Page 52 of Protected By the Sinner

“You’re scaring me.”

“Calm down. I don’t know if I should tell you yet because we’re not sure.”

It feels like she just stabbed me. “How can you hide something like that from me? We’ve always been each other’s rock!”

She goes silent, and my throat tightens. I feel lonelier than ever.

“I’m not trying to hurt you, Amber. I’m trying to spare you pain.”

“Then you should know that hiding things from me hurts me even more. I don’t have anyone else.” I hate that my voice comes out shaky, hate showing vulnerability. At this moment, I kind of hate her a little too.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. You’re right. Do you remember Mom telling me I had a twin when I was born?”

I bite my lower lip to keep from crying. The brother I never got to meet. “I remember they...that...”

“Shhh...It’s okay. Don’t cry. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you.”

“Why bring it up now?”

“My boyfriend thinks he might be alive.”

What she says is so absurd that my legs almost give out. “What?”

“Yes. It looks like he’s alive. Apparently, he didn’t change his first name, just like we didn’t. His name is Amos[3], as far as we can tell, and he lives in Boston now with his family.”

“Oh my God! How is that possible? How did he survive?”

“Our mom gave him up for adoption to protect him. It was either that or they would have...”

Killed him—those are the words she can’t say. If our mother hadn’t given him away, those monsters would’ve killed him.

“Can we try to contact him?”

“Yes, but maybe we should check him out first. We don’t even know if he turned out to be a good person, Amber.”

“You said he lives in Boston? I could try to watch them from a distance—him and his family, I mean. Beau’s always there, and the next time we go, I could engineer a run-in.”

“Alright, but be careful. I’ll probably be gone for at least two months. We can text, but no phone calls during that time. And if something happens between you and Beau...If you two...”

“If we break up?”

“Yeah. If that happens, take the money we hid, message me, and stay under the radar. You know I’ll come find you right away if you need me, right?”

I want to say I need her now, but I don’t want to sound dependent.

I don’t think she’s leaving just to hide from the men who kidnapped her—I think she wants to leave. She’s in love with this man. I trust her judgment, but I still can’t stop myself from asking, “How do you know for sure he’s a good person, Elodie? I mean, I know he helped you, but if he met you while you were being held captive, that means he was somehow connected to those monsters.”

“He has no connection to the mafia, Amber. It was pure fate that we crossed paths. You can’t judge me when you’re with someone like Beau LeBlanc.”

“That was unfair of you to say. And besides, there’s no trust between me and Beau. You, on the other hand, seem to have jumped headfirst into this relationship.”

She doesn’t deny it, which makes me even more worried. “But is he good to you?” she asks, changing the subject.

“He is. But I can’t stay here forever. Given the life he’s always led, whatever’s going on between us is temporary. I have to be ready to walk away at any moment.”

“No matter what happens, it’ll always be the two of us, Amber.”

I try to believe her, but I can’t.