Page 39 of Atone

If I didn’t know Patience better, I’d swear the storm in her eyes is anger. But when she offers a final look to her brother, all I see is heartache.

She storms away, and I know there’s no point stopping her. I should probably follow, but my legs won’t move.

Turning to face Declan and Alex, I see them both still staring up at me in unnerving silence.

“She’s just upset you’re back here. That’s all.” I force a smile, wondering why I’m defending her to Alex when he’s the one who owes us all an explanation.

Declan, being an asshole, chuckles. “As if that wasn’t clear.”

Only then does Alex break his stone-cold façade to reach over and smack Declan on the arm. Which seems to confuse Declan as much as me. Until Declan’s phone pings, distracting both of us.

“I gotta take off for a bit.” Declan stands, reading a message. “You good? Keep an eye on Maddox for me?”

Alex nods in response to Declan’s question, but his eyes don’t leave mine. He doesn’t so much as blink as Declan brushes past me.

Over these past three weeks, I’ve tried to forget how gorgeous Alex is. I’ve tried to erase the memory of his hazel eyes. I’ve tried to train myself not to think about him in themiddle of the night, even when I swear I wake up smelling him.

But he’s my addiction. My obsession. And one look drags me straight back to the sickness.

Alex holds my stare for a long moment, and I hear nothing but my heartbeat flooding my veins. My nails dig into my palms, and my body burns under his attention. But just as quick as he lights the match, he douses me out, blinking his attention away.

A pretty girl with black hair shoves past me, knocking me in the shoulder. She has the nerve to glare like I’m standing in her way. The venom in her gaze quickly fades when her attention moves to Alex.

She leans down, whispering something in his ear, and I hate that a lock of her hair skims his shoulder. That her chest practically spills out of the top of her shirt. I hate that she’s close enough to breathe him in.

It’s too noisy for me to hear what she’s saying, and he doesn’t offer much of a reaction. But when she straightens her spine, he slowly starts to stand.

I get one final uninterested glance from Alex before he walks away with the black-haired beauty hot on his heels. I don’t need her smirk to tell me what she’s planning, but she shoots me the venomous smile anyway.

I hate her.

I hate him.

I hate Sigma Sin.

13

PROMISE

MILA

Last nightI had three too many shots, and not one of them cured my problems.

After Patience stormed out of Sigma House and left me without a car or a friend to party with, I found comfort at the bottom of the vodka bottle.

At least when Declan returned, he brought Teal with him, and they dragged my drunk ass back to the dorm before I made any bad decisions. Like falling for Marco’s sweet talk or hunting down Alex and the dark-haired beauty he disappeared with.

Why should I care what he does now that he’s out of Montgomery?

I know better than to lose all good sense over a gorgeous man. Especially after what I saw it do to Remi.

“You’ve been MIA lately.” I snag Remi’s hand as she walks past.

Midmorning at the carnival is always slowest, so she’s been aimlessly wandering aroundbetween shows.

“I have not.” She smiles, and a blush crawls from her neck to her cheeks.

“You act like I don’t know you. Who’s that guy I saw you talking to last night?”

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