The Rebirth of Sin (Wicked Trinity Book 2) (13 page)

“I don’t think any of those things of you.” He paused. “From what you’ve said, I think we have many things in common.”

“You do? How so?”

“I know now that you’re in the world, you feel detached. I can relate to the feeling; being in the world but not really of it,” he expounded. “You don’t fit anywhere and you constantly try to fake that you do. We’re trying hard to fit a square peg into a round hole.”

“Exactly,” I agreed, thinking he couldn’t have placed my feelings more perfectly. 

Noah had tried to convince me of the same thing. Unfortunately he was placed in the same category as everyone else. He wanted things from me, and I was willing to provide them because of my mental state. In having to face my past and my present, the future was steadily within my view. I never thought I’d have a chance to have one. My plans for the future were coming to fruition. No matter how much I adjusted my plans, I couldn’t see a way for Noah to fit into them. 

“I feel guilty about having these thoughts,” I confessed. “Lately, I realize I don’t really have a personality. I’m scared of what I say offending someone. I’m scared of letting people down. I’m who everyone needs me to be because I don’t think I could face the conflict. I’m tired of fighting. I want…peace.”

“Meanwhile, you’re deeply unhappy, because you know it’s impossible to please everyone in your life, but you keep trying.”

“The things I’ve seen and gone through? I’ve cheated death so many times. Why can’t I just be happy?”

“Because you aren’t being who you truly are,” he surmised. “The moment you become her, you’ll find out what happiness is. I won’t lie to you. It takes work to be happy; it’s easier to remain at the bottom than to climb up the steep hill.”

I chewed on his words for a while in silence. He remained silent as well, allowing a comfortable stillness. “Thank you for letting me whine.”

“It wouldn’t be what I would call it, but you’re more than welcome.” I could hear the faint din of street traffic behind him. It almost sounded in tune to the faint sound I heard down below. “Will you be able to accompany me to the charity event?”

I stepped away from the glass and scanned the office. A wave of disillusionment washed over me. “I’m sorry—”

“Keaton,” he warned, startling me with the amount of authority he enacted his voice.

I caught myself from apologizing again. Swallowing hard, I changed up my tone. “I’m not single. I don’t know what I am, but I’m not single. I can’t go to the charity ball with you. But, I would really like to meet you there, if you decide to go. I’m sure you’ll find a date by then. It would still be nice to see you face to face.”

“Your mother never mentioned you having a boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s…”

“He’s something to you if you’re not able to date anyone else.”

“It’s complicated.”

He laughed, making me smile again.
How is he able to do that so easily?
“I think I understand. You’re something for him that you’re really not. Am I correct?”

I honestly didn’t know. At one point I thought it was who I was and who I was comfortable with being. But really, it was a woman Noah sculpted me into. I thought it fit me. It was too tight in the shoulders and chest area; it impeded on my ability to breathe. 

I questioned how quickly Braedan clicked with me. It was unreal how easy our conversation flowed and how easily I gained the comfort to reveal things I’d kept to myself. “I’m miserable with him.”

“Your need to please everyone is getting in the way of what you really want. After all you’ve been through, it’s okay to be selfish occasionally.”

“I don’t think I could ever be.”

“I think with the right incentive,” he purred seductively, “you could be.”

I gasped quietly because the shock of the sensation hit me quickly. I closed my legs, guilty over the way his tone and choice of words manifested into a steaming heat rising up my thighs. My sex began to throb and remind me of the soreness Noah persistently left me with. I ached for a gentler side, a moment of pure, unrefined pleasure that wasn’t marred with torture. 

My desire for Noah had begun to wane. The darkening fog had begun to dissipate and reveal the true reason I remained with Noah. My desire for him was rooted in fear. It had never stricken me as hard and severely. My body was cursed to crave the things it never had. The man on the other line—whom I barely knew—was digging into my mind and awakening what was once dormant. I thought all had been owned and provoked by Noah. This was different. It was syncing with a place I kept hidden away from everyone and churned out new aspirations. “I feel like you know me. How is that possible? Is it odd to think?”

“Not at all,” he replied. “I hope I’m not overstepping my bounds in stating this. Since the event is a couple months away, I hope you and your boyfriend don’t work out and we are able to attend it together.”

“That’s awful, Braedan.” I laughed. Feeling the twinge again, I tried to suppress it. 

“Take care of yourself, Keaton.”

“And you too, Mr. Michaels.”

“The things I will do to you will be worse than the stuff of your nightmares. Obey. Please. Abide. Do that and you’ll be safe.”

-THE SECT

There wasn’t very much to do in the apartment when Noah wasn’t there besides battle with thoughts of packing my things and leaving for good. The instant I checked the warehouse, unable to find Noah anywhere, I went ahead and packed. As fate would have it, my friends had other ideas. They called me when they were five minutes away from the warehouse, ready to cook dinner with me. I promptly sent Noah a text to let him know we would have company. He never responded. 

Nathan, Sonja, and Brandy showed up together and we jointly cooked dinner. For an hour, there was no pretension or anxiety. I truly was the Keaton they knew me to be. I was able to put down my wall and forget about the worst in my life. It was due to one reason. My moments with Braedan released some of the weight I’d been carrying. I felt a little lighter. My sense of security allowed me to enjoy the moment and be myself, showcasing all my flaws and imperfections.

“Did you ever get a chance to talk to Braedan?” Brandy, sitting opposite the dining room table, tipped a glass of wine to her lips.

Having him on the cusp my thoughts, my smile was untamed. “He’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever not met.”

Nathan pointed at my face. “More than nice. I haven’t seen you smile like that in ages.”

“You took a liking to him, huh?” Sonja sank back in her chair and rubbed her belly with a completely serene look upon her face.

