Sinner's Revenge(79)

“What’s with that?” I ask, gesturing to his outfit that makes me feel a little uncomfortable. What the hell happened to my badass brother? He looks like a high school kid.

“Road trip clothes. I suggest you do the same,” he says, throwing his duffel over his shoulder.

“You know where we’re going?”

“Pennsylvania,” he says with a shrug.

“How do you know that?” Nobody had told me anything. I was just told to pack.

“Diem told me last night.”

I do the math in my head. We didn’t see Diem last night. We saw her yesterday morning. Then it hits me. “She called you?”

“Yeah.” He shoots me a look, then drops his eyes when I glare back at him. “I figured she told you too.”

“Well she didn’t,” I snap, pushing past him out the door. “You’re gonna look real fucking cute when you’re the only one dressed like a Backstreet Boy.” It’s a pathetic comeback, but it’s all I have. I grab my bag from the couch and open the front door to see an SUV pulling into the driveway.

The last thing I want to do is be in an enclosed space with Diem. I’d rather fucking walk. But when she steps out, a little piece of that ice around my heart chips off. She doesn’t look like a contract killer, second in command Mafia guru this morning. She looks like Diem. And she’s wearing road trip clothes—leggings, an oversized T-shirt, and no makeup. I look down at my boots and jeans. Then up at Rookie, who is smiling down at me from the porch steps.

“Rookie, can I have a minute?” Diem asks, her voice a lot softer than I’ve heard her lately.

“With all due respect, Diem, anything you say to me can be said in front of Shady,” Rookie says. I want to stick my tongue out at her like a five-year-old, but I don’t. I just avoid her gaze altogether and instead, look over the top of her head.

“I want to apologize for the other day. I was working on a tight deadline and had to handle some things quickly. It was the only way I knew how to get rid of . . . him.” I feel her eyes on me, but I refuse to give her the benefit of meeting her gaze.

“I’m not worried about what you said to me. I get it.” I think Rookie is finished, but then his voice drops and the air grows colder. “But don’t ever mention Carrie’s name again in front of people we don’t know. And don’t ever try to use us as leverage. Shady has every right to be pissed. He’s a lot more forgiving than I would have been if you’d threatened me with his life.”

I finally look at Diem, who nods, pulling her lip between her teeth. “I won’t,” she promises, and offers a smile. But Rookie doesn’t return it. She turns around, but he calls to her again.

“And, Diem,” he growls, his tone deadly. When she meets his eyes, something she sees makes her shrink a little in size. “I don’t give second chances.”

Rookie brushes past her, throwing his duffel in the car before getting in. I fight hard to contain my smile. I want to fist pump the air and announce to the world that he’s my brother. But of course, I don’t.

Diem looks at me, her face full of apology. “Can we talk?” she asks, hope ringing in her voice.

“Nope,” I say, stepping past her. I hear her mumble something, but it’s lost in my own laughter.


* * *

“Is this the road to Itta Bena?” I ask, thirty minutes into our drive south. Nobody answers, so I try again. “Are we there yet?” Nothing. “I gotta pee.” Diem doesn’t respond, but I can see her shift in aggravation.

Me and Rookie are in the backseat. He’s wearing his headphones, so he can’t hear me. Diem is up front with Clark, her personal driver and right-hand man, who is also listening to music. I’m guessing Diem isn’t listening to anything in hopes that I will talk. I should probably sleep, but I’m too aware of her presence and I swear I can smell her from back here.

“Stop looking at me,” she snaps, not bothering to turn around.

“I’m not looking at you. I’m looking out the windshield.”

“Well, look out your window, asshole.”

“Nah, I like to see where we’re going. By the way, where the hell is that exactly?” I ask, and she turns around to give me a conniving smile.

“For me to know and you to find out.”

“What are you, in fifth grade?”

“Says the guy who has been asking ‘are we there yet’ for the past fifteen minutes.” She’s got me there. Looking back out her window, she throws a dog a bone. “We’re going to Pennsylvania.”

“I know that. What part of Pennsylvania?” I lean forward, startling her when she turns and my face is inches from hers. She drags her eyes down my face with a disgusted look. I just smile.