Page 88 of Splitting Secrets
Tears well in her eyes, and it’s nearly enough to make me cave. Wrapping my arms around her shaking shoulders, I hug tightly against my chest.
But she has to know this is the right thing. All of this begins and ends with the Landry family. We, as Whitlocks, were always meant to protect them. I can’t allow this curse to go on any longer—to affect any more generations.
I have to play my part.
“I love you. You know that, right? I love you so much, Raze. I’m so proud of you,” she rushes out as Theo throws his jacket on and I pull away.
“I love you. This isn’t the end, Mom. This is everything we’ve worked for. It’s going to be us on top this time.”
Griff comes back in and leans against the counter, waiting. Theo breaks through the basement stairway and throws a bag into my arms.
“I’ll get the rest of your things and bring them to you later. This should hold you over for now.”
I clap him on his arm, tugging him into a half hug to mutter my thanks into his ear.
“Ready?” Griff asks.
With a nod, I kiss my mother’s cheek and walk out the door.
46
Sonny
“We never agreed to having him here,” Beatrix argues.
“It’s a good thing no one asked,” Griffin mouths back, his tone a little too bitter.
Raze and Griffin dropped in for a surprise visit this afternoon, claiming that Raze will now be staying in our house full time. Naturally, we were caught off guard and have all handled it differently. Beatrix threw a fit because, well, she’s Beatrix and it was Griffin delivering the news. Ava was too stunned to speak. Jonah has been arguing that his safe house doesn’t feel safe anymore with a known murderer in it.
Raze was not happy to hear that.
And me? Well, I feel like this shitty situation just continues to find new ways to stink worse every day. What sort of troubleam I going to find myself in with him? I’ve already proven I can’t control myself when he’s near.
“I need to be here if they come for her,” Raze calmly explains, nodding his head toward me.
I rear back, nostrils flaring with instant rage. “I can handle myself,” I bark.
How dare he embarrass me like that?He has no idea how hard we’ve been working here.
He tilts his head, his eyes softening. “There’s been some new developments in my relationship with the Syndicate.”
“Like what?”
“Like, I no longer have a relationship with the Syndicate,” he answers plainly.
Beatrix puts her hand on her hip. “And that’s our problem, how?”
“Because they won’t tolerate being bested. Tensions were already high after you all escaped. Now that they know there were some of us on the inside, there’s no telling how they’ll react.”
She shifts crossing her arms. “Why don’t you just leave the city, then?”
With his face in its usual blank state, he answers, “I won’t leave my people alone to defend themselves.”
“I think we’ll survive . . . ” Jonah mouths back.
“Do any of you have the gifts of a Mirrane?” He glances between the four of us, and when no one answers, his mouth tightens into a smug line. “Exactly.”
“You’re a Mirrane...” Ava muses, her eyes going wide, as if everything is finally coming together.
