Page 101 of Protected By the Sinner

“Long story short, Amos is coming here.”

“This supposed brother?”

“Yes.”

“I need his entire name.”

I roll my eyes. “No. If you’re that desperate to know, find out yourself. He’s already looking into you, by the way—even though I never told him your name. But know this: no matter what you find, you’re not allowed to do anything to my brother.”

“You don’t even know if he really is your brother.”

“I’m not certain, but my heart says he is. And anyway, remember: Amos is potentially your girlfriend’s brother and your kid’s uncle. You really don’t want to piss off Amber.”

Beau just stares at me with that arrogant alpha male face. I turn and walk away before I throw something at him.

Men!

With my hand on the doorknob, I hesitate for only a few seconds before stepping inside. The moment I do, I run straight into the arms of the most important person in my life.

“I can’t believe you came!” She stands before I can stop her and hugs me. Then she keeps touching my face and hair, laughing and crying at the same time. “I missed you so much, Elodie. I’ll never live long enough to thank God for keeping you safe.”

“Beau told me there’s no more risk staying in the U.S.”

“Yeah. He, uh . . .handledthe Italian mafia situation.”

“Did you ever find out what that bastard wanted from him when he sent you to the nightclub?”

“Yeah, we just talked about it. Beau proposed—and I said yes,” she says, showing me a massive diamond and wearing a smile that’s just as bright. “We decided to get all the secrets out so we can start fresh. The man who kidnapped you had Beau’s parents killed when he was just a kid. Apparently, he was stealing from his own uncle and needed a scapegoat. I think he figured out Beau was hunting him and tried to strike first.”

I shake my head, marveling at how strange life is. We went in circles only for my sister to end up pregnant and in love with the man she was sent to seduce.

“Are you happy?” I ask.

“Yes. Very. Especially now that you’re back.”

“Good. Because we need to talk. Remember Amos? He’s coming here.”

I’ve just finished telling her everything about Amos and conclude, “I hope he really is our brother.”

“I hope so too. But I’m also a little nervous. What kind of person is he?”

“From what I can tell? Bossy. But we’ll find out soon enough.”

She smiles, her face calm but still a little pale.

“When will they let you go home?” I ask.

“I think today. Come stay with us.”

“I wasn’t planning on going far anyway.”

She looks at me, and I can tell there’s something she wants to ask but doesn’t know how.

“Say it, Amber.”

“What happened with your Italian?”

“We didn’t work out.”