Page 58 of The Sinner’s Desire (The Sinner’s Touch #1)

“She’s mine.” I say it outright. There’s no way to soften it.

“You must be out of your damn mind if you think I’m going to let you ruin my sister.”

“ Ruin your sister? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Come on. It’s me, Amos. The guy who’s known you for almost half your life. I know exactly what women mean to you, and if you think I’m going to let Lilly be just another one-night fuck for you to toss aside, think again.”

I take a few deep breaths and walk over to the window to calm myself. I try to focus on the fact that the man in front of me has always been like a brother. Finally, when I think I can respond without punching him, I begin:

“I’m going to assume you don’t have a fucking clue what you’re saying.

And that’s the only reason I’m not making you swallow every word you just spat out.

” It takes supreme effort to keep my voice calm when I’m burning inside.

“But here’s a warning: don’t ever insult your sister like that again.

Say whatever you want about me, but don’t you dare ever say out loud again that Lilly is just a fuck.

If you’d bothered to actually see her over the years, you’d know the extraordinary woman she’s become.

Erase that image of a fragile little girl.

My Lilly is strong and brave. And if you think you can keep us apart—using your own words— think again . ”

We stare each other down in silence, and I know that just as I can read him, he can read me too.

As he said himself, we’ve known each other more than half our lives. We probably know each other better than blood brothers would.

“Do you love her?” His jaw clenches with tension.

It’s time to admit what my mind has been avoiding.

“I don’t know if love is even a strong enough word,” I say. “So I’ll leave you with this to think about: I would die a different death every single damn day just to make sure she’s safe and happy.”

His shocked look quickly shifts to relief. “Good. That’s more than I expected to hear. So maybe it’ll be easier to understand why you need to let her go.”

“I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

“You know a lot about me, but maybe you missed something. I would never joke about my sister.” He goes over to his backpack and pulls out a laptop. “After our last phone call, I saw exactly where the two of you were headed. What happened yesterday wasn’t an accident.”

“Of course not. He knew who she was.”

“No, Amos. You’re not getting what I’m saying.”

He opens the laptop, clicks through a few folders, and hands it to me.

Photo after photo of Lilly scrolls by—taken at different times of the day since she returned from Paris. Her shopping with Theo. Inside the real estate agency. Entering her building, and even here.

Someone had been watching her closely.

“He wasn’t going to shoot her. The plan was to take her, I think. Use her to blackmail you. The kid didn’t take a bullet for Lilly. Jonathan would’ve killed him anyway. There was no reason to keep two hostages—that would’ve been too risky.”

“How did you find this out?”

“I’ve been watching her too. And by extension, watching whoever was watching her.

Jonathan and Maria are desperate. Cornered.

Their lives are hanging by a thread because we’ve drawn the authorities’ attention to their organization.

They needed leverage. I also found files on you and me.

They’ve known for over a month who’s been tracking them. ”

“Then why didn’t they come straight for me?”

“Because that wouldn’t have been enough. Killing you wouldn’t stop me or the rest of the guys from hunting them down. But taking something that matters to you—Lilly—that would.”

“Fuck!”

How could I have been so arrogant as to think I could keep her safe from all the filth in my world?

“You need to let her go,” he says again. And I know it’s the right thing to do.

But letting go of Lilly would mean knowing I’ll be living in the shadows forever.

“She won’t give up on me,” I say, not out of arrogance but as a simple fact.

I know her well enough now to know loyalty is one of her defining traits. Lilly isn’t the kind of woman who jumps ship at the first sign of danger. Even yesterday, scared as she was, she stayed by Theodoro’s side. If I hadn’t stepped in, she would’ve followed him to the hospital.

“You could break up with her.”

I shake my head, almost wanting to laugh.

“Like I said—you don’t really know your sister.

If you did, you’d never suggest something so ridiculous.

She’ll understand why I’m pushing her away,” I say, already trying to think of a solution.

“We could double security.” I’m still grasping at any thread of hope to stay in her life, even though a voice deep down tells me there’s nothing I can do.

“That won’t be enough. They need to think you’ve dumped her.”

“And how the hell am I supposed to pull that off? I’ve never been in a relationship before. If they’re watching me this closely, like you said, they know that. And they probably already know how important she is to me.”

“I have a plan. If it works, you two might get another chance in the near future. But you have to agree that protecting her is our priority right now.”

I run both hands through my hair, already feeling desperate.

I have no idea what he’s got in mind, but one way or another, I know it’s going to hurt her.

“Fine,” I give in, defeated. “Tell me what you’re thinking.

And let’s get one thing clear—I’m giving you my trust here, Ethan.

I’m trusting that you’re not trying to pull some selfish stunt to keep us apart.

Because if that’s the case, don’t waste your time.

Lillyana is my woman. Nothing and no one will make me give her up. ”