As soon as my ass hits the backseat, I start in on him. “What in the hell were you thinking?” I demand. “What was that? Were you buying or selling?”

Before he can answer, Savannah chimes in. “Are you really doing drugs?” My voice had been full of rage; hers, however, is full of sadness. “Please tell me the truth.” She sniffs. “We can help you. We can figure it out.” She is full out crying now. She places her head in her hands as she bends over and sobs in the passenger seat.

He turns in the driver’s seat and grabs her upper arm. He pulls her over the center console and hugs her tightly as he runs a hand up her back. “It’s gonna be okay,” he tells her as he hugs her. I go to open my mouth, but he throws me a look that has me shutting it the next instant. I don’t feel the same way Savannah does. That’s obvious. I’m concerned about him, yes, but I’m not gonna cry and beg him to seek help. I’m going to make him get help, even if I have to drive him there myself.

The ride home is longer than it should have been. Savannah cried softly the entire time, and I sat in the back gazing at their entwined hands on the center console. No one spoke, and my mind ran with questions. The need to know what he is up to filled me to the point I felt like I wanted to explode.

We walk into the house still not speaking to one another. He leads Savannah to their room with a hand on her lower back. I’m waiting for him out in the hallway when he comes out alone a few seconds later.

“When did you start selling drugs?” I demand.

“I’m not discussing this with you,” he growls.

“What?” I snap. “I deserve to know what the hell you have gotten yourself into, Blane.”

“It’s none of your business!”

I reach out and grab his upper arm. He looks down at my hand wrapped around his arm and then back up at me. I can see the amusement in his eyes. “This is no joke, Blane.” Annoyance washes over his face as he clenches his jaw. “Why even take us to that damn club if you knew you had a meeting?”

“Because I thought I could get away from you,” is his clipped answer.

My mouth falls open. “What did you think was gonna happen? You take us to the club that your drug dealer owns. And on top of that, you just happen to have the drugs in your pocket? What if we would have been pulled over? We could have all been arrested.”

He just stares at me. “Blane,” I say softening my voice. “You can get into big trouble for this. You tell that guy you don’t want any more.” I’m still not sure what I saw in that room, but I do know that the guy is the reason it’s happening. If my brother’s doing drugs, it’s because that guy is supplying them to him.

He yanks his arm out of my hold. “I can’t do that. I owe him.”

I place my hand on my chest as my heart starts to pound. “What did you do, Blane? Why do you owe him?” I’m starting to feel like Savannah sounded in the car. Hysterical to the point of a breakdown.

He takes in a deep breath as he runs a hand through his dark hair. “That’s none of your concern.”

“No,” I say angrily as tears start to fill my eyes. “Please don’t do this to yourself. To us,” I beg desperately. “You saw what it did to Dad.”

He runs a hand over his forehead as he releases a long breath. “He’s putting me to work. That’s all I can say. I owe him,” he repeats with irritation.

I feel the air leave my lungs as if just hit in the chest. “Blane …” I breathe, tears silently fall down my cheek. “How much?” My voice shakes.

“There’s no set price. I work for him until he doesn’t need me.” He sounds so unaffected. As if this is no big deal. Just a walk in the park.

I swallow nervously. “Then what? He kills you?”

“No,” he growls as if that was a stupid question.

I place my shaking hands over my face and take a deep breath. “I can’t believe this,” is all I can say. “After everything we’ve gone through with Dad. Don’t you want a better life than that?” I reach up and wipe the tears away from my face with shaky hands.

“It’s okay,” he assures me in the same soft tone he used with Savannah in the car. He knows I’m losing my shit. “Nothing is going to happen to me, sis.” He wraps his arms around me, and I tighten mine around him.

“I can’t lose you too,” I whisper.

“I promise.” He leans down and kisses my hair. “Don’t worry about it. He needs me too much to do anything to me.”

I don’t say what I’m thinking. That he will eventually no longer need you. Or what if you end up getting arrested? You won’t be useful to him if you’re in jail.

“Please, don’t worry. I promise it will be okay,” he says again as if he can read my mind.

I pull away from him and head to my room without another word. I shut my door and lie down on my bed for the second time today. But this time, I close my eyes as the tears continue to silently fall.

BLANE

I stand in the hallway as I listen to my sister cry inside of her room. I want to go tell her everything. I want to tell her Case is going to take care of me and now her, but I can’t. It would only cause many problems I know I won’t be able to control, let alone explain. And Case was right—I can’t protect her in this world. Even if I have enough confidence in myself not to fuck it up, I won’t risk her life.

With a heavy sigh, I turn around and walk down the hallway as I enter my bedroom that I share with Savannah. She lies under our brown silk sheets as she quietly cries. I’ve hurt the two women who mean the most to me.

It breaks my heart. I hate to hurt either of them. I quickly remove my shoes, jeans, and then my shirt before making my way over to my side of the bed.

“Baby,” I say softly as I lift the cool covers and crawl in next to her. I wrap my arms around her and pull her back to my front. I bury my face in her hair as I inhale her scent. “I promise it’s going to be okay,” I whisper.

She turns in my arms, fresh tears running down her gorgeous face. I’ve been in love with her for as long as I can remember. She’s been friends with Taylor since grade school. When she told Taylor that she would follow her to Chicago after high school graduation, I was on cloud nine. I was already committed to going with Taylor because I wasn’t gonna let her move without me. Taylor may be an adult, but she doesn’t understand how the world works. I do! She needs a man to protect her, so I tagged along. Then came Savannah.

We’ve been in Chicago for three years now, and it was hard as fuck not to tell her how I felt. Living with her across the hall was torture. Seeing her bring men home was devastating. But somehow, she came to me. She gave me a chance, and I took it. We’ve been together for six months now. I never stopped to think that this could push her away from me.

“I love you,” she whispers.

“I love you too.” I lean down and kiss her cheek, the taste of her salty tears break my heart.

“Promise me.” She looks up at me with those big green eyes, and I melt.

“Anything!” I say without hesitation.

She licks her lips and swallows nervously. “Promise me that you won’t leave me. Promise me that you will stay with me. I won’t leave you, Blane. No matter what you do. I’ll be here to help you.”

I hate that I’m breaking her heart. Even though she knows I’m involved in something bad, she still wants to save me. “I promise.”

She grabs my face and pulls my lips down to hers. She kisses me desperately. I can taste the fear on her lips and the desperation on her tongue. I grab a hold of her face and deepen the kiss, taking her breath away. Needing her to be a part of me as much as I am a part of her.

“Blane.” She pulls away from my lips breathless.

I reach over and push the hair back from her slick face. “What, baby?”

She licks her lips and lets out a breath. “Have you been on drugs?” I let out a long breath of my own as she stares up at me. “I just want you to be honest with me,” she whispers. “You can tell me anything.”