Page 12 of Heart Sick Hate

“You got him good, baby.” Rhett laughs, turning me, so he can toss an arm over my shoulders, slipping into his role of pretending to be my boyfriend. “What did you do to piss off my girl?”

My girl.

Two words that slither through me, leaving a chilled path in their wake.

Crew, the master of projecting exactly what he wants you to see, doesn’t so much as flinch at his brother’s comment. He tucks his phone in his pocket and grabs the top of the doorframe, smirking. The movement tugs the bottom of his T-shirt up just enough that it shows off a hint of his tight, muscular stomach, and my core throbs as the muscles clench with the dark chuckle that comes out of him.

Why does my body have to betray me like that?

You hate him, remember.

“Why do you care? Worried I’m riling upyour girl?”

Two words that don’t sound any better out of Crew’s mouth. If anything, it stings more.

Rhett chuckles, holding me closer to his side. He might be blind to most things, but the way Crew reacts when it comes to me isn’t one of them.

“Rile away,” Rhett says, squeezing my shoulder. “My girl knows I’ve got her.”

The faintest tick of Crew’s jaw makes my stomach sink. He drops his hands as Rhett pulls me along beside him, and we make our way out of the office.

“Oh, and I almost forgot, we’re all expected at dinner tonight. Dad’s request,” Rhett yells back to Crew, not looking at him as we pass.

But I do. Because I always do, no matter how much I hate Crew’s stupid, broken face.

I can’t help it.

Crew watches me walk away with his brother wrapped around me, and I can’t help wondering if it will always feel this way. Eternity with every step.

I’d like to believe things could have been different. But that’s the kind of thinking that led Eve to take a bite out of the apple. Wishing for more.

After all, temptation is a powerful thing.

But it’s not love. Love doesn’t exist. At least, not for me.

3

Crew

“In God’s name. Amen.”

What a fucking joke.

There’s nothing less holy than sitting at this table. We’re chess pieces in my father’s game, and sometimes I think I’m the only one who notices.

He’s at his throne at the end already cutting into his steak. His dark hair is perfectly oiled, like his personality, and he’s wearing one of his most expensive suits when no one here gives a shit about his money more than him.

At the other end sits Echo’s father.

The two of them couldn’t be more different. While my dad is a viper, with enough money and power to make some of the worst men in the city fear him, Echo’s dad is one of those true, down-to-earth, good men.

Most churches in LA feed on money and the status of the members of their flock, but Ryan Slater actuallystarted his church with the honest intention of helping people. And even if my brother has been shifting the direction recently with viral streaming and mainstream religious hooks, Ryan still believes it's all for the good of his congregation.

I’d be impressed if I didn’t feel sorry for him. People don’t survive in LA on good intentions and pure hearts.

Which is why he doesn’t see he’s a pawn. A means to an end so my father can help my brother fulfill his need to be the center of attention. The favorite son—the good son. Why strive for money and power when you can aim for religious influence? People love Rhett. Theybelievein him.

Another reason I don’t have faith. People always place it in all the wrong things.

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