Page 59 of The Sinner’s Desire (The Sinner’s Touch #1)

My whole body aches, as if I’d been beaten, but it’s the mental exhaustion that makes me pull the covers over my head and wish I could stay in bed all day.

Still, I know I need to check on Theo—and I also have to visit Bruno.

He’s already suffered far too many disappointments for someone so small, and I won’t be the cause of another one. I’ve never missed a visit, and the nurse told me he looks forward to them eagerly.

As soon as I woke up, I saw Amos’s note. Just as he asked, I texted him to let him know I was heading to the hospital, then to the clinic.

He told me the redhead’s accomplice is still out there, and there’s no guarantee she won’t come after us, just like her partner tried to.

God, I was so scared.

I tried my best to hide it from Amos—I know he already carries the weight of the world on his shoulders—but having a gun pointed at me was a nightmare. Still, nothing compares to watching my friend take a bullet to protect me.

What was going through Theo’s mind? I think I would’ve lost it if he’d been seriously hurt.

I can’t shake the memory of the evil in the red-haired man’s eyes.

Jonathan.

The thought that someone like that once had my Amos in his power—at an age when he was so vulnerable—turns the knot in my chest into physical pain.

I was on the verge of a panic attack yesterday but not so far gone that I didn’t notice a giant blond man shoving the redhead into a car and disappearing before the police arrived.

Now that I know what Amos does with criminals like them, I have no doubt how it’ll end for him. And I won’t shed a single tear.

After showering, I’m ready to visit my friend. The moment I step outside the building, two men as big as Amos approach, along with the previous guards.

As uncomfortable as it is to have so many strangers following me around, they’re just doing their job, so there’s no reason to be difficult.

“Good morning,” I greet them, and I can see the surprise in their eyes. “I’m heading to the hospital to visit my friend. Just in case your boss wants a report.” Despite my words, I smile so they know everything is fine.

I walk into Theo’s room, and the first thing I notice is how unusually calm he looks.

The big blond guy from yesterday—the one who took Jonathan away and who I’m now sure works for Amos—is sitting in a chair across from his bed, pretending to read a magazine.

Pretending , because he can’t go more than a few seconds without glancing over at my handsome Greek.

Theo, for his part, looks like he has ants in his pants—he can’t stop squirming. Even with his pale face and the dull hospital gown, he’s still gorgeous.

“Good morning,” I greet the intimidating man.

It’s not the shaved head or the faded scar near his temple that makes him intimidating—it’s his posture, like a lion ready to strike.

He grumbles something I take as a response and goes back to pretending to read.

“Hey, I heard there was a party going on in here,” I tease Theo, because the serious look on his face is so unlike the carefree guy I’m used to.

He rolls his eyes, gives his body a once-over, then lifts a brow. “You’re not funny, doll.”

“I am incredibly funny.” Finally, I manage to relax a little when I see him smile.

“Come here, sweetheart. I need to make sure you’re okay.”

Theo has become one of the most important people in my life. I’ll never forget the horror I felt watching him throw himself in front of me to take that bullet.

I wrap my arms around his waist and rest my head on his good shoulder. “Don’t ever pull that kind of shit again.”

“Did you just curse, sister? I thought you’d stick to our liberating ‘fuck it.’”

“I’m not about to show you who the real nun is—only because I don’t hit defenseless men,” I reply with a smile, then get serious again. “Don’t risk yourself for me again. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.”

“I couldn’t let that guy hurt you.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the scary blond guy has set the magazine aside—one he was never really reading to begin with—and is now fully tuned in to our conversation.

“What’s up with him?” I whisper, still pressed against my friend’s chest.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you do.”

“Huh . . . He’s not much of a talker, so I figured I’d match his silence.”

“Right. I’ll pretend I believe that.”

“What are you implying?”

“It’s not an implication. The energy between you two is thick enough to touch.”

“You’ve got quite the imagination, baby.”

Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. When I look back at him, I see a flush creeping up his cheeks. As tempted as I am to push a little more, something tells me Theo doesn’t want to open up in front of the other man, so I change the subject.

“Did they say when you’ll be discharged?”

“Tomorrow, it looks like.”

“Want to come stay at my place?”

He glances quickly over my shoulder. It seems unconscious, but I can sense the anxiety. “I don’t know. I think I’d rather be alone for a bit.” Then, as if remembering something, he watches me carefully. “Have you read today’s paper?”

“No, thanks. I usually catch a news summary in the late afternoon. Starting the day with bad news isn’t one of my top three favorite things.”

“Lilly . . .”

The hesitation in his voice tells me Theo isn’t saying everything. Instead of pressing him, I turn to the other man.

“My brother?” I’m doing my best to control the trembling in my body, but since I’ve already talked to Amos today, that leaves Ethan.

Even so, I try to reason. If something had happened to him, Amos would’ve come here himself to tell me.

The man shakes his head no. “Your stepfather.”

Maybe that makes me a bad person, but I immediately relax. “What’s wrong with Ramon?” I ask Theo.

“He was arrested.”

“Arrested? Why?”

Theo stares at me, then says, “You’d better ask your boyfriend. I have a feeling he knows a lot more about it than anyone else.”