Page 16 of Connor (Total Sinners #2)

Connor

The scent of garlic and butter lingered in the air, mixing with the sharp bite of freshly brewed coffee. North had actually cooked—which was rare—but from the way Quinn was curled into his side, grinning up at him like he’d hung the damn moon, you’d think he’d just saved a litter of puppies.

“I’m just saying,” Quinn murmured, dragging her finger through the condensation on her glass, “this is the first time in months you’ve made something that didn’t involve a takeout container.”

North smirked, lifting his mug to his lips. “If I’d known you were this easy to impress, I’d have put in the effort sooner.”

Vic groaned. “Jesus. Can you two keep it in your pants for five minutes?”

Quinn just beamed, pressing a quick kiss to North’s jaw before going back to her food. I stared at my plate, barely touching it, while Vic sat across from me, absently swirling the water in his glass, watching the ice clink against the sides.

“Anyway,” Vic drawled, cutting into his steak. “Before I was blinded by whatever the hell that was—Quinn, you still thinking about getting your master’s?”

She perked up immediately. “Yeah. I mean, maybe. I haven’t decided if I want to stay in Reverence or move somewhere new.”

North scoffed. “She’s staying.”

Vic raised a brow. “That right?”

“North,” she huffed. “Stop.”

He chewed, looking completely unbothered. “You love when I steal your fries.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. Instead, she sighed dramatically and pushed her plate closer, like she was resigning herself to a fate she had long since accepted.

Vic grimaced. “That’s disgusting.”

North just shrugged. “She knew what she was signing up for.”

Quinn smirked, leaning in to murmur something in his ear. North’s expression shifted—something lazy flickering behind his eyes before he tipped his head down, whispering something back.

I did not need to see this.

Vic made a face, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “I feel like I should throw something at you both.”

Quinn grinned. “Jealous?”

“Of what?” Vic scoffed, slicing into his steak again. “The fact that you two can’t have a single conversation without making everyone else in the room uncomfortable?”

Quinn snickered, popping a fry into her mouth, while North just sat there, smug as hell.

I picked at my food, hoping my stomach would settle. But it wouldn’t. It had been twisted in knots since the moment Vic walked through the door.

I should’ve left before he got here. Should’ve seen it coming the second North mentioned he was dropping by. But I hadn’t.

And now, I was stuck.

Vic sipped his water, watching me. “You good, McIntyre?”

The question hit harder than it should have.

I swallowed. “Yeah.”

His eyes narrowed, scanning my face, looking for something. I didn’t know what, but I sure as hell wasn’t giving it to him.

Vic finally leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. “You look like hell.”

. “You always know how to make a guy feel special.”

“Yeah, well,” he muttered, setting his glass down. “You look like someone ran you over, reversed, and did it again.”

North snorted. Quinn, too.

I did not laugh.

Vic’s gaze lingered, a little too sharp, a little too knowing. Then— “Are you drinking again?”

The casual buzz of conversation died. North’s spoon paused mid-stir in his coffee. Quinn stopped fiddling with her damn fries. My stomach dropped.

“No,” I said, my voice steady.

Vic tilted his head, watching me like a fucking lie detector. “You sure about that?”

My jaw locked. “I said no.”

Finally—Vic nodded. Slow. Measured. But his gaze didn’t move. Didn’t waver. Didn’t let me breathe.

Quinn speared a fry on her fork, twirling it absently as she leaned forward. “Have you seen Summer yet?”

My stomach clenched as Vic’s knife scraped against his plate, pausing mid-cut. I knew that tone. Casual, but not really. Light, but digging.

I didn’t react, just reached for my glass. But my throat felt tight. North didn’t look up from his coffee, but I saw the way his fingers twitched against the handle.

Vic was still. “Yeah,” Vic said, finally slicing through his steak again. “I saw her this afternoon.”

The room quietened. The way it always did when Summer was brought up in a room she wasn’t in. Quinn’s expression softened slightly. “Oh? How’s she doing? She wasn’t feeling too well earlier in the week.”

Vic didn’t answer right away. He chewed, swallowed, set his fork down with a quiet clink. His fingers tapped against the edge of the table, like he was debating something. Then he dragged a hand over his face, his voice lowered when he finally said, “She’s… off.”

My pulse spiked.

Quinn frowned. “What do you mean?”

Vic hesitated, then shook his head. “She looked exhausted. Really exhausted. And she wasn’t eating. I asked if something was up, but she just brushed it off.” His jaw flexed. “She does that thing, you know? Where she smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes?”

My stomach twisted.

I knew exactly what he was talking about.

Because I’d seen it too—the other night, when I ended up banging on her front door, drunk off my ass and wanting to make amends.

When she looked at me like I wasn’t anything more than a piece of dirt on her shoe, then let me inside anyway. The memory burned.

Quinn let out a breath, sitting back. “That’s… not great.”

“No,” Vic muttered. “It’s fucking not.”

He reached for his drink again, swirling the ice around in his glass, his expression unreadable.

“I don’t know what’s going on with her,” he admitted, voice quieter now.

“She’s always been independent, but this feels different.

I know you guys aren’t really friends, but do you know if she was seeing anyone? ”

I nearly choked, my gaze turning to Quinn. Was she seeing someone? It wasn’t impossible. Two months ago, I would’ve said no, but Summer was gorgeous and the last thing I expected from her when she left was to wait for me.

Vic rubbed his jaw, his stare flicking between North and Quinn, like he was trying to piece something together. Then, finally—his eyes landed on me.

“You staying in town for a while?” he asked. The question was so carefully casual that it felt like a loaded gun. I nodded before I even thought about it. His brows lifted slightly, like he hadn’t expected that answer.

“Yeah,” I said, forcing a shrug. “For a bit.”

I couldn’t tell him why. Couldn’t tell him that I had nowhere else to go. That I’d burned through every escape and found myself circling back to the only thing I still cared about. So I lied. Used the one excuse I knew he’d buy.

“Mom,” I said, exhaling slowly. “She’s staying with Aiden. We got into a fight, I decided this was better than hearing her talking about going back to him .”

Vic’s expression darkened instantly. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

North muttered a curse under his breath, and even Quinn grimaced.

I just shook my head. “Wish I was.”

Vic leaned back in his chair. He looked away for a second, staring off into the middle distance, his jaw tight. Then—he sighed. Shaking his head. “That woman,” he muttered. “I swear to God.”

He didn’t say more. Didn’t need to. Because we both knew there was nothing else to say.