“Then why is he acting like this?”
I think about my own situation with Sin, the push and pull that’s driving me crazy. “Maybe he’s scared. You went through something traumatic with the Alliance. He probably doesn’t want to push you into anything you’re not ready for.”
Ro nods perceptively. “Elizabeth’s right. These guys, they’ve seen some serious shit. They know how delicate healing can be. Will’s probably terrified of doing or saying the wrong thing.”
“Plus, he’s still a prospect. Dating the daughter of someone as important to the club as your father? That’s complicated territory, Mills,” Jessa adds.
Millie gnaws on her bottom lip, winding the ribbon tighter around her finger. “So, what do I do?”
I lean forward. “Talk to him. Be direct. These biker types seem to appreciate honesty over games.”
“But what if he rejects me?”
“Then you’ll know where you stand,” I say gently. “But Millie, I saw his face at the casino. That man isnotgoing to reject you. He’s probably just as confused and scared as you are.”
A slow smile crosses her face as we continue wrapping, but I notice Millie seems lighter somehow, more hopeful. It feels good to help someone navigate the complicated emotions these club relationships seem to breed.
“Speaking of complicated biker emotions…” Ro says with a wicked grin. “How are things with you and our fearless leader?”
I nearly drop the toy I’m wrapping. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Oh,please!” Gia laughs. “The sexual tension between you two is so thick we could cut it with a knife. The way he looks at you when he thinks nobody’s watching? Girl, that man is smitten.”
“Then why does he keep disappearing?” The words slip out before I can stop them, revealing more than I intended.
“Because he’s scared shitless,” Ro says matter-of-factly. “Sin’s not exactly known for letting people get close.”
“Why is that?” I ask, genuinely curious. “Why do they call him Sin anyway?”
The women exchange glances, and I sense they’re debating how much to share.
“When he was a kid, maybe eleven or twelve, people started calling him‘sinister’because of how cunning he was. Kid could manipulate any situation to his advantage.”
“His childhood wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows,” Jessa adds carefully. “His mom had a gambling problem. Bad enough that it put them both in danger.”
Ro leans forward, her voice softening. “She disappeared when he was thirteen. Just… gone one day. No note, no explanation. Kid came home from school to an empty apartment.”
My heart clenches. “That’s horrible. What happened to her?”
“Nobody knows for sure,” Gia says quietly. “But Sin’s always believed she got in too deep with the wrong people. Probably ended up dead in the desert somewhere.”
The image of that lost, abandoned thirteen-year-old hits me harder than expected. Suddenly, Sin’s guarded nature makes perfect sense. Of course, he doesn’t let people close—everyone he’s ever loved has left him.
“So… Sin was just out there as a young kid all on his own?” I ask.
The girls all nod. “He fell through the cracks. The system never found him, but the club did a few years later,” Millie continues. “Living on the streets, getting by however he could. They took him in and gave him a family. But the damage was already done. Sin doesn’t trust easily, Elizabeth.”
“And when he does care about someone… he pushes them away before they can leave him first,” Ro adds meaningfully.
The pieces click into place with uncomfortable clarity. Sin’s hot-and-cold behavior, the way he pulls back just when things get intense.
It’s not about me at all.
It’s about a scared kid who learned that love means being abandoned.
“That’s why the club means everything to him,” Jessa explains. “These guys saved him. Gave him purpose, belonging. He’d die before he’d let anything happen to them.”
Inhaling deeply, I look at her, knowing now feels like the right time, seeing as we’re openly talking and bonding. “During some of my digging, I came across the name Marcus. He was prospecting for the club…” I pause, thinking carefully about my next words. “Can you give me any information on what happened to him?”
