AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Reaching past him, I turned the door handle and opened it a crack, despite the fact he was still standing in front of it. “Don’t look for me again. And never go back to that club. Those men are dangerous.”
“I can’t believe they’re any more dangerous than you.”
“I’m serious,” I snapped, meeting his dejected gaze with mine, hoping he saw every bit of my frustration. “For once, fucking listen to what I say.”
“Or what?” Always pushing…
Shaking my head, I opened the door wider. It pressed into his shoulder, but he was rooted in place by his stubborn pride. I didn’t let up on the pressure. With each passing second, I questioned my decision to not forcibly remove him from my path.
Finally, he stepped to the side.
The door swung open the rest of the way and I walked out, staring straight ahead. I hadn’t looked back at Pavel’s corpse and I wouldn’t let myself look back to see the cracks in Roan’s golden shell.
No, I made my choice. I may have succumbed to a moment of weakness, but I knew I was stronger than the corruption in my blood. I would finish this job and I would never think of Roan Sinclair ever again.
33
Roan
The sun feltlike it was a foot away, baking me with its invisible rays. Sweat gathered along the nape of my neck, but I refused to seek out shade. After days of not seeing the sun, I was more appreciative of its blistering warmth than I’d ever been. Plus, I was hoping a tan would help hide the giant fucking hickey Sasha left on me, along with whatever was left of my bruises.
Dipping a hand into the pool, I splashed some water on my torso and kept floating, eyes closed behind my sunglasses. A thousand different things ran through my head — Sasha, mainly, and trying to figure out what spooked him; the uncertainty of my future, whether it was here or in D.C.; and trying to figure out a new way to make my asshole father suffer since Option A was clearly out.
“You better not be napping,” Freddy’s voice spoke up over my music. “I brought snacks.”
“And I brought booze!” Frankie chimed in.
I cracked an eye, squinting at them. “How did you get in here?” Ever since Sasha’s grim warning about people coming for my dad, I made sure the alarm was set 24/7. Not for him, for me. I knew an alarm wasn’t going to stop anyone intent on murder, but it would givemeenough time to make myself scarce. He was on his own.
“Your mom was on her way out,” Freddy replied, arranging the food on a floating tray.
Figured. While Dad had a strange case of amnesia regarding the abduction of his only child, Mom was in the throes of retail therapy to deal withherstress over the ordeal. After I came back from meeting Sasha — and subsequently spending the whole evening with Sasha until he freaked and bolted for the second time — she sat me down with a cup of herbal tea and asked if I was ok.
I lied. There was no point in being totally honest with her, since we’d just end up circling back around toherand whatever new spiritual journey she was on.
“I’m fine,” was the only answer I offered.
“Are you being safe?” she asked, pointblank. “Sexually, I mean.”
I almost choked on a dandelion or whatever weed was floating in the cup. “What?”
She touched her own neck, indicating the spot where Sasha left his mark. “I want to make sure you’re using protection.”
I slapped a hand over it, too little too late. “Yeah, Mom. Jesus.” Aside from the fact I hadn’t actually been on the receiving end of anal, it was a topic I would never,everdiscuss with my mother. Ever. It was bad enough she knew Frankie and I did it. I found pamphlets on teenage pregnancy and various methods of birth control in my room for weeks afterward.
“Is that where you were this past week?” Mom leaned in, asking in a whisper. “It’s ok, you can tell me. I’ll understand.”
My jaw almost hit the floor. “Are you serious?”
“I still don’t think your dad knows that you came out. I mean, not that it’s a big deal. Everyone is gay these days, but I can understand if you and your boyfri—”
“I don’t have a boyfriend, Mom! And I wasn’t lying about being fucking kidnapped. Unlike your husband, I don’t make a habit of lying, especially about something as serious as that!”
She sniffed and swept a blonde strand behind her ear. “Your father and I tell each other everything.”
“Oh, ok. So you knew I’d been taken and Dad was refusing to pay the ransom?”
She sighed and pulled on her earlobes, eyes closing to meditate or whatever the fuck she did. “Roan...”
