Page 108 of Tell Me Why
“Well, like Ash said—we needed to make a decision in the moment.”
“Let him go,” I bite out.
Jackson crosses his arms over his massive chest. “Can’t do that,” he says. “Shadow and Ash has attacked Rush House three fucking times now—and they’re not gonna stop until we put this fucker down.”
“The last two times they attacked, it was because we had Eve,” I point out. “She’s free to leave now.”
Jackson cuffs me on the shoulder. “Sorry, man. I know this complicates shit with Eve, but we can’t let her piece of shit brother run free. He’s got a hard-on for the Burning Crown, and we have a duty to keep our members safe.”
I don’t like it, but he’s right. If we let Sin go, there’s no guarantee he won’t come after us again—even with Eve free.
Tilting my head back, I pinch the bridge of my nose. How has shit gotten so damn complicated? Before Eve, I wouldn’t have hesitated to kill the bastard. Then that would be it. Problem solved.
“Fuck,” I say, lowering my head. I look between Jackson and Ash, hesitant to concede. But I don’t have much choice. “But I’m calling a meeting to figure this shit out.” I jab my finger in the air. “In the meantime, you can’t kill him withouteveryone’svote. Got it? I don’t give a fuck what Lucas says.”
“Yeah,” Jackson says with a shrug. “Sure. Understood.”
It’s not what I wanted, but it’s something. It’ll at least buy me time to find a solution that doesn’t involve destroying the woman I love…because deep down, I know with every minute her brother remains our prisoner, the thread connecting us gets thinner.
And when it finally snaps, I’ll lose her for good.
CHAPTERFORTY-SIX
Eve
A sob bubbles upin my throat when I see him.
Sin is slumped forward in a metal chair, hands zip-tie d behind his back like something out of a fucking mafia movie. His hair is caked in dry blood, his face a mess of cuts and bruises, one eye swollen completely shut.
“Sin,” I whisper, falling to my knees on the hard cement floor in front of him. My hands hover over his face, afraid to make contact and cause more pain. “Hey, it’s me.”
For one terrifying second, I’m afraid he’s dead. Then his head lifts slightly, and his good eye cracks open, focusing on me.
“Eve?” he chokes out. “What the f–” He swallows, his words are cut off by the dryness in his throat. I grab a water bottle off a nearby table, unscrew the cap, and give him some. It spills down his chin, but when he’s gulped down enough, he tilts his head back with a sigh. “You shouldn’t be here.”
I set the bottle next to me, in case he wants more later. “What the fuck were you thinking?” I whisper harshly. “Why did you risk getting caught like that?”
He winces and shifts his body, like just breathing hurts. I’m guessing he has a few broken ribs. “I needed to get you out of here.”
I reach for the zip ties, my fingers trembling as I try to find a way to break them. There’s no breaking them, though. I’d need scissors or a knife. “How did that work out?” I can’t help the sarcasm. “I was fine. I had things under control.”
I mean, kinda. My plan wasn’t perfect, but Christian did eventually let me go. But…then Lucas tried to kill me…so, okay, maybe my plan was flawed, but still…
He coughs, wincing again at the pain. “One of the guys—Ash—said the Sacred Sons dug up information about us, our family. And there’s only one reason they’d do that shit, so I’m assuming they told you…”
I sit back on my heels. Even through the bruising, I can see the flash of guilt in his eyes. “About Mom?”
“I’m sorry you had to find out like that…” His head lolls to the side, like keeping it upright was costing him the last sliver of energy he has.
The room tilts around me, and I use his knees to steady myself. All these years, thinking I knew what happened, why she was taken from us. Thinking I understood the shape and contours of my own life...
We shouldn’t be talking about this now, but I can’t stop myself from asking, “How long have you known?”
“Aunt Lydia told me all of it when I took over Shadow and Ash.” His voice breaks a little. “She was afraid someone might try to use the information against us.” He coughs again. “I guess she was right.”
Yeah, for once.
“You should have told me,” I say quietly. “I could have handled it.”
