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“All right.” She shrugged. “Well, I guess I should probably go and let you get back to work.”
“Okay.”
She hesitated, and I didn’t know why, but she smiled. “See you this weekend, Ace.”
Gypsy sank onto the couch in the house she shared with Lucian, her face heavy with exhaustion. It didn’t seem like that long had passed since she’d accepted the terms of Lucian’s deal, but a year had already come and gone. She’d fallen into compliance, and then she’d fallen for Lucian. I’d watched them together, mystified by the transformation that had taken place between them. It wasn’t something I could relate to or understand, but it was proof that through all the shit life could throw at a person, good things did happen sometimes.
Now Gypsy was heavily pregnant, struggling to fight off tears as she looked up at me through bleary eyes. When she requested to speak with me about her sister, I had a notion this was coming. Birdie would never admit or accept that she wasn’t safe here. And while Lucian was busy holding on to everything by a thread, Gypsy was preparing to be a mother. That only left one solution, and it was the one I’d been trying my best to avoid.
“I don’t know you all that well,” Gypsy began. “But I feel like, after everything, I can trust you, and I really hope that’s true.”
“As long as you’re Lucian’s wife, you have my loyalty.”
Those words weren’t uttered lightly. I was nothing more than a voiceless man when he found me rotting away in a prison cell. I’d resigned myself to the fact that I would spend my life behind bars, caged like a beast. It was the only way I knew before he came along, talking about truth and justice. He’d read about my case and claimed he wanted to help me. I didn’t trust him at first. I didn’t want to believe there was any other life for me. But that crazy attorney saw something in me nobody else could. And he kept coming back, talking to me, treating me like a human, until he cracked me wide open and rattled my secrets free. He paved the way to freedom and showed me what life could be. I owed him everything, and when it came down to it, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him.
Gypsy looked up at me, and her entire body trembled under the burden of her emotions. Whatever she was about to say, she hated herself for it. But it was unjustified. During the time I’d known her, I’d come to understand that Gypsy was fiercely protective of the people she loved. And more than anything, that included her younger sister, Birdie. She’d go to war for her. And in fact, she had signed away her life for her. But she was fucking tired, and it had never been more obvious than at this moment. She’d had the weight of the world on her shoulders for far too long. Trying to raise a rebellious wild child like Birdie when Gypsy wasn’t even grown herself. They’d been treading water together for a long time, but Gypsy was drowning.
“I’ve tried to think of other options.” She wiped at the corner of her eyes. “I tried to talk to her myself. She doesn’t listen. She’s reckless, and she puts herself at risk. She still refuses to leave even though it’s the best thing for her.”
“Leaving won’t solve her problems. Birdie still has a lot of growing up to do.”
“I know.” She dipped her head forward in defeat.
I walked over to the window, my head throbbing with the reality of what needed to happen. Gypsy couldn’t come right out and say it, and I wouldn’t make her. I knew what I was doing when I came here. I knew exactly how this situation would unfold, and like a fool, I came anyway.
“I can take care of her,” I said. “Keep her safe. She probably won’t like it.”
Gypsy’s voice wavered when she answered. “Can you give me your word that you’ll never hurt her?”
Every muscle fiber in my body pinched tighter. She couldn’t have known how those words would affect me. My whole life, people had made assumptions about me, and I learned a long time ago to disregard their opinions. But the thought of anyone hurting Birdie was different. It darkened my vision and turned me into a savage. For months, I’d been watching her. Compulsively examining every aspect of her life, I’d searched for threats around every corner. But every time I fed this sickness inside me, I wondered if it was really me she needed protection from.
“I’m not a good man, Gypsy.” I sighed. “I have a low tolerance for spoiled brats—”
“She isn’t—”
My eyes narrowed. “She is. And I get it. She had a rough fucking go of it, but you’ve been trying to overcompensate for everything that ever happened to her, and that isn’t working anymore, is it?”
