Page 3 of Sinners Keepers
I’d spent my young adulthood lost in my own bitterness at how cruel life could be to someone who deserved nothing butgood.
Paint peeled away from the chipped door frame, revealing thin patches of mold underneath. A crack ran along the length of the right sidelight, and pots filled with long-dead plants sat on either side of the door.
Just like my father to not care for what belonged to him.
I wondered how hiscolleagueswould feel if they knew he lived in such a dump. He’d always said it was his way of staying hidden in plain sight. The man had a closet full of Brunello Cucinelli overcoats worth more than this nearly dilapidated hellhole. Of course, his playmates were more than aware that he wasn’t as well off as he’d once been even though he continued to let on like he was, but the state of disrepair this place was in was low, even for him.
With my finger on the trigger, I tested the door handle. When it twisted easily—unlocked—my breath caught in my throat.
Voices sounded louder with each set of heavy footfalls, and I darted into the overgrown shrubbery.
I should have known he wouldn’t be alone. Rob, his fuckingwatchdog, was forever stuck up his ass, and I could practically feel the full-body shudder caused by his girlfriend Marcia’s nasally laugh vibrating through my body just thinking about it. Who knew how many of his other lowlife foot soldiers were hanging around waiting for their next drug run.
I wasn’t about to stick around and find out. God, I was fucking stupid. Ijah would absolutely fucking kill me if he knew I’d come here alone. Hopefully he’d never find out, because I was for sure outnumbered and tonight was no longer the night for me to be exactinganything—especially without help. Even though my night didn’t go as planned, I couldn’t wait to get home to him. I could picture him now, still dozing, that messy brown hair of his all mussed from sleep.
I crept along the edge of the house. Holding my breath, I took slow, measured steps, making sure to place each one quietly on the wet grass. Listening for any signs of movement in the dark and hearing nothing, I stepped around the corner.
My hands trembled furiously and I realized I needed to regain some semblance of composure before heading back home. I needed to have my wits about myself in case anything else ended up not going my way.
I slumped back into the side of the house, releasing a startled scream when my body met a solid wall of chest and abs as opposed to the siding.
A large hand clamped over my mouth, muffling the sound. His other gripped my wrist, angling the firearm away from both of us.
“Hunt, it’s me.”
My shoulders sagged, the muscles in my back loosening. He held me firmly, not letting go, but giving me enough space to relax. I was safe.
“Let go of the gun, cupcake,” Ijah whispered. “I’ve got you. I don’t want you to hurt yourself, okay?”
Of course he’d followed me. I released the breath I’d been holding, more thankful he’d shown up here than he probably knew, despite the fact that I was now in major fucking trouble.
Hopefully he’d spank me for it.I smirked to myself.
I uncurled my fingers from the warm metal and he gently slid it from my hand, easing it away. Tentatively, he uncovered my mouth and released me.
I pivoted to face him, my stomach lurching at the sight of his gorgeous face. His typically vibrant eyes were dull with... pain?Regret?Struggling to keep his emotions in check, a stream of errant tears ran down his cheeks, dripping from his perfect jawline.
Comprehension overwhelmed my senses.
No.
I don’t know if I was more pissed or in awe of him. In awe of his ability to lie so sweetly for so long.
Or maybe I was just broken. More by this than any of the other things I’d been through.
I wasn’t sure how he’d kept his voice even before, but he made no attempt to do so now. “I’m so sorry, cupcake.”
Everything moved in slow motion. He lifted the gun to my chest. I wanted to scream, to run, to move, to doanything— but I stood, frozen.
My will to live dissipated with this betrayal. It was too much. Without him, there was nothing left for me.
In the brief silence that stretched between us, I experienced an inner death worse than the one in front of me.
A quiet sob wracked my body as I found it within myself to speak the only truth I had left. “Ijah. I love yo—”
He pulled the trigger.
CHAPTERTWO
