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Our lips meet, and I feel a surge of emotion coursing through me. As our kiss deepens, the pain in my arm momentarily fades away, replaced by the heat of Leon’s touch.
“Excuse me,” a voice interrupts, and we break apart. A physician assistant stands in the doorway, holding a tray of medical supplies. “I’m here to put the cast on your arm.”
“Sorry,” I mumble, blushing fiercely as I remember where we are. The hospital isn’t exactly the most romantic setting, but Leon’s presence has made it bearable—even comforting.
“Nothing to apologize for,” the physician assistant replies with a knowing smile.
I glance over at Leon, who gives me a reassuring squeeze on my good hand. As the physician assistant works on my cast, I can’t help but feel a small sense of hope flickering to life.
Maybe, just maybe, I can break free from Control’s grip. And with Leon by my side, knowing I’m not alone in this fight, I finally begin to believe that I might be able to pursue my dreams on my own terms.
And that together, we might be able to save the Burning Heretics.
The parts of it worth saving, anyway.
FIFTEEN
Dion
I haven’t seen Rebellion since I took her to the doctor the night I invited her over. She was diagnosed with a broken arm, and I recall how the doctor kept looking at me as if I had done it to her. He asked how she got hurt, and Rebellion came up with some bullshit excuse. My bet is she’s been tossed around a couple of times by her father and knows if she says it’s anything like domestic violence, she’s going to have to fill out some sort of paperwork. She saw the way the doctor kept looking at me and put him in his place. She told him I didn’t touch her and that I was the one who came to her aid. He seemed skeptical at first, but eventually, he let it go.
Everything seemed to go well that night, or as well as it could’ve, but now I’m not sure. I don’t know how to take this. I was extremely vulnerable with Rebellion the other night, and in doing so, I could have put everything we’re trying to achieve at great risk. Fuck, there’s no denying it. I did put everything in jeopardy. She might have already told Control and the rest of her club, and if that’s the case, I’m in for a rude awakening.
I pull out my phone and call up my father, knowing there isn’t another choice. I don’t know how he’s going to react to this news, but I know he isn’t going to be happy. He doesn’t answer the phone, and it ends up going to his voicemail. Instead of leaving a voicemail, I opt to send him a text.
To: Dad
Call me back when you get a sec.
I head into the kitchen and open my cupboard, which has my glasses in it. I pull a glass down, press it against the icemaker on my fridge and allow a few cubes of ice to fall in. Opening the fridge door, I find that I have very few options for drinks. Fewer than I thought I had. I end up grabbing a Pepsi and pouring it into my glass, then tossing the can in my recycling bin. By the time I’m done with that, my phone is ringing. Dad’s name flashes across the screen, and I swallow hard. This phone call is likely going to go horribly wrong, so I need to brace myself for it.
“Hey,” I answer, just after taking a sip of my Pepsi.
“Hey. Everythin’ all right over there?” No doubt my father’s gut intuition has already told him something’s the matter, and he isn’t wrong. His gut has never led him astray.
“Not really, Dad. I thought about lyin’ to you and making you believe everything is going okay, but it isn’t. Rebellion figured out who I was. She knows I’m your son.”
He’s quiet for a few moments. “Sorry, what?”
“She told me that she was looking through her father’s files, and she saw a few papers with some information and photos of our club members, including photographs of you from when you were younger. She said we were practically twins, and Rebellion isn’t wrong. You know I’m always getting comments about that.”
My father is quiet again. I know it’s very bad when he’s quiet because he’s doing damage control in his head. “What did she discover, Leon?”
“She knows I’m here on club business, obviously.”
He’s not going to be happy with that answer in the least bit. “Does she know it’s to look into her father?”
I could lie to him right now, but lying won’t get me anywhere. “Yes.” I keep my answer plain and simple because giving him more details won’t help right now.
“Yes? That’s all you’re going to say to me? Really?” Okay, he’s way more pissed than I thought he was going to be.
“She knows her father is stepping into our territory, and she told me she witnessed a meeting between her father and another man.”
“She did, huh?” Okay, he’s interested to hear what I have to say.
“I don’t have all the details, but she told me a man from Birmingham came to speak with her father. She was hiding and overheard it all, and they made some sort of deal. I don’t have the information on what it was really about, but Control doesn’t seem to give a shit that he’s stepping on other people’s toes. You know what I’m saying?”
My father grunts on the other end of the line. “I know it all too well, son. When did all this happen?”
