Page 92 of In the Light of Sin

I twisted in my chair, looking at my best friend’s father. “Trevor? What are you doing here?”

“Sarge asked me to look into Regal.” He sighed, grabbing his briefcase and flipping it over his shoulder so that it rested on his back. “Didn’t like what I found. Sued for malpractice and sexual harassment multiple times. Settled out of court all those instances.”

“Son of a bitch.” I was afraid he would go run and actually kill him. When he took a step, I knew I had to intervene. I wrapped my arms around his waist, a feeble attempt to keep him by my side. He looked down at me, and I knew he saw the pleading in my eyes as he didn’t attempt to go after him.

I had a feeling I might hear about something happening to him later on the news.

My hand was still wrapped around his stomach, hand clutching the fabric of his hoodie. I watched as he heaved a deep breath before he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, bringing me into his chest. My heart raced as he calmed down by simply touching me. Trevor coughed forcibly, not wanting to witness our little moment. “I already began the process to revoke his medical license.”

Good. He didn’t deserve to practice medicine, but my lips dipped at the corners. I’m glad that a man like that wasn’t gonna be anywhere near an unconscious me, but I had my heart set on this. I’ve never been a dreamer, but after hearing an option that would make me feel normal, I was starting to be. “But who will do my surgery now?”

“Hex.” My eyes widened at Trevor’s answer. “He’s more skilled than any doctor you’ll ever meet.”

“Will he… agree to do it though?” I’ve interacted with Hex the least. Not for lack of trying, he just adamantly refused to be anywhere where other people were. He had black hair. Black eyes. And if I had to guess, a black heart to match.

“He already has.” Trevor stretched his arms before yawning. I’m sure he spent a lot of time researching Dr. Regal to get solid proof about how much of a dick he was on top of all the stuff the club was involved in. His palm rubbed the side stubble on the side of his face.

“What’s he want in return?” Sarge’s grip on me tightened. I was nervous about his answer. What could a man like Hex possibly want?

“Dunno yet.” He shrugged, grabbing his briefcase and loosening his tie more comfortably. “Just agreed to it. I’m not sure if he has any ulterior motives.” Sarge nodded at him, Trevor taking it as his ticket out. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m meeting Oakley for lunch.”

I grinned, trying to diffuse how uncomfortable I felt with the unknown. “Don’t you mean V and Oakley?” It was a lot of fun to tease Trevor about V’s unlawful attention when it came to his daughter.

His eyes flashed darkly, not appreciating my jest. “Hilarious.” His tone was flat, but he already knew he would be there. Oakley said wherever she was, V’s shadow lingered somewhere close by. He walked out of the room, irritated and ready to fight. I wonder who would win between the two of them?

Trevor shut the door behind us, leaving us alone. I craned my neck up to Sarge, dragging my hand from his stomach to his chest, willing him to dip his head and look at me. “Wouldn’t that put you in a compromising spot with Hex? You know, if he did the surgery?”

“Whatever he wants me to do is worth it.” He dropped his hood, his scarred face one I never grew tired of seeing. He knew seeing his face brought me comfort. I was a visual person, and seeing how his face reacted to things helped ease my soul. “I gotta keep my promise, right?”

“Can your voice be the first one I hear when I’m pain free?”

My head tilted, lips turning up as I thought of what I asked him and his determination to make it come true. I didn’t think it was something he would take so seriously, but him taking the steps to improve my quality of life was warming my gut. Something undeniable was happening between us, and now that Sarge wasn’t fighting it, I was letting it happen freely. That didn’t change the fact I was terrified of the thought of Hex performing the surgery on me, though. “I dunno…”

His right hand went to my chin, pinching it softly. Forcing me to face him even if his hood was back up. “You think I’d let anythin’ happen to you?” I immediately shook my head. In the beginning, even though it was more of a methodical protection, he still didn’t let anyone hurt me—besides him. But now that the wall between his desire for me was shattered, I knew his determination to protect me was tenfold.

I trusted this man with everything in me.

My eyes softened as I brought my hand to the scarred side of his face—it had to be the scarred side I showed more of my affection to. Brushing my thumb over the charred skin, my eyes softened. “You’d die before anything happened to me.”

“Yeah,” his words were soft. “I would.”

My heartbeat increased, and my feelings became entangled. Earlier, I felt like he wanted nothing to do with me, but now? He was looking at me like his life depended on me being here. I took a small step, resting my cheek against his chest.

My life depended on his, too. “Can we go home?”

His arm tightened around me. “Yeah.”

“I got our day planned, and it doesn’t include me fillin’ your tight cunt.” He licked his upper lip, driving me crazy as he looked into my eyes, heat pooling between my legs. “Yet.”

* * *

The ride back to the cabin was uneventful, other than Sarge going a little faster than usual. I grinned as I threw my leg over, getting off before reaching into my pocket for my case. I was putting my hearing aids back in my ears, following Sarge to the front door, when he held his arm out. I looked at him, confused. I always stood in the entryway when he did his little routine of checking his house for intruders. “Sarge?”

“Stay out here.” He didn’t look at me as he retracted his arm. He just expected me to be obedient as he stepped inside the house. He made sure the storm door stayed open with a latch and left the wooden front door open as well. I shifted on both feet nervously as he went inside, gun in hand, as he did a walk-through through the cabin. I inhaled, stilling when I smelled something unfamiliar.

Fumes.

My eyebrows furrowed as I let curiosity lead me inside, ignoring Sarge’s order to stay outside. Stepping inside, the scent of something getting stronger. I still had my hearing aid case in my hands as I walked into his living area, noticing that it looked darker with the lights off than usual. That was odd. The white walls usually made it look like the light was still on, even in the dead of night. I headed over to the light switch, flipping it on as I looked at the walls.

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