She takes it.
Without a word, I pull her back into my arms. She doesn’t cry. Not in front of everyone. But her breath stutters against me and her body trembles.
I hold her tighter. “You’re safe,” I whisper. “I won’t let you go back there.”
She nods against my chest.
And this time, I don’t let go, needing to hold her as much as she needs me. The situation all too familiar. So much regret with thoughts of how I couldn’t hold on to my sister. I know I can’t keep Sunshine, but I can make sure she’s safe.
10
FAITH
My heart’s still racing even though Nigel’s long gone.
I can sense everyone’s eyes on me, but all I can focus on is the spot by the door where he stood. Where he sneered. Like I was nothing.
My fingers dig into Hayden’s cut as he holds me.
He called me home like I was a dog.
And the worst part? A tiny part of me wanted to go. Not because I miss Mum—but because the guilt claws at me.
“She’s been crying,” I whisper. I know that cry. The one that comes with a half-empty bottle of gin and a missing ashtray.
She’s not missing me. She’s missing her cleaner. Her cook. Her emotional punching bag.
“She’ll get over it.” Hayden says, as if he knows all too well that they’re crocodile tears.
But still, it stings.
Hayden runs his hand over my back, slow and steady, like he knows I need it more than words.
Eventually, Draven claps him on the shoulder and mutters something about “having his back,” and the tension in the barslowly fades. The music picks up again. The band is playing Sleep Token.
“Want some fresh air?” he asks.
I nod and he takes my hand and leads me out back.
Kane straightens as Hayden pushes open the door. The aroma of weed lingers in the air before he stubs out a roll-up under his boot. “You all right, lass?”
“I will be. Thank you.” I pull my zip-up hoodie closed as the cool night air wraps around me.
Hayden shakes Kane’s hand. “Thanks for having our back in there, man.”
“Anytime.” He walks back into the bar, leaving us alone.
I lean back against the brick wall, inhaling the crisp air, a shiver wracking my bones, but it’s not from the cold.
Hayden rests one hand against the wall at the side of my head, his other hand grazing my cheek with his knuckles. “Don’t be afraid.”
“I’m not.” At least I’m not afraid of him. “I’ve never felt safer than I do here.” I grip the edges of his cut, wanting to pull him closer. “I know Oak never wanted me around the club, but please don’t make me leave. For the first time since Dad died, I feel like I belong somewhere.”
“I won’t ever send you away. But I will help you with university.”
“I’m not sure I even want to go.”
Hayden’s about to protest, but a girl in a tight black dress steps out of the back door.
