Page 61 of Scarred Sins

“Butterfly,’’ I choke a laugh. “You’re hurting me.’’

Her nails dig into my forearm, her grip worsening after hearing my words. Her nails sink into my flesh, piercing through it. It’s not painful; it feels like a scratch would, but the smile on her face tells me she did, in fact, intend to hurt me.

“You don’t say,’’ sarcasm coats her tongue.

“Let me remind you that I’ve just been released from the hospital.’’

“You didn’t seem to care about that less than ten minutes ago,’’ she speaks through gritted teeth. “Suck it up.’’

As if sensing the sudden shift in the air, my dad steps forward, taking off his glasses and putting them in the inner pocket of his suit jacket. He offers Blair a warm smile, his voice surprisingly soft.

“Blair, it’s good to see you.’’

Her brows narrow. “Likewise.’’

Dad lifts an amused brow but doesn’t comment on the monotone tone. With a chuckle to himself, he shakes his head and walks past us. “Your mother is out, but she’ll be back before dinner.’’

I nod, and Dad stops, looking at me over his shoulder.

“And Cove is joining us for dinner.’’

The moment he’s out of the room, Blair steps in front of me, releasing my forearm. Her face is passive, her foot tapping against the hard wooden floor, impatience written all over her expression. She looks so cute.

“Just how much of the massacre did you plan, Arlo? And why didn’t you tell me that it was your father who took me to the condo?”

“As I’ve said,’’ I sigh. “It slipped my mind. I’m sorry. I know this must’ve taken you by surprise.’’

“No shit,’’ she scoffs. “Any other surprises I should be looking forward to?”

“None at all.’’

“Are you absolutely sure?”

“One hundred percent.’’

Skeptically, Blair squints her eyes, unwavering fire hidden within. She’s silent, lifting her chin ever so slightly, trying to stare me down. It’s adorable, honestly, how confident she is that she’d ever be able to win a staring competition against me.

But it’s my butterfly, and I don’t want to break her spirit by winning, so I look away first, not missing the smile of triumph on her face.

“So what now?”

“Now,’’ I extend my hand for her to take. For the first time, she doesn’t miss a beat and places her palm in mine. I interlock our fingers together, the warmth of her hands bringing a wave of my happiness. “I’ll show you around and fill you in on how things will work around here.’’

The next twenty minutes passed in a blur.

I showed Blair all the important rooms in the house, with the exception of the armory and the underground bunker that is further on the land and not connected to the main house. I’ll wait for my parents to get home first, then tell her, just in case they left weapons scattered around.

Blair is especially interested in Dad’s alcohol selection. She doesn’t drink, but he has quite the collection, and she is essentially amazed that someone is willing to spend so much money on alcohol they have no plans of drinking.

The next destination was the gym. As soon as she saw what it was, she groaned and gave me an unimpressed look. She’s going to be spending quite some time here, improving her stamina and fighting abilities. And that’s something I’m in charge of.

“What is the plan here?” Blair asks as we arrive in the main living room, taking a seat on the leather couch.

“For now, my mom will find out why exactly Simmons was in the park. Then, I’ll pay him a little visit to chat.’’

“To chat,’’ she repeats and swallows thickly.

“Yes.’’