Page 15 of Brutal Sin

Fuck.He’d wondered if this outcome would ever eventuate from his mother. Not the karma that reared its head in the form of a disease with a death sentence. He’d always wondered about the regret—the moment she would realize she had a list of sins she needed to absolve before she passed into whatever holy land she thought was waiting forher.

“She’s been fighting for a while now. I’m just not sure how much she has left inher.”

A while. He really shouldn’t be surprised. “If she wants to see me, she can call herself.”

“She doesn’t even know I’ve called.” The words hung like a noose awaiting an unwilling neck. “Nobodydoes.”

In other words—they still didn’t care about him. Nobodydid.

He gave a derisive laugh. The possibility of death hadn’t even inspired affection in his mom. Why, after all this time, did he expect something different from the stone-cold bitch?

“Thanks for the call, Tera.”

“Are you going to come home?” she asked in arush.

“Tampa was never my home. My parents made sure of that.” He cleared his throat and tried to clear his mind of the past at the same time. “It’s best for everyone involved if you lose this number.”

He waited for an acknowledgment of his request—the slight hitch in her breath—before he disconnected the call and pocketed hiscell.

He didn’t have a home. Didn’t need or wantone.

He had a refuge, though, and it was time he reclaimedit.

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