Cut the crap. What on earth made you think it was okay to have Ellie adopt you? Especially without her even knowing about it?” he grinds out.

“I figured you two were as good as married, which makes her my guardian just as much as you are. I want to live with her in the divorce, though—just putting that out there now.” I smirk as I bring my glass to my mouth.

“There’s never going to be a fucking divorce. And you’re almost eighteen, Vincenzo. Grow the fuck up. Pull somethinglike this with Eloise again, and I’ll knock some fucking sense into you, got it?” he growls.

“Loud and clear, boss. Can I go now, or should we do some more bonding?” There really is no need for Gio to cop the brunt of my already foul mood. I’m the youngest, though, so I get away with giving him lip a lot more than the others.

“You need to apologise to Ellie. She doesn’t need to get dragged into family shit, Vin,” Gio says.

“Okay, got it,” I tell him before pushing up from the sofa. I empty my glass and slam it down on the coffee table in front of us. “I have things to do.”

“Where are you going?” Gio asks.

“Out,” I reply.

“Out where?”

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