Page 87 of Sinner's Redemption
Sitting back down, I glared at my brother.
“It’s not Malice’s fault. Don’t be angry with him. If I was in his position, I would have done the same thing. What Malice hasn’t said was the men he killed worked for Boris Petrovitch. I was his whore for three years. When I heard you talking tonight, I knew it was time to tell you my story. I knew I should have told you sooner, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want you to kick me out. This is the only place I feel safe. That’s why I don’t leave. I’ve never left this clubhouse. Storm can attest to that.”
Fuck.
Sighing, I hung my head. “I know, baby. You did nothing wrong.”
“Yes, I did,” she whispered. “It’s why Malice hates me.”
Confused, I looked at them. “I don’t understand. What could you have done that Malice could never forgive?”
I watched as Silver removed the leather cuffs she always wore and turned her wrists so I could see. On both wrists were jagged scars. Reaching for them, I held her hands in mine. “When?”
“The night you found me. After Malice left me in Vegas, I stayed in the hotel room until my time was up. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I knew I couldn’t go back to California. I had no identification, no driver’s license, nothing. I wasn’t even an American citizen. Still not. The only money I had was what Malice gave me. So, I bought a bus ticket and made my way to New York City. I knew Boris never stepped foot in the city because it belonged to Fedorov. He hates the Bloodletter more than he hates me. When I arrived in the city, I didn’t know where to go. I kept to dark alleys and stayed hidden for a while. I tried finding a job, but everyone wanted identification, a social security card I didn’t have. In the end, I became a street rat. I just happened upon the clubhouse by accident. The money Malice gave me ran out weeks beforehand. I was hungry. I hadn’t eaten in days. That’s when you found me. When you brought me inside, I didn’t know what to make of you. Then I saw Malice. He took one look at me and knew who I was. I knew I couldn’t stay. He knew my secret. He knew who I was. That night, with no other choice, I snuck into the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and decided to end everything. Malice must have known because he found me minutes later, bleeding all over the floor. He stitched me up the best he could and has avoided me ever since. In his eyes, I committed a mortal sin. He can’t forgive me for that. That’s why he hates me.”
“Don’t hate you.” He grumbled.
“No, you just think my soul is going to hell.”
Malice shrugged. “Wasn’t your choice. Only God can take a life.”
“Fuck you, asshole. God doesn’t have to live my life.”
“Maybe if you asked for forgiveness.”
“I know you just didn’t say that shit to me?” Silver gasped.
Holding up my hand, I firmly said, “Malice. Leave. Now”
My brother quietly got up, put his chair back where he found it, and left the room.
“I don’t understand him, Montana,” Silver whispered, her voice catching. “He saved me. He didn’t have to, but he did. He cared for me, made me feel safe. He gave me money. Yet I do one thing he disapproves of and I’m a pariah. A sinner.”
“Malice is a devout Catholic, sweetheart. He only knows two things. The church and the club. He’s not good with everything else,” I calmly said, as she wiped a lone tear from her face. Silver got along with everyone except Malice. Now, I understand why. It wasn’t her fault my brother was the way he was. Just like it wasn’t her fault, she reached her limit and tried to kill herself. Everyone has a breaking point. Even me. “Baby, we need to talk about your time with Petrovitch.”
She sighed. “I know.”
“Fury, Silver needs identification. Everything.”
My brother looked up at me, confused. “Huh?”
“Social, Driver’s license, birth certificate, everything. I want it airtight. Make it happen. Fast.”
“What’s going on with Silver?” Mercy asked, as I stared at Malice, who sat at the end of the table eating one of his damned apples as if nothing was wrong.
“Nothing,” I said, shaking my head then asked, “Is there anything else we need to discuss?”
“Got the Vanderveer Cancer Research Gala tomorrow night.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. Bad timing, I know, but we’ll make it work,” Mercy replied, shifting in his seat. “Also, the gate guard told me that Tessa came by to see you last night. He turned her away. Told her you were busy with another woman.”
I sighed, hanging my head. “Motherfucker.”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“He’s out. Take his cut and ban him from the property. Put another brother in his place. Let the club brothers know that if my woman shows up, she is to be admitted immediately.”