Page 44 of Damaged Hearts

I know Gillian. She's not mad about the lies and secrets. She's more amused that she knows something our mom is in the dark about, which is quite rare.

"I know and I can explain everything, I swear."

"It's alright. I've already pieced a good bit together. You forgot. I dated a mobster for two years. Nothing gets past me and I can see you're in quite the pickle." Her blue eyes glare accusations at Xander for a moment, but he doesn't seem to notice. His attention is on me, not her.

"You have?" I ask, unable to comprehend how she could piece everything together. I haven't given away any clues or anything to tell her what my life has been like since I talked to Mom.

"You're on the opposite side of the city from your college. I stopped by your apartment but the office said you just abandoned everything, including your car parked outside. That's very un-Laura behavior. I knew something was up so I came here. I wasn't at all surprised to see the Harley parked outside with the One-Percenter diamond sticker on it, or the Black Stallions kutte hanging on the coat rack. I may not have the full story but I've gathered enough for a synopsis. Someway, somehow, my sister has become club property of the Black Stallions. Ready to give me the full story before I lose my shit?" She sends me a smile, but it's not a happy one. She's angry in the most protective way. She's pissed but it's not targeted at me. Gillian's rage is pointed at Xander, thinking he's the reason I'm in this mess.

"It's not what you think," I add quickly, knowing her anger can go from zero to one hundred in a nanosecond.

"Then, explain it to me."

I do just that. I tell her everything, leaving out how Dennis assaulted me in the kitchen earlier…I also leave out all the incredible sex I've had with the amazing man sitting next to me. Gillian doesn't need to know about my sex life.

She nods along with everything as she sips her beer and smokes her joint, giving nothing away.

"Let me get this straight," she starts and puts out her joint in her empty beer can before sitting up. "You want me to swap places with you to fuck his dad, right?"

"He'snotmy dad," Xander growls in irritation.

"Dude, he fucked your mom and you were the result. Don't be a bitch about the terminology." My sister's eyes move to me.

"I know it's a lot to ask of anyone and it's not sex. It's rape—"

"First off, little sister, you can't rape the willing."

I blink rapidly, thinking maybe I'm hallucinating, but my sister still stares at me with that smile across her face.

"What?"

"For you, it would be rape. For me, it would be like…marking two things off my bucket list."

I'm beside myself with this. Not only is Gillian willing to do this, but wants to use it as a bucket list adventure. I can't decide if she's sick in the head or I'm hallucinating. I'm pretty sure it's the first though.

"Bucket list?" Xander chimes in, confusion on his face.

"She has a sexual bucket list," I explain and snatch the beer out of his hand. I need a stiff drink but this will do.

"Actually, it would be three," she corrects, unashamed at all.

"Three?!" I nearly shriek as I stare at her in shock. "How can that many be…What kind of abstract things do you have on that list?"

"Some basic. Some kinky. One is screwing a guy at least twice my age."

"Okay, yeah, that's Dennis."

Gillian screws up her face in disgust, almost turning green. "That's his name? Ew. Just gross. Don't call him that. Call him something else."

My eyes move to Xander who is silently laughing, barely masking it with a hand over his mouth.

"Um, the others call him Browning."

"Okay. Call the douchebag that instead." She shudders before shaking her head, clearing her mind. "Number two is screwing a biker."

I blink at her rapidly, my face heating. I definitely beat her at that one.

"Seriously?"