The Sinner's Club [18+] Complete

chapter forty-eight.

"YOU READY?" I ask, holding out my hand. Elodie nods and quickly moves to my side, grasping my hand tightly in hers, nestling in close to me.

We are back in our apartment, but only very briefly. Only to pack our bags before our flight.

"Come on, let's get going," I say. Being here makes Elodie even jumpier than usual. I hoped that giving her time would help the bad memories that cling to this place fade. But it's been three weeks, and she is no more comfortable here than she was the day after the incident at the lighthouse.

"I think it's this city," I said to Reaper a few days ago. "It's like it's suffocating her." Suffocating me, I thought.

"So let's go," he suggested. "We'll leave, get away from here for a while. Maybe she just needs a reset."

A reset sounds perfect; it's why we're flying down to Georgia to spend some time on the ranch. Reaper is already there. He went down yesterday to make sure it was alright with his sister.

"How long?" Nathaniel demanded when I told him. He was angry, though he tried to keep it under wraps.

"I don't know," I admitted. "However long it takes."

He shoved a hand through his hair, frustrated. "What does that mean? 'However long it takes'?"

I reached out and put my hand on his arm, feeling the tense, corded muscle beneath my palm. "I'm coming back," I told him quietly. "I promise."

But he didn't look convinced.

"You got everything?" I ask my sister, and she nods. We walk out into the hallway, where Miss Magnolia is bringing in her newspaper.

"Oh, sweet girls," she crones, coming toward us slowly. "It's been weeks, I was worried."

"I'm so sorry, Miss Magnolia. We've been...away for a while."

She eyes our bags. "And going away again, I see."

"A little holiday," I explain.

"And how are you, my darling girl?" Magnolia bends over to be eye level with Elodie.

My sister manages a small, weak smile, but says nothing. Magnolia frowns—El has always been a talkative child, the kind you can't get to shut up. This is a wild behavior change.

Magnolia looks at me. "Is everything alright? Do you girls need anything? You know I'm always here if you do."

"Thank you," I tell her sincerely, my voice low. "For everything."

At the airport, I'm a little lost. It's busier than I expected, people rushing about in every direction. Elodie is overwhelmed, hiding her face in the fabric of my shirt. I clutch her to me, trying to figure out where we're supposed to go.

I've never been on a plane before.

"You look lost, little bird."

I flinch and turn my head. Nathaniel is leaning back against a wall, wearing a navy polo shirt tucked into trousers, his hands resting in his pockets. He tips his head to the side. "Fish out of water," he muses.

"What are you doing here?" I demand. He jerks his head and two flight attendants come up to us with friendly smiles, taking our luggage from us.

"You didn't really think I'd let you fly economy, did you?" He says it as though the thought is horrendous.

"What?" I'm still confused.

"Come on." He pushes off the wall, takes me by the hand, and starts confidently leading us through the airport.