Page 28 of Taint My Soul

He cuts me off and pulls his gun. “Bullshit.” His eyes rake through me. “Move.” He cocks his head toward the direction I came from.

My shoulders fall. My stomach knots with tension as I stride down the path. He’s right behind me, arms steady, gun pointed at me.

David had held several dangerous weapons in front of me so many times. Over time, my body got used to the threat and built resistance to the fear.

We appear behind the docks, where Saint’s car waits, and the security man pulls out his phone and speaks with his boss. My heart hammers against my chest, sweat breaking from my head even though my body’s frozen.

My thoughts run wild with so many questions. I focus on one thing only. Perfecting the lie I’d tell.

I come here a few times a month to watch the sea. I repeat the words in my head until a different man appears through the exit. He’s a few inches taller than Saint, and I see the resemblance between them.

It’s his brother.

My throat works, and my gaze locks on him, but only for a fleeting moment.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” He questions, eyes scanning me with precision.

“I’m… I really didn’t mean to intrude. I was trying to…”

“Trying to what? You’re trespassing, young man.”

“I…”

“Cat got your tongue, huh?” He gestures his soldiers toward me with a cock of his head. “Hold him still.”

The two men take their place behind me and force me to my knees. A grunt rips through my throat as my knees bruise against the gravel. The men pull my arms back, and pain digs into my skin, rippling through me.

I inhale sharply, chest rising as a chilling calm settle into my bones.

He pulls his gun and holds it to my head. “I’ll ask one more time.”

“I come here once a month to watch the sea.”

“And it happens to be the night I’m questioning traitors.” His jaw steels into something lethal. “Let’s try again, shall we?”

“I…”

Footsteps crunch ahead of me, and my eyes find Saint entering the scene. The man holding me at gunpoint looks over his shoulder, a menacing grin on his lips. “What do you reckon?” He asks.

“Let me take care of it.” Saint declares. “Do what I asked you to.”

“Alright, brother.” Virgil withdraws his gun and marches toward the freight container. The men holding me down let me go, and I stagger up to my feet. I straighten my jacket and spine, exhaling sharply. Saint jerks his head towards the shadowy part of the docks, and I follow him into it.

I step into the shadows with him, back against steel, while he stands a few steps away from me. The distance between us crackles with tension as he wears leather gloves. When he finally looks at me, my body reacts in a way that surprises me.

But I remind myself of that night.

I shouldn’t feel anything for him.

Thoughts of what he did to those men flood back in. Thoughts of what I wanted to do to my uncle follow through, forcing me to clench my fists.

“Relax, Rose. I’m not going to hurt you.” He looks at me only for a moment.

His words hollow me out so fast that I forget how to breathe. A cold weight drops into my stomach as I stare at him.

He knows. Of course, he fucking knows. He knows it’s me. He’s always known all this time.

“You really thought I wouldn’t recognize you.” He folds his hands and watches me. There’s a spray of blood on his suit. My eyes rest on them longer than they should.