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“How could you have never seen this movie before?” She reached into the bowl between us and dug out a handful of popcorn. Hunter was anal when it came to his room, and I briefly wondered what he’d do if he knew we were eating in his bed. “It’s a classic.”
How could we have shared a womb and she not know me at all? A small voice inside my head pointed out that it was partially my fault for not letting her in, for never sharing the things that interested me. But somehow, I just couldn’t picture Cherry doing something like dressing up at Comicon or playing video games.
“Must have just been busy I guess,” I said, moving the box of tissues a little closer to her.
“Speaking of busy, you didn’t come back upstairs until almost seven. You must like it down there with Stella and Tweak.”
This morning my boss might have pissed me off, but he’d also reminded me of what was at stake. I’d let Hunter cloud my judgment and distract me from what needed to be done. No one from the DEA had given me a specified time limit, but my boss had made it abundantly clear that they expected results, and soon. Today had been about making up for lost time.
I couldn’t share any of that with my sister, so I settled on, “Yeah. I really like Stella.”
My chest grew tight at the reminder that I was going to have to hurt Stella in order to save Cherry.
“I’m glad. Stella’s going through a tough patch, and she could really use a girlfriend.”
She stared at the TV, a fine line forming a crease between her brows. “Despite what some people may think, the men in this club are all stand-up guys you can rely on. They’re just used to solving the type of problems that can be fixed with money or violence. And neither thing can help Stella.”
Cherry’s words gnawed at me. She spoke about the guys with such reverence despite admitting that they could be violent. How could a man prone to violence also be, as Cherry put it, stand-up? Then I thought about Shay said Hunter “had a talk” with her ex. Hunter wasn’t the talking sort, he was the killing sort. Yet, he’d done what he had to help a woman.
There had to have been something I missed. Something she’d kept hidden that brought her to The Devil’s Deviants doorstep. How had I been arrogant enough to think that I was the only one of us who could have a secret? The answer became apparent. Because I couldn’t see past my own pain. I’d been living with it for so long that it clouded everything, including how I viewed my sister. Well, not anymore.
“Did the club solve a problem for you, Cherry?”
Her eyes met mine, the green surrounding her irises growing darker. My heart beat faster, almost as fast as it had when Kam snuck up on me at the office. That seemed so long ago now. The time before my life got complicated. Something told me things were about to change again, and I braced myself for whatever she had to say.
“I called you when Dad got sick, but I never told you how much his treatments were going to cost. You were finally away from home like you’d always wanted, and I couldn’t stand the thought of my genius sister giving up her only chance at a college education. Not when there was something I could do to prevent that from happening.”
When I opened my mouth, she gave me a watery smile and patted my hand. “Please don’t be upset with me for keeping it a secret.”
My crazy, beautiful, generous sister. Upset with her for sacrificing herself so I could have a college education? For keeping it a secret? Never. I’d be the worst sort of hypocrite considering all the lies I’d told her over the years. What I’d done would go to the grave with me, and if it ate away at my soul, well, that was my burden to bear. She’d shouldered enough.
“I could never be mad at you for making sure I got to finish college.” Her brilliant smile came back, easing a little of the pressure in my chest. “But it’s time to let me shoulder some of the burden. Tell me what you owe the club and I’ll help you pay them back. Maybe they’d let the work I do for the shop go toward the balance or something.”
“This is exactly why I didn’t want you to know.” She made a circle in the air around my face with her pointer finger. “If you don’t stop, those worry lines will be permanently etched in your face. The club and I are square, Daddy’s care is paid through the end of the year, and I have plenty of money in savings. You just concentrate on fixing whatever brought you here.”
She settled into the pillows piled against Hunter’s headboard. “I don’t suppose you want to tell me what’s going on before we get too engrossed in the movie?”
Who needed a roller coaster? My sister just gave me the same sensation for free. Shaking it off, I cuddled back into the pillows beside her. My boss, scratch that, Herb, went to a lot of trouble to validate my backstory. Might as well use it.
“I was too ashamed to tell you I lost my job. As soon as I get back on my feet again, I’ll be out of your hair.”
“That’s all?” She blew out a breath and laughed up at the ceiling. “Thank god. You had me thinking you escaped an abusive ex-boyfriend or something like that. A little financial trouble is nothing compared to thinking you were in danger.”
Cherry didn’t know how close to the mark she was, only her worry was years too late. The present danger we were in, however, was very real. Even if it was the last thing I ever did, I’d make sure Cherry was safe and that nobody would ever fuck with us again.
His breath fanned the back of my neck, and I froze. It never paid to be caught unaware, but honestly, he’d never approached me here before. Normally, I smelled him long before I felt his presence and scurried off in search of someone else, anyone else. But not today. He’d caught me alone and all because his scent was… off. Different somehow.
Notes of sandalwood still clung to him, but the sickeningly sweet smell, and the staleness it left behind, were absent. What did it mean? Change was never a good thing for a predator to exhibit, and there could be no doubt about it, he was the worst sort of predator.
All predator’s exploited the weaknesses of their prey, but he took sadistic pleasure in using mine against me. It was the only thing that made any sense. Even his voice changed when he issued his taunts to make me comply. The gravelly voice that women seemed to go wild for would take on an unhinged, excitable quality that smoothed it just enough to turn it into the whiny rasp I hated.
“Tut, tut, tut, my pet. Don’t forget about our deal.”
Pet. What a stupid nickname for a person. Though, in my case, it might be apt. I was expected to stand up and pay attention, follow commands, and beg when he told me to. The only difference between me and a dog was, my treat wasn’t food. It was him leaving my sister alone.
That was what made him the worst sort of predator. He used the love I had for my sister to take what wasn’t his to take. A sacred bond that was supposed to bring joy only led to my imprisonment. The fact it had an expiration date was the only thing that kept me sane.
“How could I when you remind me of it every time?”
