Page 31 of The Bane of a Sinner
“There is another way to protect you, Bane, and the child, but neither of you are going to like it.”
“What are you talking about?” I said, then thought better of it. Heading inside the seven-story building, I shook my head. “You know what? Don’t answer that. I don’t care.”
I was done with all this cloak-and-dagger shit. I just wanted to sleep and forget everything. I had tests to study for, and that was all I wanted to concentrate on.
Shame didn’t follow me inside. Instead, he lingered at the curb, engine rumbling in the hush, a silent sentinel lost in his own storm of worries. I pressed the elevator button with fingers that trembled despite my best efforts, heart pounding against my ribs as though trying to fight its way free. The familiar hum and flickering lights of the lobby felt alien now—distorted by the weight of choices I had yet to make.
On the ride up, I leaned my forehead against the cool metal wall, eyes closed. Memories spilled over: August’s laugh, the warmth of his arm around my shoulders, the secret hopes we’d whispered into the dark. I pressed a hand against my belly, as if I could shield the fragile future growing inside me from the chaos lurking beyond those glass doors.
Back in my room, city sounds muffled beyond the window, I found myself pacing, the echo of Shame’s words refusing to fade.There is another way. But what price would that path demand from me? From us? I was bone-tired, yet my mind spun, caught between desperation and the fierce, aching love that bound me to both Bane and this unborn child.
Sleep felt impossible. Somewhere out there, Sinclair was plotting his moves, and Shame was brooding over impossible choices. I sank onto my bed and let the city’s pulse carry me, promising myself that come morning, I would choose. Even if it meant stepping off the map, forging a path none of us could see. For now, I listened to the city that never slept and braced myself for the storm to come.
Sleep eluded me when I heard the pounding on my door. Groggily, I made my way to the door and unlocked it to find Shame standing on the other side, looking harried and worried.
The second he saw me, he pushed past me, slamming the door closed behind him.
“What the hell?”
“Get packed,” he firmly ordered. “You’re leaving.”
“I’m not going anywhere. What’s going on?”
Shame didn’t say a word at first as he paced my small dorm room, then he stopped and looked me dead in the eyes. “George has August locked in the clubhouse’s mailroom, demanding that he tell him where you are. He’s threatening to kill him if he doesn’t. So far, August is refusing.”
I gasped. “What?”
Shame’s words hung in the air between us, and for a moment, I could only stare at him, my heart pounding in myears. “Why?” I whispered again, my voice cracking as the reality of his words sank in.
“George knows about the baby, Diana. Dr. Wilcox told him.”
“So much for doctor-patient confidentiality,” I snapped, sitting on my bed. “I guess it’s only a matter of time before he calls my father.”
“I’ve got an idea, but you’re not going to like it.”
“I don’t like any of this, Shame, but what are you thinking?”
“You are going to transfer schools. I can backdate the applications so it looks like you weren’t in the city for the last few months or so and even fix a couple of courses so it looks like you’ve been there instead of here in the city.”
Glaring at the man, I asked, “Why do I get the feeling there is more?”
“Because there is,” he said, grabbing a chair out from under my desk. Spinning it around, he quickly sat, leaned forward, and started talking. When he was done, I stared blankly at the man, in shock.
“Does August know the truth?”
“I’m not sure. He hasn’t said.”
“What about my father? Does he know?”
Shame admitted, “Yes. He’s been protecting her from the moment he met her. I’m so sorry you got caught up in this war, Diana. Honestly, it has nothing to do with you or Bane. The two of you are nothing more than collateral damage in the grand scheme of things, but if anyone were to find out, they would use either of you to strengthen their hold in the underworld.”
“I can’t go home, can I?”
“No.” Shame shook his head. “No, you can’t.”
Shame’s words hit me like a physical blow, and for a moment, I could only sit there, frozen, as the full weight of my predicament crashed down on me. My father, the man I hadalways trusted and admired, was caught up in this dangerous underworld, and now I was too.
“What about August?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “If I leave, what will happen to him?” The thought of August, my brave and loyal August, suffering because of me was almost too much to bear.
