Page 82 of Be My Sinner

My little Nightstar is always ready for some more murder and mayhem, if it means fewer men of the Order are left breathing. The little blood-thirsty siren wants to kill them herself. That need for vengeance for what has been done to her family, and to women in general, is a constant pulsation inside of her. I’m always worried that the need will overcome any sense of self-protection that she has and will get her killed.

“Tonight, Dinah and I will be dining at my parent’s house, and staying the night there. Sammy will accompany us as our guard, and you, Abe, will convince your parents and yourself to join us.” Ezekiel smiles like the cat that ate the canary.

“How does that help us?” I question with concern.

“You sly dog, you’re going to use the same trick we did years ago?” Abraham chuckles and sits himself down on the arm of the wingback chair Dinah is occupying. His hand reaches out and trails down the side of her neck to her shoulder, where the fabric of her dress is torn, and her shoulder tattoo is visible. I watch as he traces the outline of an old-fashioned pocket watch I painstakingly inked into her skin, with the tip of his finger, causing her to shiver.

“Exactly. It worked then, and none were the wiser. I have already called my mother earlier in the day and advised her we would be joining them.”

A snort leaves Dinah’s lips. “I’m sure she loved that.”

“For the rest of us that are not privy to the joke you two asses are sharing, what is the plan? How does changing houses to dine in assist us with killing another member of the Brotherhood? Unless you’re suggesting we kill one of your parents?” I question with concern. I don’t like feeling out of the loop, especially concerning Dinah’s safety. I have no intention of agreeing to anything that may get her killed, and I am not allowing her to walk into any situation blind.

I don’t trust Ezekiel. I believe he might have genuine feelings for my Nightstar, but do I firmly believe that he and Abraham would actually fight for her, and put themselves in front of any danger to keep her safe? I’m not sure about Abraham, but my gut is telling me that Ezekiel won’t. That if it comes down to a choice of saving himself or Abraham, versus Dinah, he won’t choose her.

“When Abe and I were a bit younger, we realized that anytime our parents get together at my house, they drink way too much. Our dads end up doing a few hits of coke together, and more importantly, they sleep with each other’s partners for the night. Which is convenient because they try to be discreet and sneaky about it, giving all the staff the night off once dinner is complete.”

I give him a confused look, not seeing where this is going.Okay, so his parents are swingers with a drug problem. Great, how does that help us?

He rolls his eyes at my questioning gaze and continues, “just like the house you had with Dinah, there are hidden passageways in mine that lead out to the wooded area surrounding the house. That house has been in my mother’s family since the time before prohibition in the old world. Her family used to smuggle alcohol; that’s how they made their fortunes.”Great, so they were original sinners, too, not just sinners of the Order.

“We used to dose the coke our parents snorted with his mom’s sleeping pills. That way, they would have a real good time but be out hard, and we could leave without anyone being the wiser. The next morning, they would think they had gone a little heavy on the drugs and never question it. It also saved my mom from being forced to fuck Zeke’s dad.” Abraham picks up the story with a frown.

“Where would you go?” Dinah questions.

Zeke and Abe turn to each other with sadness crossing their faces, and my breath hitches in my chest, knowing whatever they say next will hurt my Nightstar. “To meet Gabe and fool around with some of the girls in the serving class village,” Ezekiel answers her in a whisper.

Dinah smarts in her seat, her body tensing as if he had struck her. I want to reach over and comfort her.Fuck, I want to pull her in my arms.I know what the mention of her brother does to her. Why the fuck did he mention his name? Is he trying to hurt her? If he is, I’ll break all his pretty boy teeth.

Before I can make even the slightest of movements in her direction, Abe has her hand intertwined in his and brings it up to his lips, in a gentle kiss that has her releasing the breath she was holding, but tension still racks her body. I know my Nightstar, and she is still unconvinced that these two didn’t have something to do with Gabriel’s suspicious death.

Neither of them has offered an explanation yet of what truly happened to Gabriel, or apologized for their disrespectful behavior at his funeral. I make a note in my mind to beat it the fuck out of them later and get the truth. I need a reward for not already murdering them in their sleep.

Dinah’s trying to brush off the mention of Gabe’s name and their explanation, but I can feel the hesitation and the pain still vibrating off of her. She and I are so attuned with each other. What she feels, I feel. I try to distract her from the pain by asking the question Ezekiel seems hesitant to divulge.

“So, we will use the tunnels to get out and drug your parents, but who is the target? Dinah and I do research beforehand; we don’t just go in blind. That’s how you get yourself captured or killed.” My mind is blaring an alarm inside my skull. This doesn’t sound safe; it sounds rushed. What is he up to?

“One of the founding families from out of town is still here from our wedding. My information tells me they will return to their own state in the next two days. They are staying at a small manor near my parents’ house with limited security.”

“Why them over anyone else?” Dinah pulls her hand from Abraham’s grasp and narrows her eyes on Ezekiel. She looks just as suspicious as I am about the timing of this. My girl is not stupid; she knows something is off here. The question is, what?

“The Founding Father was present at your father’s execution. He also objected to Gabe gaining power, and being installed as your head of household,” Zeke replies, his expression set in stone.

“Gabriel…” The name leaves her lips in a benevolent tone, her beautiful eyes becoming glassy instantly as she moves away from both of them and closer to me. The mention of his name a second time is too much for her to ignore the pain that rises within her. My girl instinctively knows where her safety lies, always with me. I will do everything I can to protect her and keep her safe.

The impact of Zeke’s words is evident not only on my Nightstar’s face, but also on Abraham’s. I watch him immediately tense up, his eyes glancing at Dinah with so much raw pain across his features. The room seems to become colder; all the life and happiness from a few moments ago, are now gone, only leaving frigidness in its place.

“Atasi…the funeral. Shit, fuck. I’m…I’m sorry for the way…I behaved. I…I was a mess. Losing him felt like someone took a jagged blade to my chest and ripped my heart out. I…loved him. We loved him.” His eyes meet Dinah’s, and I see the truth in their anguish. He did truly love him, not just as a friend or a lover, but perhaps as a soul mate, the way he loves Zeke and I love Dinah.

There’s a long, silent pause as Dinah muddles with his confession and apology in her head. “Did you have anything to do with his death? Did you betray him?” Dinah questions, her voice small, almost like she fears the answer, as tears break away from her control and side down her dirty face.

“Not in the way you mean, Atasi. I should have done more to keep him safe. I…we should have tried harder to stop him...from…pushing for change. Or at least not to push so hard, so fast.”

Abraham stands up from the chair and kneels before her, his head bowed in reverence. “I failed…we failed to talk reason into him, and we think… we think the Brotherhood silenced him because he was a threat.”

My gaze intensifies as it roams over Ezekiel, who remains eerily silent, a subtle yet unmistakable tremor coursing through his body, as he struggles to rein in his emotions. A solitary tear breaks free from his eye, tracing a ragged path down his cheek before he hastily wipes it away. The weight of Abraham’s words hangs heavily upon him, rendering him speechless.

Is it the sheer agony of these truths that holds his tongue hostage, or is it something more? The mere thought of losing Dinah in such a manner sends shivers down my spine. I doubt I could have endured such a torment and continued breathing.

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