Page 41 of Erik's Redemption
He’d never explicitly told his sister what he did for work. His job was classified. But in this moment, he didn’t give a fuck about anything. Certainly not the secrets he was supposed to keep for the government.
“I kill people, Andi. Bad people. Scum of the Earth who the US government can’t get through the justice system.”
She nodded slowly. If she was surprised, she didn’t show it. “I always suspected as much.”
“A few years ago, I killed a man who was important to Hannah.”
Andi’s chest rose on a deep inhale, understanding darkening her hazel eyes. “And you just told her.”
The memory of the color leaving her face…the way she’d walked out on him…it sliced new cuts across his flesh.
He was up before he could stop himself and moving across the room.
“Erik, wait!”
Andi grabbed his arm and he spun, anger coating his words. “She left me, Andi! I amnothingwithout her!”
His sister shook her head. “That’s not true.”
“She came into my life and changed me. Made me feel like I was okay for the first time in years. Now I have to live in a world where I know she exists, but she isn’t mine!” Every word ran into the next, pained and angry.
She stepped closer, wrapping fingers around his arm and pressing her other palm to his chest. “You’ve already had your world collapse more than once. Each time you got knocked down, you had to choose—stay down or get back up.” Her hand moved up to his cheek. “Erik, you got up. Every time. Because you knew that nothing comes from staying down.” Her voice lowered. “Soget up.”
He shook his head. “This is different.”
“You’re right. Itisdifferent—because Hannah’s not dead. She’s here, alive, and you need to fight for her. Be the person she needs you to be.”
His breath was a shudder in his lungs. “You didn’t see the look on her face. I took something from her that can never be replaced.”
“You killed a man because he hurt people.” Andi tilted her head. “You’re not a bad person. She knows that. Right now, she’s in shock. The shock will lessen. And when it does, you need to be ready.”
Ready? He felt a stone’s throw away from his entire world collapsing.
Would Hannah at least talk to him once the shock had worn off?
Would she return to him? Was that even in the realm of possibilities?
The slight hope was the only thing keeping him from putting another hole in his wall.
Andi wrapped her arms around his waist and held him. Slowly, his arms went around his sister, needing both her words and her touch. Needing someone to tell him, promise him, that everything would be okay.
CHAPTER 14
Hannah didn’t have many photos of herself and Nico. At fourteen, they’d gone into different foster homes and hadn’t spent nearly enough time together after that. But the times shehadseen him, she’d cherished.
She paused at a photo on her phone. It was one of the very last times she’d seen Nico. They’d gone to Red Rock Canyon together, and they’d had the best time.
She rolled to her side, the mattress groaning beneath her body.
She’d been at Henry’s for a week, and each day had blurred into the next, like one hazy gray mess. She’d gone to the office a few times, but Taylor and Leo had helped her out a lot with things like showings and calls to clients.
Today, she was going back to her place. She didn’t want to—Henry’s home kind of felt like a protective bubble. But there was a limit to how long she could stay. At some point, she needed to return to her place…to reality. And that day had come.
A knock sounded at the door, and she jolted, the phone almost slipping from her fingers. A second later, Henry stepped in. The man had been her everything this last week. He’d taken care of her, made sure her diabetes was well managed and thatshe was eating healthy foods. He was the only reason she was doing even slightly okay right now.
Brigid had also been there for her. She’d apologized profusely about not being at the shop and visited almost every night. Although Hannah wondered about her reasons for closing the shop and not answering her calls that morning—something about not having her phone on her and having to rush home briefly—she was too mired in her grief to press.
“Hey,” Henry said quietly, pulling the door closed after him before sitting on the edge of the bed. “How are you doing today?”
