Page 51 of A Sinner's Saint

If I did that, though, they wouldn’t get out. The other kids. They’d die in here. And it’d be my fault. Although death might be welcomed. If it came for me, I’d open my arms and let it take me away.

I manage to get to a door that I hope leads to outside. My palm touches the handle, and then I’m yanked back.

“You got farther than I gave you credit, boy,” a deep voice whispers as an arm wraps around my waist and my back is pressed up against a man’s chest. “Run, little boy, run. I like to chase.” He drops his arm and I quickly turn around, but there’s no one there. I’m alone.

Turning back to the door, I open it and I run. The sticks and stones dig into the soles of my feet, but I don’t stop. I reach the edge of the backyard that leads into the bordering bush. Without thought, I run between the trees, my pace slowing down as I navigate over fallen tree trunks, huge rocks, and whatever else is scattered around the dirt.

My chest burns, but I can’t stop. I need to keep going. Just when I think I’ve run far enough, I collide into a tree. My chest scratches against the bark, and a heavy—a very heavy—palm pushes against my back.

“I told you I like it when you run. And you delivered. I knew you would. Now tell me, boy, is this tight little ass of yours going to deliver too? Is it going to choke my cock good?” the deep voice hisses in my ear as those same heavy hands spread my ass cheeks apart.

I sit up in bed while a scream tears through my lungs. My chest heaves as I try to get my bearings. I’m at home.I’m not there. I’m not there.I look around my bedroom, at all the familiar things.This is my space. I’m okay.

Spotting my tin on my shelf, I drag myself up, grab it, and swipe my phone from the bedside table before walking straight out to the balcony. My body falls to the ground, and the cool night air against my sweaty skin sends chills through me. Lighting up a blunt, I tap my phone open to her message thread.

Cammi:

I’m okay. I had my phone off. I’m in Sydney with my aunt.

She’s really gone. I’ve driven her out of fucking town. I want to fly to Sydney and drag her back. I can’t do that to her, though. I can’t force her to be around me. She’s right. It does fuckinghurt seeing her and having to pretend like I don’t care. Because I do. I do care. Way too fucking much.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I send her another text.

Me:

Are you awake?

I don’t expect her to reply, but when my phone lights up with her picture on the screen, my heart skips a beat. She’s calling me. I click the answer button and bring the phone to my ear. I don’t say anything, just listen to her breathing.

“Vin? Are you okay?” Her sweet fucking voice breaks the silence.

“No,” I answer.

“What’s wrong?”

I shouldn’t do this to her. I’m meant to be letting her go, letting her start over without me. She needs to hate me, and here I am, leaning on her for comfort when it’s the last thing I deserve to take from her.

“They’re back,” I tell her. “You’re not here… I can’t… I tried to sleep and they came back.”

“The nightmares,” she says. It’s not a question; it’s a statement. She knows what I’m talking about. She doesn’t know what the nightmares entail, although I’m sure she can take a good guess now that she knows what happened to me.

“I shouldn’t have called you,” I tell her.

“Technically, I called you. And I want you to call me, Vin. It doesn’t matter what time or what you need. I’ll always answer,” she says.

“I don’t know who else to talk to. There is no one else I want to talk to,” I admit. I know I could call up Dash or Marcus, and they’d be here in a heartbeat to hang out and do whatever tooccupy my mind. But all I really want right now is to wrap myself in Cammi, and I can’t fucking do that because I sent her away.

“You can talk to me. I’m not going to lie. It hurts, Vin. I’m hurting, but I will always be here for you, no matter what,” she says.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I don’t want to hurt you, Cammi.”

“I know,” she whispers back.

“Why are you awake?” I ask her.

“Couldn’t sleep,” she says.

“How long are you staying in Sydney?”

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