Game(29)

20.


(Shayna)



I sat at the kitchen table and watched Finn pace like a hungry lion waiting for a steak. My body shivered and then ached, realizing that I was, in so many ways, his prey. His meal.

And I liked it.

Each time Finn turned, I saw the gun sticking out of his back pocket.

The whole thing with Fiore had him rattled. And I know I didn’t help by goading him. I did not expect him to toss me to the floor and do that to me. Yeah, part of me had wanted him to rip off my panties and f*ck me, but I mostly expected him to get pissed and storm away.

He was the best I ever had… and I barely even had him yet. That alone left my body totally on fire.

“Say something,” I said.

Finn stopped and turned. “What? Want to take another jab at me?”

“Jesus, Finn. I…”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“Do you want to hear about my sister?”

Now I had his complete attention.

He stepped back and put his hands to the counter. The way his shoulders puffed up made them look like massive boulders. He was just plain sexy. Every inch, top to bottom. Although there were several inches that my body wanted to feel…

My mouth ached for him again.

“We grew up with each other,” I said. “Nobody and nothing else. We never knew our father…”

“Who’s older?”

“My sister. By two minutes.”

“What?”

I smiled. “Twins.”

“Twins,” Finn said. “How could you be twins? If she worked for Zander, wouldn’t he recognize…”

“Fraternal,” I said. “Two different eggs. So we don’t look alike at all. She looked identical to our mother. I guess I look like our father.”

“Okay. That makes sense.”

“Our mother died young. In her early forties. Her heart gave out. We were just teenagers when it happened and we managed to keep ourselves alive without anyone knowing it. Then Sasha had this party one night and the neighbors called the police. Next thing I knew, we were being taken in and thrown into the system. Sasha got out and went to the street. She started doing anything for money. That’s how she met Zander’s crew.”

“And you?”

“I was in foster care until eighteen. Not many people give a shit about sixteen year olds. And the one who did wanted a check from the state and to proposition me. For… stuff…”

Finn curled his lip. “Stuff?”

“Stuff.”

“Did anything…”

“No,” I said. “I learned how to fight back.” I swallowed hard. “But I got hit a lot. I ran away and never went back. I found Sasha and I thought we could go back to the way it was. But it didn’t. Sasha was deep into something. She used to joke and tell me that if she said anything about her work she’d have to kill me. I thought maybe she was a stripper and was embarrassed to tell me. Not that I would judge her. But she wasn’t that at all. No way. She was in with Zander.”

“How do you know?” he asked.

“That’s the thing. I don’t. I’m guessing. I saw her with some of his guys. She wasn’t some whore, okay?”

Finn raised an eyebrow. “When did I say that?”

“It’s what you’re going to assume. That’s what everyone does with Sasha. She wasn’t a whore.”

“Okay. Then what was she doing with Zander?”

“I don’t know. The last time I saw her she said she needed to take a trip. She was going with some friends and colleagues. That’s the last I saw of her. And everything I tried to do to find her failed me. Over and over. Until I decided to get in with Zander.”

Finn shook his head.

“What?” I asked.

“It takes guts to just slide right in with a guy like Zander. I’m impressed. So how did you get in with him?”

“Luck, I guess. I started showing up to his fights. I bet a little here and there. I caught his attention.”

“I could see that.”

“Oh?”

“Really?”

“What?”

“You say ‘oh?’ as though you don’t know you’re stunningly beautiful, sweetie.”

I fought a smile but my blushing cheeks gave myself away. “Thanks, I guess.”

“Yeah, you guess all you want.” Finn pushed from the counter and walked toward me. “And you can’t find your sister?”

“No. I kept waiting and digging. Asking other women questions. Trying to be casual about it. But I have nothing. For all I know…”

I turned my head as the emotion caught up with me.

For all I know, she’s f*cking dead.

And that was the most logical answer in it all. She got too deep with Zander and did something to piss him off. Or maybe he got bored with her and just killed her. You’d think that would be crazy, but I’d seen it a dozen times.

“Look, I’m sorry,” Finn said. “I don’t know what to say. When we get this figured out maybe I can help you.”

I was about to look at him and either spit in his face or kiss him.

I never got the chance to decide.