Garden of Sins

Besides, who’s the Southern guy, Alayna?

“Oh, bro,” Carter says, making a dismissive gesture. “He must have mistaken her.” Carter waves in Donovan Wild’s direction.

“Yes, I’m sure he did,” I reply, never letting Donovan out of my sight.

“Or maybe not,” Donovan insists.

Carter looks at him somewhat irritated. “I think so,” he says harder now and straightens up before taking a drink of water. I know Donovan Wild is provoking me and I’m not going to participate anymore in these games. I’ll check later to see what you’re doing, but for now, I’m not letting it show.

My eyes wander to Ava. She sits quietly in her seat and doesn’t move much until Donovan Wild – and I notice it directly – taps the tabletop five times with his finger. No one else notices but me, but only because I’m as refined as he is. Then she stands up with a sigh.

“Anyone want a drink? Donovan?”

“Ava, that’s Mr. Wild,” Dad warns without glancing up from his plate and my sister briefly frowns.

“Do you want a drink, Mr. Wild?” she asks softly and the pissant likes it too much. I see it.

“Sure,” he replies slightly bored, but polite. Yeah, sure, he’s here with the future in-laws. Fuck, will I be his brother-in-law then?

Ava goes to the kitchen and quickly fills a glass because Carter emptied the table’s water carafe, then she comes back and sets the glass down in front of Donovan.

“Thank you, Ava,” he says in a certain tone that I know myself: too soft, too insistent, too inappropriate.

I raise one eyebrow, just like Carter because he noticed my gaze. My brother narrows his eyes and looks at Ava. Now she’s just staring at her plate because now the guard dog has picked up the scent and she’s scared of him.

“Maybe I should come with you next week to cheerleading practice,” Carter mumbles, pondering. “I could drive you and pick you up. I’ll wait for you in the car like I used to.”

“Sure,” Ava replies calmly because she probably knows Carter won’t do it anyway and is merely bluffing. If I were in the right mood right now, I’d get him to do it.

“You might as well perform for us, Ava. Go put on your outfit and get started,” I offer.

“Now don’t be silly,” Mom says, making a face. “What is wrong with you today?”

“I’m sure he’s merely being polite, aren’t you, Caden Rush?” Donovan replies.

“Always.” We eat in peace for a few minutes. Dad and Donovan talk about work and Ava stares at her plate, knowing that Carter and I are out to get her.

I lean over and brush a few strands behind her ear. “So, is he still going to fuck you today?” I whisper.

She kicks me in the shins, but I don’t move.

“You were much more pleasant when you weren’t speaking,” she hisses.

“Oh, if I start talking now, it won’t be fun for you.” I lean back again.

On her other side, Carter leans his head towards us. “What’s going on?”

“It’s a secret,” Ava tells him, giving me a pleading look not to give it away.

“But we could tell him, couldn’t we, Ava? What do you think?” I suggest pseudo-enthusiastically.

“Caden, I’m warning you,” she growls.

“About what?” Carter asks impatiently. “Shit, I have no patience for this shit!”

Ava stares at me angrily. “Did you know I was talking to Alayna?” She drops the bomb. When I hear your name, my stomach knots up.

My eyes harden. “Why?”

“Yeah, why, you ferret?” Carter asks from the other side.

“You wanted us to be friends and that’s what happened. Do you want to know how she’s doing?” my little sister asks, that beast, and I grind my teeth. “Shall I tell you what she does all day long? And with whom? What she told me about you? You wanted me to learn all about her for you. I know so much now. How she feels, how she thinks.”

I crack my neck and Carter pinches Ava hard in the side, making her wince.

“Don’t push me,” I hiss.

“Don’t push him,” Carter hisses in her ear and she flinches again.

“Then stop it, Caden,” Ava says forcefully.

“Hey, you two over there — break it up!” Mom shouts as if we were two dogs fighting.

Rolling my eyes, I lean back again. I hate that she said your name, Alayna, and that I see your face again when I ripped your heart out of your chest. That moment when you looked like you were going to fall apart, but I couldn’t hold you because I would never be able to. Holding you, patching you up, being there for you, all the things a good guy does. It fucks me up that Ava knows so much about you. She’s managed to make me curious about you and your life without me. With the other women, I never cared. When it was over, it was over. Why can’t it be over with you? And why haven’t I fucked anyone else, even though I really need it and could have five on each arm with a snap of my finger?

A

“So? How’s it looking, who’s coming to our birthday party next week?” I murmur across the table. You only turn twenty once, Alayna.

Dad makes an a

“Didn’t plan on it,” Carter mumbles with his mouth full and mutters something I don’t understand.

“I want to go out for Halloween this year,” Ava immediately remarks, turning to Dad, because she is never allowed out. Poor girl. Donovan Wild looks at her with a raised eyebrow — she probably didn’t ask his permission. I never thought my sister would be such a submissive little bitch.

“Of course not, Ava, why do you always ask? The other day was an exception and only because your brothers vouched for you,” Dad says.

“That’s when things really went wrong,” Mom mumbles.

“What happened?” Donovan asks with interest.

Carter grinds his teeth whenever the subject comes up and doesn’t look at me.

I grin broadly. “Oh, we were in this club with Ava, the Ribbon in the South Quarter, maybe you know the one.” Donovan Wild tilts his head. “She was dancing with a couple of guys, that’s all, we had everything under control. At least until we went outside to fight over a girl. After that, we lost Ava for a bit until the ambulance arrived. That was the first time I saw her again. She must have been unsupervised for three-quarters of an hour or so. Sorry, Dad.” I lift two fingers in his direction. Dad grinds his teeth.

“Oh, man, come on now, Isabelle will be there too,” she sighs.

“Isabelle?” Carter asks, and all of a sudden, he’s lucid and present. The name also stirs something in Donovan Wild’s face. How interesting.

“Isabelle?” I ask Ava with a frown.

“Black-hair-green-eye Isabelle,” Carter carefully continues and Ava frowns in irritation as Donovan Wild grinds his teeth. Aha.

“No. Blonde, blue eyes. You know my friend Isabelle, Carter!” Ava seems a little irritated and so am I, but for different reasons.

Carter exhales and sinks back into the chair. I hate it when he gets his hopes up but continues to be disappointed. I hate that he is suffering.

“So, can I?” Ava asks Dad again.

“NO!” comes simultaneously from our parents and Carter.

Donovan Wild seems happy, at least externally, but since the name Isabelle was mentioned, I see restlessness in his eyes, just like Carter.

It’s also probably a tragic love story that Mr. Donovan Wild experienced with an Isabelle, but I doubt it’s the same Isabelle. The coincidence would be too great, wouldn’t it, Alayna?