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“Not someone.Jasmin.”
My blood runs cold at the idea of Jasmin, of anyone, being spiked. “Did you tell the cops that? Surely that should have been used as evidence. They would have seen you were just—”
“The police didn’t care. I always suspected he knew some of them, used money to pull strings… but even the ones who weren’t paid off said it was my word against his. There was no evidence. Both guys denied the conversation ever took place. I retracted it from my statement. I didn’t want Jasmin to have to live with the what-ifs. To know what that bastard was capable of.”
“I’m so sorry, Dax.”
My eyes sting. He’s carried this around with him all this time. Always being the protective big brother. Always looking out for everyone else.
“He doesn’t just import liquor, Rose. He supplies half of the southeast of England with enough street drugs to sink the country.”
“How do you know that?”
Dax takes his hand away from my neck, avoiding my eyes. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Dax?”
“The less you know, the safer you are.” He drags his eyes back to mine, his jaw ticking.
“Where do you go? When you leave the estate at night?”
He holds my eyes. “Don’t.”
I frown, opening my mouth to speak, but he silences me with a kiss.
“Don’t ask me that.” His voice is full of regret as he tilts my face up and kisses me again, sliding his tongue inside my mouth and stealing my breath. “I won’t ever lie to you. But I can’t tell you everything. Believe me when I say, it’s better you don’t know all the sides of me.”
“But that’s not fair. You’ve seen all of mine.” I kiss him back fiercely, even though part of me wants to push him away for keeping me out of that tiny part of his life.
But it’s just something he does. It doesn’t change who he is, whatever it is.
He’s wrong if he thinks I don’t know all the sides of him. Because I do.
I know them all. The good, the bad, the flawed.
And they’re all beautiful.
He pulls away from our kiss and rests his forehead against mine with a sigh.
I’m not being fair. This isn’t a conversation for now. This is about Jasmin and what he’s found out. This is about him feeling lied to and betrayed.
I know how that feels. I know how it tastes. I know how it burns you inside. I know how it can derail your life and your family and your relationships for years if you don’t stop it.
“Talk to Jasmin.” I stroke his face, brushing my hands lower, over his neck, over the flowers and feathers. “Talk. Don’t shout. I’ll come with you if you want. You need to hear her side of things. She’s your sister. She’s the only one you’ve got.”
“She lied to me.”
“She loves you. She wouldn’t hurt you on purpose. You need to talk to her.”
From sandbox to casket.
I shove Casey to the back of my thoughts.
Not now.
This isn’t the same. It’s not. This is Dax’s sister. His own blood.
It’s different.
