Page 100 of Forged in Rain

I smile weakly, but Iris’ assertion that they must have known weighs heavily on me. Sensing my unease, Cyn says, “What?”

“It’s just . . . if Pam was doing this to get rid of John, why did it never come up? What was she using you for?”

“I don’t know. Mostly she sent us on errands to deliver shit or get information.”

“What kind of information?”

He shrugs. “It never connected to anything. Find a location. Ask about a guy. Deliver a package.”

Humming under my breath, I twist my fingers on his chest until he lays his hand over mine. “If she wanted John gone, why are we still working for her?”

“Because your dad demanded a higher price,” I whisper.

He sits up, and I roll away with a wince when he says with a thunderous expression, “Come again?”

“Once John went missing, Pam wanted you to find him, but your dad demanded a price.”

“Which is what?” he growls.

“Kill Paddy McCafferty.”

He stares at me blankly before he says, “What the fuck?”

“Yeah, I guess Pam’s threat about Neveah doesn’t matter anymore. Now your dad wants his own deal,” I say bitterly, rubbing my hands down my face.

“That’s . . . fuck,” he says, bowing his head.

“What are we going to do?” I ask, before I pause and stare at his bare back.

He has a new tattoo I’ve never seen before, and with a thump in my chest, I trace my fingers over the image. A rainbow tucked between a tunnel to nowhere and a fierce-looking skull.

“Cyn,” I breathe, and he turns to me with a heated smile.

“Yes, beauty?”

“Did you . . .?” Looking into his smoldering eyes, I jump into his lap and wrap my arms around his neck, planting my lips on his.

He chuckles and pulls me close, and we trade yummy kisses until we’re breathless.

“I should go before Pam notices I’m gone,” I say softly, moving to sit beside him.

He looks away before sliding from the bed, and almost immediately, I feel cold. Suppressing a shiver, I search for my shirt, pausing when Cyn turns to me, running his finger lightly over the bruise on my chest, now a kaleidoscope of colors.

“Why?” he whispers, raising his beautiful eyes to mine, dark with concern.

My lips tremble as I say, “Because my heart hurts and I’d rather feel this pain than this.”

Taking his hand, I place it against the bruise. He searches my gaze, his brows dipping before he grabs my cheeks and says roughly, “I don’t like to see you hurt. Don’t hurt the girl I love again.”

Placing my hands over his, I whisper, “Don’t leave me.”

“Never.”

∞∞∞

It’s back to normal at school, and by that, I mean Cyn ignores me, and I pretend it doesn’t matter. Of course, it does, but I have hope now, and I cling to it like a life raft because I’m swimming in deep waters, and without him, I fear I might drown.

Before we parted, Cyn said he would speak with Bastion and Jig about Pam’s revelation. Planning to take out the head of the Mafia? Please. And I thought I was desperate.

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