The Sinner's Club [18+] Complete

chapter twenty-seven.

IN THE WARM sun and fresh air, I can almost pretend the events of last night didn't happen.

Elodie clutches my hand as we walk along the footpath, heading home.

"How was school?" I ask her. "Did you do anything fun?"

She shrugs. "We made puppets on sticks."

"That's fun! Did you get to bring yours home?"

She shakes her head, still looking down at the concrete beneath our feet. "I put mine in the bin."

Immediately, I frown. "Why would you do that?"

"It's no fun playing puppets alone. And there's never anyone at home to play with me."

My heart fractures, my stomach twisting painfully. I hate that she feels so lonely. I hate that it is only exacerbated by Reaper's absence and her father's utter treachery and my schedule that hardly allows me to see her.

I stop walking and crouch down in front of her. "Well, guess what? I'm staying home with you tonight. So why don't we make puppets of our own and we can put on a show?"

She stares at me, wide-eyed. "Really? You're not going to work tonight?"

I shake my head, and the weight pressing on my shoulders lessens as a smile spreads across her face. One night, I think to myself. One night with Nathaniel and then Elodie gets all of my nights, forever. No more working at the club, no more leaving her with Miss Magnolia for hours and hours. I'll be free.

"Come on. Let's get a snack at home and check we have everything we need for the puppets," I tell her. We continue down the street, rounding the corner and approaching our building.

She sees him before I do, tearing her hand out of mine and taking off ahead of me with a cry of his name. "Reaper!"

He's waiting by his car outside our building, leaning back against it, but he straightens and then swoops down to catch Elodie as she hurls herself at him.

I watch, frozen in place, as he settles her on his hip, listening to her incessant, excited chatter with a quiet, pensive expression.

It takes me a minute or two to force myself forward until I am standing in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"He came to see me!" Elodie interjects, like it's obvious.

I try to swallow but my throat is dry. "Of course he did. Why–why don't we go inside?"

Reaper nods, staring at me with a kind of intensity that makes my cheeks flush. We walk up the flights of stairs and to my front door, listening to Elodie's happy recounting of a story from school.

"I'm going to make you a snack. Wash up and change, ok?" I tell her and Reaper finally puts her down, but she hesitates.

"You'll still be here when I come back out...right?" She asks hesitantly. God, this whole situation hurts.

"I'll be here," he promises quietly and she rushes off to her bedroom in a flurry of blonde curls.

I move into the kitchen, busying myself by cutting up some fruit.

Reaper stands close to me, facing me, his hip against the counter.

"I don't know why you're here," I tell him in a low voice, focusing on the apple in front of me. "All you're doing is getting her hopes up."

"You know why I'm here," he says. "You can't go through with it, Amelia."

I shake my head, my lips pressing together in a frustrated line. "You don't get to tell me what to do. Especially since you're being hypocritical. You do what Nathaniel asks of you as well. I can't keep working at the club and abandoning Elodie. I need to be with her."