Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 31449 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 157(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31449 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 157(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
Bryce had the nerve to smirk. “Never thought you’d fall in love.”
I stumbled back as if he'd punched me in the gut. I knew I was in love with Sarena, but that wasn’t the issue. Bryce, a guy still knee-deep in crime, now knew my two weaknesses.
Bryce rose and dusted off his pants and jacket before extending his hand to me. I took it, and he helped me up. “You can relax. I’m not an asshole. I may not be family to you, but you always will be to me. Your secrets are safe.” He slapped my back. “It’s good to see you, brother.”
I allowed him to take a few steps before yelling his name. “Bryce.”
“Yeah?”
“If you ever come near them, I’ll kill you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Sarena
I stood at the floor-to-ceiling window and stared at the horizon. Emme had passed out on the way home, and when Sebastian put her down, she woke up and began to cry. We didn’t know what had triggered her fears from the past, but she screamed for her parents and demanded Sebastian stay with her until she fell asleep.
“I think that calls for a drink,” Sebastian said behind me, holding out a beer. “You’ll be twenty-one in a few weeks. I’m not gonna tell you that you can’t have a fuckin’ beer.”
I took the bottle from him and remained quiet, unsure of what to say about it all. It was so hard to hear Emme crying for her parents. It hit a chord because it was the same way I’d cried for my dad. This confused emotion of hating and loving him, of never wanting to see him again, yet missing him so badly that I felt lost.
“Losing a parent is hard at any age, but it has to be worse when you’re three,” I murmured.
“It was pretty fucking shitty at nine and eleven, too.”
“Is that when you lost yours?”
Sebastian nodded, glancing out the window. “They were shitty parents, so I don’t know why I gave a fuck. It’s not like my life changed after they pumped too much shit into their veins. It just meant they left permanently instead of fucking off for a week or two and leaving me with bare cupboards.”
“Were you and your sister adopted?” I asked because I couldn’t understand how they stayed together and ended up okay. Sebastian was a renowned attorney in New York City, and his sister was a well-established pediatric specialist in the Midwest.
“Some said we were lucky. Others said we were smart. Some days I’m not sure if either was true. My sister and I hated our parents so much that we became the opposite. I hated being poor, having second-hand clothes, and no car. I hated having a stomach so empty that I was sure my body would eat me from the inside out. My sister wanted to save the poor, or at least their children. But she was lucky. She had me to keep her away from anything dark. I had to do things to ensure she could live her dreams.”
His words confused me. “What things?”
He lifted his shirt, exposing various scars, including one that trailed from his navel to his neck. I was confused why I hadn’t noticed them, but I guessed I’d been too high on sex.
I traced my finger over his flesh, memorizing the jagged grooves and lines on his skin. “What happened?”
“Survival. I got these from my so-called best friends when they dumped me from the gang.”
Sebastian telling me about his past meant something. He was letting me in. “How does a kid who survived on the streets, joined a gang, probably on the opposite side of the law, end up becoming a lawyer?”
“A sweet old lady who liked to bust my balls and loved my sister. Mrs. Eloise Freedman. A widow with no kids took pity on my sister and me since I was her giant ass baggage. Eloise saw something beyond my troubled, delinquent self. I’d probably be in jail or dead if it weren't for her.”
I sipped my beer and almost barfed.
Sebastian laughed. “It's an acquired taste.”
I nodded and stared at the horizon as the sun set behind Manhattan. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It sure fucking is.” I turned, and he wasn’t looking out at the pink sky. His eyes were trained on my face. “I’ll tell you every single thing you want to know. I’ll rip my heart out and lay it at your feet. I’ll fuckin’ kneel before you and make you my queen, but I’m not what you see. I’ve got scars and a history, and most of it isn’t pretty. I like control, and I like to fuck hard. Some of the shit I like probably borders on insane. But I promise, Sarena, I’ll never hurt, abandon, or betray you. I’ll give you whatever you want. I’ll put you and all the kids we’ll have first.”