Page 12 of Sins of the Hidden

My stomach clenched sharply, breath hitching. One psychopath stalking me was enough. My pulse quickened at his words—not because Knight scared me like V did, but because I'd learned what happens when men like them decided you were worth following. "I'm going to work out with Faith tomorrow."

"I could teach you some moves of my own," Knight added with a smirk that sent my spine shrinking. The thought of working out in front of him made my insides writhe.

Faith whirled toward him like an avenging angel. "The only thing you can teach me is disappointment." Her small hands found his tattooed shoulders, trying to shift a mountain that knew it wouldn't budge.

Knight planted his hands on the frame, muscles flexing as he resisted her push. Their bodies create a charged tableau—heat and defiance tangled tight enough to snap. "Who else is gonna watch your back?"

"I'd rather bench press alone in the dark than have you anywhere near me," Faith grunted, still pushing against the mountain that was Knight. The contrast between her slender frame and his massive one should be intimidating, but Faith wore defiance like it was stitched into her skin.

I pressed myself against the front desk, trying to vanish into the wood grain as their heated flirtation escalated.

"Dark, huh?" Knight's eyebrows wiggled suggestively, his grin twisted darkly with a smile that masked his teeth. "I can work with that. Just you, me, and some?—"

Faith's hands dropped from his shoulders like contact with him scorched her resolve. "Careful, I might choke you instead."

The silver metal glinted between his teeth as his smile widened, a silent challenge. “Promise?”

"Out!" Faith pointed at the door, her voice edged with menace.

"You know what they say about women who play with sharp objects—" Knight started, but Faith spun him around and shoved him through the exit.

"Goodbye, Knight! Don't come back!" His expression lightened, momentarily less wolf than man as he blew her a kiss, fingers wiggling in a wave before he turned to his motorcycle. Faith practically vibrated with leftover adrenaline, but she watched until he disappeared from view.

"I'm gonna shove that late fee so far up his ass if he tries to charge me one," Faith grumbled, turning to find me fidgeting with the hem of my shirt, eyes darting. Her expression softened immediately, noticing my tension. "You okay, honey?"

I nodded, but my mind raced through what I'd just witnessed. Knight and Faith's interaction left knots in my chest that I didn't know how to unravel. She met his pull head-on, turning his hunger into something powerless with a look. The thought of standing up to V like that made my hands tremble. Images of the basement flooded back - his cold gaze studying me like I was both precious and prey, making my ribs tighten.

Knight might be intimidating, but he didn't stop time the way V did.

"Earth to Oakley," Faith waved her hand in front of my face. "You sure you're okay?"

"Y-Yeah," I stuttered, fingers finding the hem of my shirt in the same nervous tic that'd worn the material thin. "Just nervous about tomorrow. I've never done a dance class before." The words rushed out, desperate to redirect Faith's concern away from the darker thoughts circling like vultures in the back of my skull.

Faith's expression softened as she put her scissors away, with the same ease she threaded through every movement. "I'll make sure you have fun," she said quietly, warmth softening her tone.

I knotted the shirt hem tighter, chasing steadiness through pressure. "But what if I can't keep up? Or if I look..." The words died in my throat, unable to voice the shame of moving this body in front of others. The material bunched between my fingers like it was hiding something.

"Listen," Faith set the brush down mid-motion, facing me directly with that fierce protectiveness I'd come to rely on. "It's gonna be a private class for you and your friends." Her smile carried no judgment, only warmth.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm my racing thoughts. Dancing had always called to something deep inside me, a freedom I'd been too scared to claim. Maybe with my friends there... and in Faith's space, where I'd always felt somehow safer than anywhere else. Where Faith had never once looked at me the way the rest of the world did.

My lips quirked with unexpected authenticity. "That actually sounds kind of nice." My shoulders relaxed slightly—just a fraction—but enough to let a hint of warmth settle beneath my ribs.

Faith's eyes narrowed playfully. "If you bail tomorrow, I'm coming to get you myself. I'll march up to your apartment and drag you out—pajamas, robe, doesn't matter."

My heart skipped, panic flooding like a plunge into ice. The image of Faith knocking at my door, V answering, his bat propped against the wall where he always left it, made nausea rise in my throat. He'd hurt her without hesitation or remorse. The baseball bat flashed through my mind, already stained with the evidence of what happened to those who crossed his boundaries.

"No!" The word exploded from me louder than intended, making Faith's eyebrows shoot up. My chest tightened as I scrambled to pull myself together. "I-I mean, you don't need to do that. I'll be there, I swear I will."

"You sure?" She studied my face, genuine concern replacing the fake menace she hid sweetness under. "Because I meant what I said about dragging you out."

"I won't miss it." The words landed steadily for once. I clung to that small win. "What time?"

"Five thirty." Her smile rebounded like sunlight off glass—hard to look at, impossible to ignore. "Wear something you don't mind moving in."

Black leggings—no sweat stains. An oversized tee that hid more than it showed.

For just an hour, maybe I could feel that freedom again. In a dark room with music loud enough to drown out my thoughts. What if I could remember what it felt like to move without fear?

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