Page 229 of Sins of the Hidden

Now he might never know. My lip quivered at the thought of him waiting at Sweet Summer's, the bakery that held both our dreams, checking his watch as minutes stretched into hours.

What was he thinking now? That I'd abandoned him like everyone else? That every whispered promise between us was just another lie? That I couldn't forgive what he'd done?

I had to tell V my answer.

A harsh scraping sound cut through the rain's pattern. Father Sal dragged something heavy across the dock. My heart seized as I looked down—a concrete block, edges rough and unforgiving.

My inhales came in desperate, shallow bursts as I tried to pull away, but Father Sal's hand clamped around my ankle. "I said stay still." The gun clicked as John cocked it, the sound slicing through me like a blade. The stench of the lake rose up—stagnant water and decay clinging to everything.

Father Sal secured the second rope around my ankle, tying it to one of the concrete blocks with practiced ease. Standing to full height, he looked down at me with cold eyes. "This is for your own good." He nudged the blocks closer to the edge with his foot, leaving them teetering on the brink. One wrong move and gravity would take me.

"OAKLEY!"

The world stopped.

That voice. His voice.

V.

My head snapped up, searching desperately through sheets of rain. He came. He found me.

Something burst in my chest—relief so overwhelming it hurt more than any torture they'd inflicted. Through tears and downpour, I caught a glimpse of him at the edge of the property,his massive form cutting through the rainfall with singular intent. Even at this distance, I could see the bat gripped in his hand, his clothes plastered to his shoulders by the rain, his strides devouring the ground between us.

Father Sal's head whipped around, eyes widening as he barked at John, "Do it! Now!"

John lunged for the concrete block, but I threw my head back and snapped it forward, my forehead connecting with his jaw. The impact reverberated through my head as he staggered backward, momentarily stunned. I heard it then—the whistling sound of V's bat cutting through wet air before it connected with the back of John's skull, sending a spray of warmth across my face as he collapsed onto the dock. V spun without pause, swinging again. The wood slammed into Father Sal with a sickening thud, folding him forward before he hit the ground.

But his body crashed against the concrete blocks, shoving them toward the edge.

V's eyes went wide as he saw what was happening. The bat clattered from his grip as he threw himself forward, both hands reaching desperately for the concrete blocks as they teetered. His fingers scraped against rough concrete, nails breaking as he clawed for purchase, but the blocks were already sliding.

His body hit the dock hard, sliding across wet wood as he stretched further, one hand grasping for the rope around my ankle. His fingertips grazed the hemp, slick with rain and my blood, but couldn't catch hold.

Our eyes locked—his fully exposed to me for the first time. Pupils blown so wide they swallowed the light, fixed on mine with an intensity that stopped time itself. His face drained of all color, veins standing out at his temples as he flung himself toward me, arm stretched so far the tendons stood out.

This man who never showed fear was drowning in it.

I didn't want him to be scared. He'd spent so long being afraid.

Instead, I forced myself to smile—not for me, but for him. Because he deserved to see the thing he wanted most before I disappeared. I couldn't let fear be the last thing he remembered about me.

And with what little breath I had left—"Yes."

I watched it hit him—watched the second he registered it. His eyes widened, like I'd punched the air from his lungs. The word cracked him open. His mouth dropped in a soundless cry, something torn and helpless, like he'd been waiting his whole life just to hear it—and now it was too late.

Too late.

The blocks tipped over the edge, the rope around my ankle pulling taut. My body jerked toward the water, a scream tearing from my throat as I was dragged across rough wood.

Water rushed mercilessly into my lungs—sharp, freezing, choking away air forever. My body spasmed against the inevitable, fighting one last pointless battle. Above me, through the murky water, I heard his muffled scream. His arm plunged beneath, fingers grasping desperately for something already lost.

The water swallowed me whole, freezing, dark, but in my mind all I felt was his warmth—the way he'd held me, safe and protected. It was a lie, but the sweetest one I'd ever known.

My last thoughts were of his fingers gently brushing my scars, his whispered promise that I was beautiful. I believed him—God, I finally believed him.

I wish I could tell him that I wasn't afraid of him anymore.

I wish we could've had Summer.

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