Page 32 of Darlin'

"Yeah, I figured as much," Jesse says with genuine curiosity as he slides to the edge of the armchair. "And why's that?"

"Well, it's because..." I close my eyes, unable to stop myself from unleashing the fountain of truth that's been dammed the past few days. "My momma doesn't know that Beau's uh, you know...part of your uh...organization."

"Organization?" Jesse expels a rough yet melodic laugh. "Were you going to say gang, princess?"

I wince. "No..."

"There you go lying to me again," Jesse notes, shaking his head. "Come on, Savannah. It's a word; it won't kill you to say out loud." Jesse sweeps his arms across the air like a maestro. "Gang." He grins at me. "Your turn."

"Iknowthat saying the word 'gang' won't kill me." Sudden anger rushes through my bones. "Butbeingin a gangcankill you."

"Lots of things can kill you, babe," Jesse saysnonchalantly. "Death is the only guarantee in life. It's the one thing we can all collectively look forward to."

I cast him a frigid glower. "Your line of business tends to bring the inevitable sooner than most other professions."

"Ah...so is that why you're here then, princess?" Jesse asks, scanning my bare features as his voice dips into a hoarse tone. "To rescue your brother from possible death?"

"I'm here to..." I swallow, playing with the fraying hem of the robe. "I want to bring Beau home. He...he doesn't belong here."

"Right," Jesse hums, twisting his lips in thought. "And you think that, as his sister, you have the right to make that call?"

"I do," I state defensively. "You've only known Beau for a couple of years. I've known him all my life." I shake my head, full of conviction, as I add, "He's meant for greater things thanthis."

Jesse's jaw tightens. "What? We're not good enough for your little brother?"

"He deserves the world," I say in a soft voice. I don't want to put Jesse down; I don't want to hurt him. But it's the truth. "You can't give him the world, Jesse. He doesn't belong here."

"I thinkRadwould disagree," Jesse says, facing the TV as he pulls up Netflix. "I think he's right where he's supposed to be." He glances at me briefly. "But guess you'll find out soon, huh?"

"He'll come home with me," I state with absolutecertainty. "I know he will." Pausing, I nibble on my bottom lip as my eyes widen. "Wait...uh?—"

"What?"

"Heisallowed to come home with me..." I swallow nervously. "Isn't he?"

Jesse stops scrolling when he lands on a horror movie. "It ain't a prison, princess. Rad can do whatever he damn well pleases."

"Oh," I hum, relaxing on the far end of the couch. "Well, good."

"Great," Jesse mutters. "You gonna watch this one with me?" In the corner of my eye, I notice a slight grin on his face. "Might have a lot of guns anddeath. I know you hate that sort of thing."

"I like horror movies.” I lift my feet up on the coffee table. "Press play."

Jesse clicks his tongue. "Might want to quit while you're ahead, Pinocchio, or else you might start believing your own lies."

"I'm not lying," I whisper, fiddling with my fingertips. "I find horror movies quite comforting."

Jesse looks back at me skeptically. "Comforting?"

"Yeah," I say with a shrug. "They remind me of how good I have it." I nod at the remote. "Start it."

He narrows his hazel eyes at me. "You're serious?"

"Yeah," I reiterate. "Start it."

"Okay..." He hesitates for a moment before pressing play, and I reach for the throw blanket and drape it across my lap. He passes back the bag of chips. "Here. Take some."

"I'm good," I whisper. "I already ate."

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