Page 44 of Breaking the Sinner

His words hurt a little, but she didn’t let it stop her. She was getting close to something important. She could practically taste it. “Yeah, but I don’t need to meet everyone in the entire world to know when I’m interested about someone.”

Cobra shook his head.

“I’m not asking these questions to be mean. It’s how I show I care.” She reached for his hand again, and he let her take it. But he didn’t loosen or relax. He leaned back against the bench, tension thrumming under his skin.

“Okay. So tell me the worst thing about your parents.”

Cobra was challenging her. It was laced in his tone. Gen ran her thumb over his knuckles, studying the scars there. She swallowed a knot in her throat, knowing exactly what to say. One of the instigators for breaking free. Running to LA. Leaving everything—everyone—behind. “They think I killed my cousin.”

Cobra didn’t flinch, didn’t even blink. “Did you?”

“Yeah.” Gen gnawed at the inside of her lip. She’d been driving the car. The accident had almost taken her life too. It wasn’t herfaultthough. “I mean, I technically did. I was the one behind the wheel in the crash that got her killed.” The sticky, briny wave of guilt crashed up and over her again, as it always did. She set her jaw, trying to avoid tears. Trying to avoid the condemning tone of her father’s voice in her memories, telling her that her sins had been the cause.

Cobra looked down at her, something soft creasing the pain in his features. “You didn’t kill her.”

“My parents believe I did.” Gen sniffed, wiping away a tear that had spilled. “Or rather, they think my sinful, evil nature got her killed. The devil doing his work through me. And even one person thinking something like that is your fault is…enough. Right?”

“Were you drunk?” Cobra smirked. “Wait, I think I already know the answer to that question.”

“You do know the answer. I wasn’t drunk. I was taking a curve. I don’t even know how it happened. It was late at night. The oncoming car was just suddenly in front of me.”

“They weren’t drunk?”

“They were. But they came out fine. They had a bigger car, anyway. My cousin died on impact.” Gen swallowed another knot of emotion. Her parents had insisted she pray hourly for forgiveness—from God, from Bethany’s parents, from the community at large. And she had. She prayed by the minute, even. But repenting didn’t stop her community from banning women from getting behind the wheel. Repenting didn’t bring Bethany back. Repenting didn’t make anybody happier. Least of all Gen.

“So you made the list because of her,” Cobra said.

“Partly for Bethany. Even though she would have never done anything on it.” Gen laughed a little. “It’s in her honor.”

A few moments of silence drifted by. Cobra placed his other hand over top hers. “You don’t have an evil bone in your body, Red.”

“Tell that to my family,” she muttered.

“They don’t know what evil is.”

“Oh yeah?” She scoffed. “They think they do. And it’s me.”

“I could give them a few lessons,” Cobra said.

She frowned. “You’re not evil either.”

“Well, my mom is. And I came from her.”

The air between them became a vacuum suddenly, bottoming out so that all that remained was the clunky fragments of meaning. Gen squeezed his hand. She had all the information she needed…for now.

Cobra stared determinedly at the planes for a while. Then he turned to squint at her. “Why’d you cover my ass?”

“Because I didn’t want you to get in trouble for leaving work.” She traced small patterns over the top of his hand. He stared at her fingers with a look halfway between angry and flattered.

“You don’t have to worry about me. If I get fired, I get fired.” He took his hand away again, resting his elbows on his knees. “It won’t be the first time, and definitely not the last.”

“But why get fired for something silly like that?”

He sent her a look that made her feel dumb. Like she knew nothing about this world. And really, she didn’t. “Gen, you don’t get it. I’m not gonna last at this job.”

“But you’re doing so well. Why wouldn’t you last?”

He smirked. “It’s not what I do. You don’t get it.”

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