Page 73 of When Sinners Rise
“I meant what I said,” she says, zipping up her jeans. “You could come with us and-” I roll away from her, shoving my legs into my own pants. “Not to bewithme. Just so that you could be away from them and…” And what? I stall halfway through shoving my feet into my boots. I don’t know anything but my family and this life I’ve been in. I still don’t even know what I’m gonna say to them, let alone what I want from the conversation if it happens. “Shaw?”
Standing, I finish dressing and walk to her. My hands take her cheeks in my fingers, and I dip to look at eyes that have become too familiar to me. “I can’t, Miri. I don’t know what this has been, or is, but this right now is how it needs tobe. You get to go home and be safe, and I get to deal with me, here.” She nods gently, like she isn’t one bit happy about that. Surprising, considering how much she should hate me. “You just keep remembering me as the guy that took you. Not the one that helped, yeah? Keep your wits about you from now on. Fight hard again if you ever have to, and, for the love of God, don’t fall for guys like me.” I land some soft lips on her forehead, then let go and leave to deal with Logan.
The stairs seem too fucking short down to him, and I feel like more needs to be said, or at least thought about, but I don’t have the time for any more discussion on the topic. I want them gone and on a plane and preferably under Cane protection until then. One wrong move, or one second more time than necessary, and any one of my family might be waiting to strike and bring them back where they think they should be.
Dark eyes glare straight at me the second I turn through the doorway into the main room. He’s by the door, blocking it. Right about now, he looks a damn sight more threatening than Abel ever has. I stall half a step, then straighten my collar and carry on moving until I’m closer to Samuel than I know he’ll want me to be.
There aren’t any words for a few minutes as Miri walks into the room. He just stares, presumably seething with rage about me. I get it. Really, I do. I’d be just as pissed as him if something like this was happening to me and the roles were reversed. I still meant what I said, though, and for her, and maybe me, I’ll blow this little affair wide open if I have to.
He eventually looks between Miri and Naja, who’s already sitting in one of the chairs.“I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but this was dumb, Shaw. You get your dick in a knot about one of them?”
A snort drops out of me. I mean, fuck it. Some part of that’s true enough. “Something like that.”
“And you thought needling me about my priest was a good move?”
“You’re my route home for them. I’ll use anything-”
“You should think hard about what state Knox was in after he tried fucking around with me.”
“Have done. Don’t care. You gonna help them, or shall I just-”
He steps forward. “You little shit. You’re asking me to go against Abel when I’ve only just made something fucking useful happen. He’s already asked me if I’ve seen you.”
“The hell is he talking to you about me for?”
“This crap. I should hand your disloyal ass back over to him in a body bag. He’d damn well thank me for it.” I scowl at the thought, but at the moment, he’s probably right. “And all that for a goddamn fuck?”
“Logan,” Samuel says, moving in front of me. “Outside.”
I push him out of the way and get around him to face off. Maybe I am younger, but I’m the same damn size as him and fast enough if he wants to try hurting me. “Yeah, I’m all kinds of cunt, I get it, but here’s the thing: I just pissed all over my family for this girl. Don’t think I won’t go straight through you as well. I want her home, safe, Logan, and you’re gonna make sure that happens.” He looks from me to Samuel, like he’s weighing up all the options, and eventually takes a long, hard look at Miri. I move straight across the room to stand in front of her without any thought. “That isn’t yours to screw around with, Logan. You wanna try civil instead? Or shall we get real fucking nasty?”
He tilts his head, blatantly ignoring my frame, so he can stare at Miri some more. “That’s two men fighting for your life, Miri. You tell me why I should give a fuck.” She tries moving to get around me, but I move to block her where she is.
“No,” I mutter. “You wanna talk, you talk to me, Logan. She’s not available for conversation with you.”
Time stalls in the room. It’s just me and him in reality. Maybe Samuel’s got some authority, I don’t know, but what I do know, without a shadow of a doubt, is he’ll be carrying a weapon and won’t give one damn about using it if he feels inclined to.
It’s Samuel who eventually breaks the stare off. He cuts in between us and lands a hand on Logan’s chest, pushing him backwards until he opens the door, and they walk outside.
A breath shunts out of me the second it closes, and I look back at Miri.
“That’s the guy that’s going to help us?” she asks.
I nod. “With any luck.”
“What did he mean by two men fighting for me?”
“Don’t know.” But there's no way the other guy is any of my family.
“He doesn’t look very helpful.”
“He helped us,” Naja says quietly. We both look at her. “He got us a place in Smithtown Bay when Landon asked for help. I’ve never met him before. Jackson dealt with him.”
“That’s where you’ve been?” Miri asks. “Where’s Smithtown Bay?”
“On the coast,” I reply, looking back at the door. “You know why he helped this Landon in the first place?”
“No, not really. I think Landon was his lawyer for a while. He was Jackson’s, so maybe he had something on him.”
