Page 77 of Liberated By Sin
Taking her hands in mine, I sighed, my smile fading with the news still left to share. Her forehead creased. “Cam, I have something else to tell you, but it’s not good.”
“What is it?” She squeezed my fingers, bracing herself.
“Star was murdered today.”
Cambri’s eyes popped as she gasped. The two weren’t the closest offriends, but they’d worked together for years before Illusion.
Again, she was lost for words, shocked by her colleague's death.
“Santino and I think Luca might be behind this.”
Tears sprung to her eyes, and I tugged her toward me, placing her head in my lap as I combed my fingers through her hair.
32
Philadelphia, PA
Thewind sent a chill through my bones. Fall had yet to set in, but living in the South for many years had accustomed my blood to humidity and warm nights. I hugged my body and leaned against a storefront’s glass window.
Waiting.
Santino and I landed two hours ago and settled into a penthouse he’d rented for the weekend. It never ceased to amaze me the power wielded by those with unlimited funds and connections. Or maybe I’d just forgotten what that lifestyle felt like. As young as I was, I enjoyed the perks of wealth and the feeling of invincibility, if nothing else.
It was all a lie.
Another gust of wind tousled my hair, and I realized then that the chill I’d felt earlier wasn’t due to the weather but the city itself. Every inch was crawling with memories, sights, and sounds, traces of a past I’d long vowed to forget—locked away in the darkest corners of my mind.
These streets saw my worst nightmares come to life,but they’d also be where I’d seek retribution for every piece of my soul they stole and shattered.
I squeezed my eyes closed against the bite of hot tears and swallowed thickly, steeling myself for what awaited me tonight. But as I pushed off the glass, tinkling laughter drew my eyes across the street, and I nearly stumbled, a gasp fleeing my lips. Despite the distance, time, and extra ink covering his neck and hands, I'd never forget my brother's face.
“Derek?” I whispered. “Derek,” I said again as I watched his interactions with a pretty woman. She was petite, with long, dark hair. And he looked at her as though she not only hung the moon but damn near created it.
I’d always kept tabs on my brothers through the years but decided, for their safety, not to intervene or make them aware of my whereabouts. For all they knew, I was probably dead. It seemed better that way at the time, but looking at him now, I realized I’d missed so much. When and how had he fallen in love? Derek Cain, in love?
A smile crested my lips, and a tear slid from the corner of my eye as I watched their sweet interaction.
Maybe one day, we’ll see each other again. Tonight, I wasn’t ready to reconcile with my past.
I kept my gaze on them until they turned a corner, and his sudden absence immediately provoked a deep sense of sadness and nostalgia that left me questioning whether I’d actually seen him or if he was just a figment of my most cherished dreams.
And as reality tended to do, it all came crashing down when my phone vibrated from inside my pocket. I read the message and peered down the street one last time, where Derek had been, and walked to the following corner to meet a man in a dark red sedan who’d soon be dead.
Opening the passenger door, I climbed inside, and his hand was waiting to make a home on my lap. Bile rose at the contact, but I had to play it cool. He thought I was an escort. Nerves and triggers had no place here, so I let his intrusive touch linger far longer than patience allowed, but choice had flown out the window when I caught movementfrom the backseat.
A fucking kid.
This son of a bitch brought a little girl on a date with an escort. He must have seen the unbridled shock on my face because he patted my thigh and assured me it was okay.
The fuck it was!
“You can’t be serious.”
“Relax,kroshka, last-minute change of plans,” he said with a grin.
Terror ripped through my heart at his insinuation, my hand flying to the knife at my side, ready to gut him right here and now.
“My ex-wife is on call. She got an emergency surgery request, and her usual babysitter wasn’t available. But don’t worry, my sister is in town. Just gotta make a slight detour.”