Page 22 of Sinner's Obsession

He shoots me a warning glare and takes sips of his coffee, looking out the window. Incredulity pushes me down on the chair closest to me.

Tamara prepares breakfast, stirring eggs in the buttered pan. At the domestic picture, a bout of hysterical laughter bubbles out of me.

I step outside, needing to clear my head. I’m pacing on the pavement when I hear the roar of the engine of my brother’s sports car. He climbs out, and I put my hands on my hips.

“Really, Cameron?”

He leans on the hood of his car, eyes on me. It’s the first flicker of relief I see since I returned, and I relax for one second.

With no hint of apology, he says, “I couldn’t let it happen.”

“You said nothing when our father sent me away.”

“I knew you would be safe, far away from him.”

“Yes, well, we both know how that turned out.”

“If I knew what he planned to do, then I would have—”

“What?” I ask, desolate.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“This is crazy,” I scream, losing myself in the fog of emotions.

My brother comes to me and wraps me in his arms.

“It’s going to be okay. I trust Kieran with you. This is the only way.”

“I don’t want this.” Any of this. I want to be free, to study, and be my own person. I refuse to believe this is my life, where I don’t have a say, again.

“I wish I could care more about what you want, but I can’t. My first priority is to keep you safe. After last night, it’s not only our father I’m concerned about, but also Delaney.”

I shiver, remembering that glint in his eyes.

“Where is Kieran?”

At his name, butterflies leave their cocoons and learn to fly in my chest. But then I remember he kidnapped me, and I stomp right on that silly infatuation.

“How should I know?”

“This is not a time for tantrums.”

Oh, my situation is atantrumnow. The men in my life could very well go fuck themselves.

“He was in the kitchen,” I say with a smile reeking of sweetness.

Cam squeezes my shoulders. “I couldn’t save our mother, but I’ll be damned if I won’t save you.”

“It was an accident.”

His lips turn into a small smile, brimming with regret. “It wasn’t an accident, and you could have died as well.”

“What?”

Images flood my mind of sitting in the back seat of the car, reading one second. In the next, metal screeching as the carwrapped around a tree. Blood came out of my mom’s mouth in thick rivulets as she gurgled a whisper to me.Be strong. Be brave. Be happy.I turned to the man sitting next to her with open, soullesseyes.Kieran’s father.

My vision blurs with those images, and I hug myself as Cameron kisses the top of my head.

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