I glance from one guy to the next, trying to see the truth in their expressions. Only, they’re unanimously blank, giving nothing away.
Throat dry, I rasp, “Are you joking?”
“No.” Sin’s gaze doesn’t waver. “If your old man didn’t do what he was told, there’d be a hit put on him and his family.”
My heart leaps to my throat.
“On… me?”
Sin doesn’t answer. He doesn’t need to. For once, I know exactly what his silence is telling me.
“So, Dad’s arrest was deliberate? He wanted to be put away?” It’s hard to wrap my head around my father wanting to be put in prison. Yet, somehow it makes sense. He always ran from his problems, it was his MO. As soon as life got too hard, he sought an escape.
For once, Saint is serious. “Fucker wanted to try his luck on the inside. Thought it was safer than a life in The Dunes under the thumb of our father.”
“He’d get the insurance and use it as protection money,” Angel adds.
“Wow.” Looking away, I consider what I’ve been told and what it means. “He really doesn’t give a shit about me. I mean, I knew it before, but….” My eyes threaten to blur. Pushing the betrayal back, I meet Sin’s stare. “He left me to deal with all of this alone. He didn’t even have the decency to warn me.”
“We knew.” Sin’s voice is low. “You’ve been on Dad’s radar from the beginning. He was keeping tabs on you, and when Dez was put behind bars, he took an extra fucking interest.”
“Knowing all this, you still went ahead with burning the garage.” My accusation belies the fragmentation of everything I thought I knew.
“We’re going to make it right,” he vows, like his words mean anything to me.
“You’re going to make it right,” I repeat, disdain dripping from each syllable. “And you expect me to take you at your word?” Hell, no. “Not good enough. You need to do better than that if you expect me to stick around.”
Reaching into his pocket, Sin takes out the white key card Tobias gave him. “We’re going to use this to fuck with Dad’s plans.”
His eyes are so clear and his expression is so honest, I almost believe him.
“How?” I hate how, even now, I grasp onto his half-truth. “The Collector isn’t above messing people up for the sheer fun of it. I’ve heard the stories. I’ve seen what he’s done to folks. How are you going to stop him with a damn key card?”
Sin’s stare darkens. “Trust me. We’re going to make him pay.”
Trust.
What a stupid concept.
How can I trust anyone who betrays me?
Despite knowing he’s played me from the beginning, there’s a truth in his expression that can’t be fabricated. “Why should I?”
“Because you’ve got no other option.” I swear, his eyes heat at that.
Thinking long and hard, I consider my choices. Either I try to escape The Collector on my own, accept that the garage will be a drop-off for God-knows-what, or take a chance on Sin and hope he doesn’t screw me over. Again.
Christ.
Knowing there’s every chance my choice will end in heartbreak, I level Sin with a stare. “You’ve got one chance, big guy. Screw it up and I’m gone.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
SIN
Thank fuck.
Didn’t know how much she had me by the balls until she agreed to stay.
“Come here.” When Temple’s close enough I loop my finger through her belt hook and pull her down next to me. She doesn’t protest, which is a fucking win. Her body fits against mine like she was made to fucking be there.
But she doesn’t give me her mouth like I want her to. Like fucking always, she’ll make me earn it. And like a pussy, I’ll do whatever I have to, to get it.
Saint smirks, the smug prick knowing what’s going on. The ESP bullshit we have is a pain in the fucking ass. Can’t keep a damn secret even if I wanted to.
Angel glances between Temple and me. Miserable bastard grits his teeth before looking away again. He’ll deal.
Temple and I are happening, and nothing will change that. She might have started out as a means to an end, but now she’s more than that. She’s mine.
It’s time we bring her into the fold. That said, there’s no fucking way I’m telling her more than she needs to know. I’ll protect her even if she hates me for it. Hell, I’m counting on it. But it’s for her own safety.
She’ll get over it, eventually.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Temple
“So, what’s the plan?” Seated on the edge of Sin’s chair, I let him wrap his arm around my waist. He might think we’re fine, but I’m not going to let him steamroller me with his intoxicating scent or sexy stare.
I want answers.
Sin rubs his finger across his lips, thinking. “We wait.”
I pause, hoping to God he’s joking.
He’s not.
Searching his expression, I try to find a reason for this mistake.
He gives nothing away.
“That’s it?” I ask, incredulous. “That’s your plan? To wait?”
His closed expression proves there’s nothing more to add.
“Jesus.” Disentangling myself, I move away. “You’re seriously going to sit on your ass at a time like this?”
“Sure we are,” Saint adds unhelpfully.
I give him a flat stare.
He winks. “You love me.”
Sin nods to Angel. “Show her.”
Angel gestures for me to sit next to him. He retrieves his laptop from the coffee table, opening it.
Cautiously, I lower myself beside him. Out of the three of them, Angel’s the one I find hardest to read. It puts me on edge being this close to someone I’m unsure about. But if Sin thinks it’s okay….
Fuck. I’m a lost cause. The guy can’t plan his way out of an unlocked room, and I still want him.
Angel turns his laptop to face me. “Check it out.” He points to the eight square boxes on the screen, each showing a different vantage point of The Collector’s office.
My eyes widen. “You planted security cameras?”
“Saint did,” he confirms.
Thinking hard, I try to picture it but come up blank. “But Sin and Saint were searching for something, not setting up surveillance.”
“We hedged our bets in case we couldn’t find what we wanted.” Angel types in a code I don’t understand, and one of the cameras zooms in to the desk. There’s blood on it, Jack’s, probably.
Angel points to the screen. “We thought we’d find it here.”
“Please tell me you’ve got audio. Video surveillance is great and all, but it only tells half the story.”
Angel considers me for a moment. “We do. I updated the software an hour ago.”
Figuring this is as close to an opening as I’m going to get, I ask, “What were you looking for?”
Angel looks from me, to Sin, and back again. His eyes bore into mine as though trying to find an ulterior motive. Since I haven’t fully figured out their reason for doing all of this, I don’t have one to hide.