“I did. It’s impossible not to like the guy right away. He has this way with words and a purity to his kindness I haven’t witnessed before. We instantly clicked.” All eyes were on me, studying me with different degrees of satisfaction. 

“Plus, he and that voice of his are sexy as hell, am I right?” Brandy chewed on her lip and clutched her wine glass a little tighter, hanging to my every word.

She wasn’t the only one waiting in captivation for my response. Wanting to change the subject, I cleared my throat and changed my tempo. “How are the wedding plans going, Sonja? Do you need any help?”

“You’re already so busy with your mother’s campaign.” A warm smile graced her full lips. “Don’t you worry about it—”

The free air was quickly siphoned out of the room with the sound of the grinding of gears in the freight elevator, announcing Noah’s pending arrival. 

I gave my friends reassuring glances and walked over to meet Noah at the elevator car. 

When the gate opened, he immediately cast a cursory glance at my friends and appeared less than thrilled with their presence. Every feature in his face firmed and his lips pursed in displeasure.

“I sent you a text.” I hoped for the best, but realistically prepared for the worst. “Didn’t you get it?”

“No,” he said, the simple word cutting through me.

“I can ask them to leave if you’re tired.” I slipped my clammy hand into his cold limp one, clinging to him like I clung to the hope of us returning to what we were for each other in Quebec City. “But it would mean so much to me if you sat with them for a while.”

Giving me a chaste kiss on the forehead, he walked past me and immediately changed his demeanor. “Noah,” he offered with a geniality reminiscent of the time he first met my parents. 

My friends tentatively introduced themselves. Brandy poured him a glass of wine while I went into the kitchen and retrieved a plate of food for him.

“Question,” Brandy started, her attention split between me and Noah as we settled into our seats. “How did you two
really
meet? Keaton won’t say much other than you saved her life. But what was the real deal with that Rebirth place?”

“I’m sure you read the news articles from the two survivors.” Noah moved the plate I set down in front of him to the side and steepled his fingers across the table. “I don’t have much more to say beyond what they have.”

“It’s probably too painful, Brandy.” Sonja pushed back from the table and snaked an arm behind her back. Wincing as though she was experiencing the heartburn she complained of earlier. “Let’s hold off on the inquisitions, okay?”

Keeping my conversation underneath the din at the table, I asked if Sonja needed an antacid.

 Noah cut in, “It’s not a painful experience for me to recount what happened. I choose not to live in the past.” 

“How doesn’t it affect you?” Brandy questioned. “Keaton won’t say anything about it, but from what they said in the news, it sounded like a horrible place run by a bunch of demented assholes. Do you know why they took Keaton? She never did anything to deserve being there.”

The grip he held on his glass of wine intensified. “The place had a purpose. Whether you agree with it or not, the world is a little better having removed a few assholes from the population.”

Shaking her head in disagreement, Brandy dismissed his statement. “Killing a handful of criminals won’t make this world better. The world is full of them. Think about it: You’d have to exterminate almost half the population in many countries to get rid of what you call the assholes of the population.”

“Brandy.” I shook my head at her to pull her back from putting Noah into a headspace that would likely be difficult to remove him from. “This isn’t a good idea for dinner conversation. I want to keep things light and rehashing Rebirth isn’t going to keep it that way.”

“She’s right, Brandy,” Sonja agreed. “Leave it alone.”

“She’s curious,” Nathan said with a shrug, the stare from his squinting brown eyes were glued to Noah. “So am I.”

Startled at Nathan taking Brandy’s side, I gaped at the both of them. 

“But Brandy isn’t asking out of curiosity. There’s a little acid in the way she speaks to me.” Noah turned his head to directly regard Brandy, a tinge of a sinister motive was in his gaze. “I’m going to ask the obvious and see if you have the strength to tell the truth: Do you have a problem with me?”

“Well, since you asked so condescending-like…” Brandy rolled her shoulders and slanted her jade eyes in Noah’s direction. “Yes, I have a problem with you beating on my friend.”

Noah laughed and sank back in his seat while keeping his broad and straight posture. “I do not
beat
Keaton.”

“I saw the marks on her back, you son-of-a-bitch.” Brandy’s bridled voice heightened. “Don’t sit there and lie to me. Matter-of-fact, you know what?” She pointed her finger toward the guests at the table. “This isn’t some cool getting to know you dinner. It’s an intervention because we want Keaton to see the truth about you and leave you.”

Turning my attention to all three of my friends, I questioned them, “Is that true?”

Sonja looked guiltily to her lap while Nathan and Brandy kept a steady eye on Noah.

Noah took his time to look at each one of my friends while wearing a dark expression. “My relationship with Keaton is complex. She doesn’t need to be saved from anything. She is free to leave at anytime.” He turned his attention to me. “Tell your friends why you stay, why you don’t need their help, and directly after, escort them out of my fucking home.”

Brandy pushed out her chair so quickly it fell nosily to the ground. Leaning across the table, she placed her balled fists on either side of her untouched meal. Her wavy brown hair draped over her shoulder, shielding the sides of her face and making the fury she wore on her a face a touch more intimidating. “You might scare Keaton, but you don’t fucking scare me, Noah Oliver. You know why? I don’t believe the bullshit those media-whores spouted on television about you. I believe they’re lying, and they’re lying
for
you. I believe that you are or were the real boss at Rebirth. I think that’s why you have my friend brainwashed and scared to leave you. She won’t be scared of you forever. You can fucking bet, she will see the light and leave your twisted ass soon.”

Noah glared at me, willing me to move. 

With a nod, I lifted from my chair and grabbed Brandy’s hand, guiding her toward the elevator. “Can you all give Noah and me some time?” I regarded each one of my friends with furtive glances. “I’ll call you all later on tonight.”