Page 81 of Sweet Sin

“Hey.”

I open my eyes.

Falcon stands over me as I’m lying in a fetal position on his bed.

“What do you need, Vannah? What can I do for you?”

I have no words.

I’m at a loss.

My life has fractured into so many pieces that aren’t interlocking…except for the man standing next to me.

He is the glue holding me together at this moment.

This man. This parolee.

This ex-con who claims he’s innocent.

And now?

He faces another manslaughter charge…

Because of me.

Because I couldn’t be professional enough to keep him at arm’s length.

Because I breached my ethics as his parole officer.

Because I’m a member of the Bianchi family.

Because I have a rival family who’s out not just for my body but for my blood.

Because…

He sits down next to me, jarring the mattress so I roll toward him. He brushes my hair off my forehead.

“I’m sorry if tonight was too much for you.”

I shake my head slightly.

“I should have seen that you weren’t ready for company.”

“Don’t,” I say.

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t make excuses for me or for yourself. You needed to reconnect with Leif as a friend. That’s what tonight was. It was meeting his wife, getting to know her. All that…”

I trail off, words refusing to come.

“Savannah,” he says, his voice dark and commanding, “don’t give me any excuses. I don’t deserve them. I am who I am, and while my circumstances had a lot to do with that, in the end I control me. Not prison. Not my background. I do.”

“But—”

“Enough.” The word is soft, yet it sounds like a roar.

I nod. I don’t have the strength to fight him on it. Maybe tomorrow. But not tonight. I’m done for today. I need to clock out.

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