Page 5 of Sacrifice (Corrupt Empire 2)

James didn’t reply. We sat in silence for the rest of the drive, almost as if he knew I needed time to work out how to tell him.

When we got in the flat, I stripped out of my coat, scarf and shoes.

“You’re welcome to steal my clothes as usual,” he said.

I smiled, giving him a nod.

“Well, you know where the bedroom is.”

“Can we just go curl up?”

We’d slept in the same bed together so many times before. It was our thing. Curling up under the covers to talk when the world got too much. Aiden would hate it if he knew.

Enough. He needs to get out of my head.

“I’ll fix us a drink then I’ll be in.”

I trudged into James’ bedroom and went through his cupboards. I found a pair of jogging bottoms, a t-shirt and one of his jumpers. I stripped out of my own clothes, dressed and got under the covers. The sheets smelt like his Calvin Klein cologne. A scent I associated with him.

This felt so familiar. It reminded me of how much I missed the way Aiden smelt. Shit. I needed to get a grip. It’d been maybe a few hours since I’d seen him, yet thoughts of him consumed me. He’d etched himself on my heart. Permanently. Deep down, I knew I’d never be free of him. The kind of connection we shared wouldn’t fade with time. It would remain. A bond forged for life.

When James came in, he was carrying two mugs. He gave one to me and set the other one down on the bedside table. He started stripping out of his own clothes, throwing them in his wash basket before pulling on a pair of shorts and a plain t-shirt.

We’d seen each other naked, so this wasn’t weird, but it reminded me of how different James and Aiden were. My best friend was reasonably toned, but Aiden was ripped. He worked out daily and whenever he’d had a session with his boxing bag, he had me practically drooling over him.

Again. Stop. Just stop. You and Aiden are over. It’s done.

Except it wasn’t done at all.

“Mulled cider?” I asked.

“Yeah, didn’t think you’d want wine.”

I sipped at it. The spices warmed me. I smiled at him as he jumped into the bed and huddled under the covers next to me.

“So, now you’re all wrapped up warm and comfortable, feel like spilling the beans?”

I sighed, taking another sip of the cider. There were things I couldn’t say, but most of it I could. So I started at the beginning. Went right back to the night my parents were murdered. I didn’t tell James I was there nor that Aiden kidnapped me and locked me up. I cried a few times. Talking about my family’s dealings to someone other than Aiden made me feel worse about them. The shame tore at my soul.

He sat silently listening to me, not interjecting once.

“What he wants is impossible. I can’t. You know Tristan isn’t right in the head. No one would believe it, least of all Frazier.”

He sat back against the headboard and took a sip of his own cider. He shook his head, his blue eyes meeting mine. I could see the shock and confusion in them.

“Holy fuck.”

“Yeah, holy fuck is probably right.”

“Ave, that shit is so fucked up, I don’t even know where to start.”

“And you think I did?”

He nudged his shoulder into mine.

“No. I was not expecting you to unload a whole can of ‘what the fuck’ on me though.”

I half smiled.

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