Page 8 of Poison Vows

“If she’s everything to you, then do the right thing,” he says calmly.

Heartbeat.

Heartbeat.

Heartbeat.

I don’t want to ask, but do I have a choice?

Have I ever had a choice?

“What do I need to do?” I mutter more to myself than to him.

Spider is silent for some fifty-nine and a half seconds, before he gestures for me to follow him.

Alarms go off in the back of my head, but I still pretend like I can weather the storm.

I glance at Ty and Kai who are waiting in the garage. They silently nod, knowing what to do, then I follow Spider.

He takes me upstairs and straight to the room I just came from.

“These last few years, you did things completely out of your norm, Em. You initiated contact, calling constantly, sometimes twice a day to ask me how she was. I never wanted to tell you a thing since you were the reason she had to leave her own homein the first place, but I’ll show you now,” Spider says as we reach Angel’s room.

He looks back at me, about to say something, but I silence him and he reels back, stunned.

“She’s a light sleeper and has constant nightmares. Shut your mouth,” I whisper-shout.

Spider stares at me for thirty-night seconds, blinking slowly.

“I was going to tell you to stay your ass right there, Mr. Knows-Everything-About-Ivy!” he responds. I almost go red.

Thank God the hallway is dimly lit.

Spider glowers at me before he opens the door as silently as he can and skillfully heads for Angel’s closet and noiselessly opens the doors, reaches in for something, then comes back without making a single sound.

The dude went to military school, then was recruited into the Navy Seals. He just finished some secret government training shit, likely to be special ops.

Basically, Spider is hardcore. I know better than to throw my weight around in front of him.

Partly because he’s Angel’s brother.

And because, well, he’s Angel’sfavoritebrother.

I can only severely humble myself and take it. Besides, I respect the hell out of this guy.

With a faded purple box in his hand, Spider gestures for me to follow him back downstairs.

Honestly, he could’ve saved me the trip upstairs by going alone. I didn’t need to see that Angel threw the duvet to the floor again.

We are back in the kitchen where Spider places the box in the middle of the counter and then pushes it to me.

“Open it.”

I look up at him, knowing exactly what’s in there, but I pretend to be confused.

“What’s in there?”

“My sister’s diary. Open it!”

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