Page 56 of Sinners Keepers
Ileft Ijah and Alec with Law, informing them I needed to go back to my room to get dressed. It was around 4 AM now, and everyone was exhausted. We were all on a weird sleep schedule with Law’s injuries. Thankfully, the rush of adrenaline I was currently experiencing had me wide awake.
I dressed quickly and quietly slipped down the stairs. I knew if I lingered any longer or went back to say goodbye to them, there was a solid chance Ijah would change his mind. I felt guilty for sneaking away like this, but they’d notice I was gone in no time and they’d know where to find me.
Before I left his room, Law had given me a small vial of barbiturates and a syringe like the one I’d seen them use on Marcia. The plan was for me to stick around long enough to be convincing and catch my dad unaware. Once he was out, I’d hopefully just be able to call the guys and have them come. All of this was dependent upon a lot of things: whether or not my dad was actually alone, if he took my phone away, if he moved me to another location. It was really all up in the air.
I grabbed the keys from the hook on the kitchen wall and headed for Alec’s SUV, my hands shaking. They didn’t stop, even as I started the engine and began to drive.
As I approached the exit to my childhood home, my pulse quickened and tears threatened at the corners of my eyes. The pit of my stomach held onto a gnawing sense of dread that wouldn't go away. This was too familiar, too much like the last time when things went horribly wrong. Fear and anticipation warred inside me as I pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine, but I knew that my guys would have my back this time. Not that Ijah hadn’t before, he’d just had no idea what I was planning last time.
The house was seemingly empty. No cars parked out front, no lights on inside. It was too quiet.
I walked up to the front door on unsteady footing, dizzy from the anxiety of it all.
I’d come appearing unarmed in hopes my dad wouldn’t view me as a threat that needed to be retaliated against this time, but the full syringe I had tucked in my bra felt like a lead weight against my chest. Maybe he’d believe I was really handing myself back over to him to protect my guys.
In a way, I was—but I wasn’t walking away without taking him down this time.
I ran my fingertips over the small bump in the space where my thumb attached to my hand. Alec had confirmed where he'd inserted the chip while I was still very out of it in the hospital. If Nelia had found out, she’d most definitely have killed him. I bit back an ill-timed grin. I couldn’t wait to tell her.
I walked up to the front door and forewent knocking. I was shocked to find it unlocked. I twisted the knob and pushed it open, stepping inside. The living room was dark, but a light shone from the kitchen.
My heart beat in my throat as I walked toward the light, my steps too loud against the hardwood floor in the still house. When I rounded the corner into the kitchen, I found my dad sitting at the table with a mug of steaming coffee and a newspaper, casual as ever, his eyes already alert despite the early hour and the fact that I knew he hadn't slept at all last night either. He’d been waiting for me.
Sunlight had just begun to stretch through the windows, giving everything a hazy morning glow. His eyes flicked to mine and whatever I’d thought this reunion would be like, I was so fucking wrong.
“Hunter,” he said, beaming. “I’m so glad you finally made it home. It’s not like you to stay out so late. I was starting to worry.”
His mug clicked against the wooden table as he stood, placing the newspaper beside it and walking over to me.
He reached a hand toward me and I involuntarily flinched, only for him to pull me in for a very fatherly hug. I angled the syringe away from him.
His arms circled my body, startling me into stillness. I felt my breath catch in my throat and the urge to recoil rose within me, but I fought it back. Every sense was heightened; I could feel his heart thumping against my shoulder, his bony fingers gently holding onto my back, and the warmth of his embrace seeping through every pore. His touch was foreign and every single one of my nerve endings stood on end. I tried desperately to think of something to say. Nothing came.
Hugging him made me physically ill, but a small part of me wanted to lean into him; the little girl who had always wondered why she was never good enough for her dad.
But this couldn’t be real. What the fuck was he playing at?
He pulled away from me and walked over to the coffee maker. Pulling a mug down from the cabinet and filling it to the brim, he said, “Have a seat, you must be so tired.”
I walked, wordless and in a daze, over to the table and pulled out a chair. He sat the mug on the table in front of me and I stared at it, completely at a loss.
I’d mentally prepared myself for every possible scenario. Or at least I thought I had. Being held at gunpoint, tied up, flat-out shot again… but not this.
Reaching forward mechanically, I pulled the cup toward me across the wooden surface and took a cautious sip. I’d been so caught off guard by his words and actions, I didn’t even consider that I shouldn’t be drinking anything the man sat in front of me, but it was too late now. I sat the cup back on the table and scooted it away from me.
“Did you have fun with your friends last night?” My dad asked, taking the seat across from me again.
“My friends?” I was so very confused.
“Yes. At the party?” He was downright chipper. I’d never seen him like this.
“The party?” I sounded like a fucking parrot. My face twisted in bewilderment.
“Yes, Cam called to let me know you were safe or else I would have been out looking for you hours ago,” he said casually.
Cam. I hadn’t heard that name inyears. She was one of the friends I’d lost contact with after everything. We were close at school, but I’d neverpartiedwith anyone as a teenager and she sure as fuck didn’t have any kind of contact with my dad back then.
“I… haven’t been to any party?” My mind was reeling.
