Page 24 of Careless

Finn steps inside without waiting for an invitation and gives me a knowing look.

“What?” I ask as I drop my towel, not giving a fuck if my best friend sees my junk. It’s been a long night and it’s fucking cold. I just want to put on my pants and crawl into bed. I took my sweet ass time killing that fucker and I’m exhausted.

“Where have you been?” he asks, arms crossed against his chest, looking mighty suspicious.

“Getting my dick wet.”I wish.“Where else would I be?”

“I was listening to the police scanner and someone called in about that guy from yesterday, Denzel Slater. He was reported missing,” he says as he steps closer, rubbing his palm along his jaw.

“Was he?” His parents must have found the blood by his car when leaving for work. I grab my hoodie and pull it on, pretending like I have nothing to hide.

He raises an eyebrow and studies me for a moment. I already knows the question, but he asks anyways. “Is anything going to blow back on you?” He knows it was me, but he can’t prove it. No one can.

“No,” I answer honestly.

“Good.” He nods and turns to leave, but pauses in the doorway. Finn faces me before sending me a warm smile. “Thanks, man. My sister is lucky you care that much.”

I tilt my head in acknowledgement and he shuts the door behind him. I don’t correct him to tell him that it’s more thancarethat I feel for his sister. I’m pretty sure it would piss him off if he knew the extent of my feelings so I keep it a secret for now. I just hope I don’t have to keep it a secret forever.

CHAPTERNINE

HER

It’s been two days since Rian fucked my throat raw and nothing has changed, except my ability to swallow without being reminded of being in my brother’s truck. Whenever we pass each other in the school hall, he ignores my existence. Except for that one time when I had excused myself from class to go to the bathroom. I had been washing my hands when Rian came barreling in. He strutted up behind me, pinning my hips against the sink. I met his eyes in the mirror. I could feel them just as much as I could feel his hard dick grinding into my ass. He slid one hand under my skirt and cupped me between my legs, the other went up my shirt to pull on my barbells. I wanted to scream with pleasure and aggravation at the pleasure I knew was fleeting. When he whispered how he couldn’t wait for me to sit on his face then licked my neck, I debated on leaving school early to take care of myself.

Yesterday was my first pole-dancing class, and today my limbs feel like noodles. I used muscles I’ve never used in dance or while running. However, the biggest change I’ve noticed is an emotional one. I feel more confident, maybe even sexier. I’m definitely going to be adding it to my workout regime.

I slip on the clothes I bought with Kia before fixing my hair. I settle on leaving it down and curling it into beach waves. I finish my look with smokey eyes and light contouring, a red tinted lip gloss for a little shine.

Stepping out of the bathroom, I find Dad sprawled out on the couch with a newspaper in hand, watching tv. “Where are you going all dolled up?” He barely gives me a glance and doesn’t acknowledge how revealing my clothes are.

“I’m going to a party with Kia,” I explain as I walk past, expecting him to tell me to cover up or something, but he’s not my brother or Rian.

“Does thatboyknow about this?” He folds the newspaper and taps it on his knee.

“What boy?”

He flashes me an all-knowing look. “Finn may be blind, but I’m not. I know I wasn’t hallucinating when Rian Walsh walked in here the other day with you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He carried you to your room, like he’s been there a million times.”

I thank my lucky stars that he didn’t say anything about the handcuffs that were still attached to my wrists. Rian has been at our house about a hundred times to drop me off when I was drunk. Dad doesn’t know this though. However, I don’t think he has ever been in my room.

“Are you… going to tell Finn?” I ask tentatively. If he says yes, I need the chance to warn Rian in case my brother gets pissed and wants to kick his ass. I can’t even imagine what he would do if he found out what we did in his cab.

“He’s my son. I don’t have to tell him anything.” He tosses the newspaper on the coffee table and picks up what appears to be his fifth beer.

I let out a deep breath of relief. “Thank you.”

“You need to be smarter than this, Sorcha,” he says before giving me a stern look. “Rian is a good guy, but he’s not good for you. I also don’t want to see him get your brother’s wrath or your brother ends up on the Scarfoni roster.”

A shudder runs through my body. I know who exactly the Scarfoni family is, and what they do for the Five Families. They clean up the bodies.

“Dad—”

I can’t stand the image of Rian or Finn being gone. Individually, their deaths would devastate me, but losing them at the same time would kill me.

“I know this isn’t fair to you, sweetheart. You have no control over your brother’s actions or how protective he is of you, but you are the only thing good in his life. It’s understandable that he wants to keep you that way, but Finnick’s anger will be the death of him one day. He has no self-control and, if he finds out what you and Rian have been up to, you know he’ll kill him, even if he doesn’t mean to do it. Then, Finn will have to be dealt with. You know it would kill Eoghan, Colin, and Tiernan to have to put your brother down, but those are the rules, and no one is an exception. Not even your brother.”

I love my brother, but I hate having to be the one punished for his actions. I’ve always done everything I’m supposed to, and it’s been nice to be so careless for once in my life.

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