“What?” Sin asks Tyson while turning to look at me over his shoulder.
“We’ll give you a two a minute alone,” Gavin states. He and my father walk over to the door, but Tyson doesn’t follow them out. Not sure if he’s staying for my benefit or Sin’s.
“Elli.” Sin turns on the bed and I watch the way his jaw sharpens at the pain he’s in. He’s not one hundred percent himself yet but he’s going to pretend as much as he can.
That also pisses me off. Now that I see him, I want to slap the shit out of him. Does that make me a bad person? Probably. Do I care? Absolutely not. “What in the fuck were you thinking?”
His eyes narrow on mine. “Elli—”
“Because your letter sounded like you were leaving me. Then once I saw you, I realized it was more of a suicide note.”
“I just went through this with your father,” he mumbles, and then speaks louder, “I was doing what was right.”
His words make my blood boil. How dare he decide what’s right for me. “You had divorce papers written up.”
“I didn’t sign them,” he says through gritted teeth. “They were shredded.”
I get to my feet. “You tricked me into marrying you, then you want to just throw me away. How fucking dare you, Easton.” Turning my back to him, I head to the door but stop and spin back to face him. “You don’t get to decide whenwe’redone!” I shout. “I get to decide that.” Storming over to him, I watch a smirk lift the corner of his lips. He thinks this is a game. That I’m joking. “Have me served with divorce papers, Sin, and see what I fucking do with them. I’ll shove them so far down your throat, you’ll fucking choke on them.” With that, I spin back around and run out of the room, making sure to slam the door shut behind me to further the point that I’m pissed at him in case he didn’t already get the hint.
I run out of the cathedral, thankful I don’t run into my father or Gavin, and to the parking lot to my mother’s Escalade. Tyson had given me the keys when he and my father were removing Sin from the back. I had stuffed them in my pocket.
Getting in and starting it up, I drive to my parents’ house. I’m so pissed at Sin that I need space to breathe right now. The fact that he left me after everything we went through makes me so angry with him. Why would he put me through more? Did he seriously think that I could lose him and be okay? Go on with my day-to-day life? Forget moving on and loving someone. I’d be miserable for the rest of my life.
Reaching over, I turn up the volume to drown out my own thoughts as “DARKSIDE” by Neoni fills the car while I watch the headlights illuminate the two-lane road as I speed down it.
Not much longer, I’m pulling up to my parents’. It’s weird being here knowing that my mother is gone. The thought hits me that she’s got the same brand that Sin has now. Well, the same one that he had before I watched Gavin cover it up with a new one. A part of me hopes it hurts her. That it feels like hell.
I thought my father and Sin were going to take care of her, make her pay for ruining our lives, but after what I saw at Carnage, she deserves whatever they have planned for her. And I hope she lives for years there. At least nine, anyway.
Entering the house, I look around and get a cold chill. It’s empty. Sin sent the staff home before we brought in Linc and Liam days ago. We haven’t discussed it, but I’m not sure what we’re going to do with this house.
I would say my father will move in but why would he want to? His twin brother was killed here. My mother has shared this home with two other men, even having one of the wedding receptions here. As far as I know, my father has to stay hidden from the Lords. They think he’s dead and I’m not sure it has to stay that way or not. I just know he can’t become a Lord again. That part of his life is over.
Making my way up to my bedroom, I grab a suitcase out of my closet. I’ve only got a few dresser drawers full of clothes at Sin’s and my house. I didn’t feel like going there just yet. I’d rather be here alone than there, knowing he’s at the cathedral. Who knows how long before he can come home. The way he was moving around, I’d say he’s going to push himself more than he should too soon.
I’m shoving clothes into my suitcase and grabbing things from underneath my sink when I hear something. “Hello?” I ask, stepping into my bedroom from the adjoining bathroom. Nothing but silence follows.
I walk over to my Bluetooth speaker on my desk and connect it to my cell, pulling up “Pray” by Xana, before blasting it.
Walking into my closet, I grab my belts, carrying them back into my room to where my suitcase is open and on the floor. I come to a stop when I see a man standing in my bedroom, over by the door, blocking it.
He wears black jeans, a matching hoodie, and a mask over his face. It’s a simple black mask with mesh over the eyes and white stitching where the lips should be. I place my hands on my hips, pushing one out. “Shouldn’t you be resting?” I shout over the music. He must have run out right after me. I’m guessing Tyson brought him here.
He just stands there, not moving or saying anything that I can hear. “I’m not doing this, Sin,” I shout once more and spin around. Going back into the closet, I start grabbing some scarves this time. Exiting, he’s still there. I drop them into my suitcase. “Knock it off. I’m not in the mood.” The song is interrupted when my phone begins to ring.
Rolling my eyes, I walk over to my desk and look down at my screen.Sinlights up on it and I spin around quickly to look at the guy standing in the doorway to my room. There’s no phone in his hand.
My father had it on him after he got the text. As far as I know, he gave it to Sin at the cathedral. So it’s him calling me. “How are you doing that?” I ask, taking a nervous step back. Maybe he hit call and then shoved it in his pocket. Sin is always thinking of ways to trick me. “Knock it off,” I repeat, my pulse racing.
He steps inside my room as my phone stops ringing and the song begins to play again. “I don’t want to play your stupid game right now, Sin. I mean it.” The music stops almost immediately, and the ringing fills the room. Blood rushes in my ears when I realize both of his hands are by his sides.It’s not Sin.
Spinning around, I go to exit the French double doors to the balcony, but they burst open. So hard, they hit the interior wall and one shatters. I try to scream but nothing comes out when I see another guy dressed the exact same.
Turning back, I see the one by the door has stepped farther into my room and all I can think of are the guys from Carnage. How many of them were there? Two? No, there were three. That means there’s one more here. They’ve followed us. Want to make me pay for helping free him. How would they have found me? My mom. She’s thrown me to the wolves before. This wouldn’t be any different. Especially if she gave me up in exchange for her freedom. That’s what she’d do.
The guy by the open bedroom door steps to the side and I take advantage of the situation and run out of my room. I don’t look back, my heart hammering in my chest. I take the stairs, running down them, trying not to trip while telling myself to breathe. It’s not working.
I’m halfway down when I see a figure jump in front of the bottom of the stairs—the third brother? All I see is black clothes and another mask. I jump the last three, throwing my shoulder into the body as hard as I can.