Page 105 of Cash

“I do. You’re my sister.”

“I am,” she quietly said. “But am I really? We share a mother that both of us hate. It’s arguable and I’d argue it, that I hate her more. She did the unthinkable and abandoned you. And when she did that, she stole you from me. I have memories you don’t. I get you don’t want to talk about this and I understand why. This will be the one and only time I ever bring it up but Cash, I remember you. I remember holding you. I remember your cry. I remember rocking you. I remember the feel of you in my arms when you slept. I remember loving you. All my life I hated that woman. But now, there’s not a word strong enough to describe the level of loathing I have for her. I hope she’s rotting in hell.”

Jesus Christ.

“Penny—”

“That’s it, that’s the last we’ll ever speak of her. You’ve had a life, one that I’ve had no part in and the same goes in reverse. DNA doesn’t make a family, Cash, you know that better than anyone. One day maybe we’ll get there. Maybe we won’t. But the one thing I hope more than anything is that one day, you’ll think of me like you do Kira and Layla—sisters not of blood but of loyalty, friendship, love, the good kind of family.”

Fuck, I hoped so, too.

“Same, Penny,” I choked out and cleared my throat. “But I want you to know that you mean something to me. I didn’t stay with Stella and Cara because I didn’t care.”

“Zane told me why you stayed with them, Cash. And at the risk of sounding too sisterly, I’m proud of you. You keeping your promise is the first step in breaking the cycle.”

“If I knew my big sister was so damn smart I would’ve been hitting you up for advice months ago.”

Penny snorted then chuckled. The sound wasn’t happy or carefree, but neither was it riddled with sadness.

“Smart you say? Have you forgotten I hacked the NSA, got caught, captured, interrogated, and put you in danger?”

I hadn’t forgotten. I was choosing not to think about it at the moment, or my gut would churn at the thought of her having to go into hiding.

“Right. Be safe and check in when you can. Here’s Stella.”

“I will. Thanks…Cash.”

I felt a stab of guilt that wasn’t mine to feel, that Penny caught then corrected herself before she called me brother. That shame belonged to the woman who had grown two souls in her womb, then treated them so callously that she threw one away and mentally tortured the other.

“Penny?”

“Yeah?”

“I want daily texts and at least once-a-week calls until you get back. And you tell Dutch, if he even looks at you crooked, Stella’s taught me a trick or two with the Icy Hot and I’m not afraid to deploy my skills.”

I heard it, the hitch in her breath. I waited for her to pull herself together, and when she did, some of that guilt ebbed when she whispered, “I will, Cash. Thank you.”

I handed my cell to Stella. She sent me a ray-of-death stare before she put the phone to her ear.

“Hey…um…I heard you’re alright.”

Holy shit.

Stella stuttering.

Hell must’ve been having a cold snap.

“Yeah. I’d be happy to. It might be a couple of days—” Stella abruptly stopped speaking.

I leaned closer to hear what Penny was saying but Stella leaned away from me.

“No need to apologize. Excuse me, Penny.” Stella glanced at me and frowned. “Nosy much?”

Was she serious?

“You listened in, too, woman.”

“So? If you didn’t want me to hear you should’ve moved.”