Page 20 of Never Die for a Sinner
Rearing back, I bring my fist down on his face, and time both slows down and speeds up all at once. The adrenaline courses through me like pure oxygen, fueling the fire that’s burning in my veins until all I can feel is the rush.
The blood roars in my ears, my body vibrates with energy, and finally, I feel alive.
I punch him over and over again, and when the buzzer rings, I don’t even hear it.
Two men pull me back, dragging me away from Spinner, who looks up at me through swollen eyes and spits blood through his teeth. My chest heaves with each breath, and I can’t even hear what the men above me are saying as Diego grabs my hand and declares me the winner.
Spinner grins at me, even though he lost, because that’s what this place is.
One of us will always lose. Tonight, it’s him.
The house is quiet and dark when I get home. I slip through the garage and make my way into the kitchen, getting a bottle of water and downing it before I head upstairs.
When I lost my job, I was living in my own apartment in the city. Nothing big, but it was enough for the little time I was there. I was an undercover agent, so I spent a lot of time away from home. The apartment was really just a place where I could crash when I was off-duty, so I wouldn’t have to come here and deal with my father.
Since I was forced into a leave of absence, I moved back home. Those four apartment walls seemed to swallow me the more time I spent there. The ringing silence was enough to drive me fucking insane. It’s how I found the Tomb in the first place.
I can’t say I regret it. Not completely, at least. As much as I don’t want to admit it, being close to my family has helped me forget the complete and utter failure I was when I lost my job. It gives me something else to focus on rather than how fucking pissed off I am that I let shit get to me.
That I lethimget to me.
I start toward the stairs when a glow from the den catches my eye, and I pause. Stepping over to the door, my sister is curledup in front of the fireplace—a habit of hers since we were kids—while she stares into the flames.
“You’re up late,” I murmur, leaning against the doorway.
“Couldn’t sleep,” Bella murmurs, her eyes finding mine. Whatever else she was about to say is lost when her gaze rakes over me, no doubt seeing the blood on my cheek. “Oh my God. What happened?”
“Nothing,” I lie. “Just nicked myself shaving.”
Christian and I have tried to keep Bella as far away from the dark parts of our lives for as long as possible. And for good reason. She nearly had a breakdown when all our father’s secrets came to light. I can only imagine how she would react if she found out I was visiting an underground fight club because it’s the only thing that makes me feel alive.
Well, one of thetwothings that makes me feel alive. The other has brown hair, pretty green eyes, and a knack for pissing me off.
“Are you drinking again?”
“Nope, never acquired the taste,” I lie, the flask seeming heavier in the back pocket of my jeans.
“You must think I’m really stupid if you think I’m going to believe that.”
I shrug. “Believe whatever you want. I’m fine.
She shakes her head, drawing her knees up to her chest. She looks at the picture above the mantel, and I can’t help but follow her gaze, locking eyes with my father.
“I wish we could just paint over him,” she says quietly.
A pit forms in my stomach. How many times have I thought about burning that fucking picture, only to talk myself out of it because Mom’s in it, too?
I watch my sister. She’s always been six years old in my eyes. My kid sister, who follows me around and demands I play withher dolls or make-believe. I always did, even if I suffered the consequences later because “boys don’t play with dolls,” even if it’s just to pacify their little sisters.
Looking at her now, I can see the woman she’s become, and that scares me. Knowing someday she’s going to get married and have a family, just like Christian. Knowing some dickhead’s going to come along and say something smooth and eventually, she’ll fall for him, not knowing what I know. That he could rip her heart to shreds, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
Shit feels powerless, and I fucking hate it.
“Why are you really down here, Bella?”
She purses her lips, her dark eyes turning back toward mine. They shine in the glow of the fire, and something like lead fills my chest.
“I told you, I couldn’t—”
