Page 10 of Sins of the Hidden

"But how do you get there without a car?" I asked, genuinely curious how she managed.

"Crystal Peak is just three blocks from my apartment," Faith said with a smile. "I walk there, and anywhere else I can. For grocery runs, I usually catch rides with one of the other instructors. You'd be surprised how far charm and homemade cookies will get you in the hitchhiking department."

I stayed silent, more emotion ripping through me. Faith usually filled the quiet, softening my rough edges with her chatter. She adopted my introverted self, refusing to give up when others would have moved on.

"Why the sudden interest?" When I didn't answer, curling into the chair like it might shield me, she saw through the stillness I hid behind - she never let me hide for long. "I think I know why." I braced myself for a lecture, for the kind of well-meaning advice that usually left new scabs on old wounds. But Faith just rolled her eyes and leaned in close, her presence gentle.

"Babe, you're gorgeous," she murmured, fluffing my hair with one hand, her chin resting lightly on my shoulder. The ease of it made me tense — casual closeness always did — but that was just Faith. She reached like it was instinct, touched like she was trying to soften the edges I guarded. "Yeah, I know. Total cliché. But I mean it. I'd kill for hair like yours — mine's wrecked from years of bleach and bad decisions. And your eyes? God, people would kill for eyes like yours." She positioned herself behind my chair, arms wrapping around me like armor I didn't know how to wear. My spine locked up. She hugged me tighter, her gaze finding mine in our reflection. "There's a lot of numbers that define us. Don't let one ruin you."

The kindness in her words scraped against raw places inside me. It wasn't just one number that ruined me–it was everything attached to that number, a lifetime of being made to feel inhuman for the body I lived in.

Tears threatened to escape once again as my throat stung from holding them back. If Faith noticed, she'd just press harder, not knowing she was making it worse. There would always be a different societal standard between us, a rift too deep for reassurance to reach.

Her expression softened gently—empathy, I hoped, not pity. Straightening herself, she jabbed the brush in the air, pointing it over my head. "Dance class tomorrow night. Bring your friends along too."

Would Joslyn and Nyla be interested? Joslyn worked out with Sarge. Nyla said exercise gave her hives. But I knew they'd come. For me. "Y-Yeah. I'll ask them."

Faith wiggled her eyebrows, teasing. "Can't wait to see those hips of yours move." She winked, already lifting the scissors.

The bell chimed, sharp as a warning. Faith didn't pause, just flicked her eyes to the glass. My heart plummeted. Heavy footsteps hit the polished tile, measured and deliberate. A broad figure filled the doorway, blocking the sunlight. Tattoos rippled beneath a black tank, his cut draped across his back like a silent warning. He spotted Faith instantly, gaze skipping right over me. "Rent's due, Faith."

She kept sectioning my hair, not even looking up. "I think that Just-For-Men gray is frying your brain. I'm clearly busy."

Knight sank into a chair, sprawling casually, his presence demanding attention. "I don't mind waiting."

"I'm sure you don't." The words hissed through clenched teeth as metal flashed between her fingers. "But no free shows today, big guy. I wear baggy clothes when I know you're coming."

Knight smirked, gaze locked challengingly on Faith through the glass, elbows on his knees as he leaned in. Strength coiled beneath inked skin. "So you were looking forward to seeing me?"

"My scissors are hungry for another taste of your blood." The line slid out so easily that it made my stomach twist. Not fear—something darker. Like I was watching foreplay that could end in murder.

He laughed, and something hungry flickered in his gaze. Her edge didn't scare him—it turned him on. "You know I like a little kink, baby."

She rolled her eyes and resumed combing through my hair like nothing happened. "Men."

The way Knight looked at Faith reminded me of how V watched me. That same devouring focus—the kind that made you forget to breathe. But where V's gaze carried the weight of death, Knight's held something lighter, almost teasing. He bursts into laughter, his stare brushed mine before I jerked away, mentally cursing as recognition dawns. "Oakley?"

Faith looked down at me as I attempted to become invisible, her fingers tensing around the scissors as she turned, like she'd done this dance before. "You two know each other?"

His grin curved, arrogant and unbothered by her battle stance. "Jealous?"

She snorted beside my ear, unapologetically loud. "Not in this lifetime or any other ones where I have the unfortunate luck of meeting you." Faith tightened the draped fabric like armor, a silent warning coiled in the motion. "I already killed one man in this shop, I'm not afraid to kill another."

My stomach dropped. Did she mean that literally?

"You wound me." Knight chuckled, but something flickered in his eyes—a flash of rejection, quickly buried beneath practiced charm. "But, yeah, we know each other."

"How?" She gathered pieces of my hair, fingers steady even as tension hummed between them. "You two don't look like you run with the same crowd." Her features warmed as she glanced at me, that protective instinct surfacing again.

"Her dad's part of the Souls," Knight said with a smirk, catching my sharp intake of breath. The club's name felt like forbidden knowledge in this radiant space. "Calm down, Oak. She knows about us." Faith's muttering floated past like smoke as he kept his focus locked on me. "How long have you been coming here?"

My breath froze as my heart slammed against my ribs. Blood rushed to my face, embarrassment and dread colliding. I gripped the drape tighter, wishing I could vanish—why did he have to bring them up here? "Two years."

Risking a glance at Knight, I found relief when his attention turned back to Faith. "Two years, and I only found out about you a few months ago?" His eyes narrowed, voice threaded with something possessive and bruised.

"Yes, I generally keep a low profile. And don't keep sitting around here. People are going to start thinking we're together," she added, tossing him a glare. "I need these men to think I'm single if I want to flirt more tips out of them."

Knight leaned forward, the movement fluid yet threatening. His massive frame bent as he rested his elbows on his knees, cobalt eyes locked on Faith, crackling with a magnetism that made the air snap. "Flirt with another man in front of me and he won't have fucking hands to pay you with."

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