Secret Sins & White Lies: Book One of the Sweet Rage Series

D9: Gian

I WAS THERE again, sitting inside my car, staring at the outside façade of Secret Sins Club. I knew what I had to do. I was ready.

I got out of the car and walked towards the entrance. The guard approached, asked me where I wanted to go inside the building so he could have someone escort me in. Do I have a companion?

"I am alone."

"Saan po tayo, Sir?"

"Get me to the elevator. I have my own card."

Kumurap ito, saka tumingin sa kasama. May tahimik na usapang nangyari. Mayamaya ay yumuyukod ito nang bahagya. "Dito po."

We got to the elevator after passing the hallway, got into another one, and entered a small hall with just a few people obviously waiting for something.

"Ang card po?"

I took the card from my pocket and showed it to him. Bahagyang lumaki ang mga mata niya, saka bumalik ang tingin sa mukha ko.

He was dealing with not just a fucking member, and the card said it.

"Hindi sa elevator na ito, Sir. Sandali lang, tatawag muna ako sa taas."

Umalis siya at nagbalik agad saka ako minosyonang sumunod. I was led to another door, into another elevator. Saka muling hiniram ang card ko.

"Sir, dito po," aniya matapos sumilid ang elevator door sa tabi noong ginamit niya ang card sa biometrics slot. Ibinalik niya ang card ko. Pumasok ako sa elevator. Nagpaalam siya bago sumilid pasara ang pinto.

There was barely a sound as the car slid up the chute and stopped to, it said, a pent suite. Sumilid ang pinto sa tabi. May ilang nakatayo sa labas... apat na lalaking pawang naka-suit. Nakita ko pang tumakbo palapit ang dalawa pa. Puro pagkamangha ang mababasa sa mga mukha ng mga ito habang nakatingin sa akin.

"Giancarlo?" halos hindi pa rin makapaniwalang sambit ni Kaden.

Tumingin ako sa mukha niya, pagkatapos ay sa mukha nang iba pa. Luis, Corey, Aiden, Dwayne, Ben... at dalawa pang sumunod. Sina Logan at Blake.

"Man..." naiiling na sambit ni Ben.

Humakbang ako palabas ng elevator, at habang nakatayo kaming lahat doon, nagdaan ang sandaling katahimikan.

Katahimikang punung puno ng antisipasyon.

"Say it," narinig kong sabi ng isang boses. At napabaling ako sa pinanggalingan niyon.

Si Liam.

Tatlo kaming original founders ng fetish club na ito – ako, si Liam, at si Emile – when we were barely out of high school. Nasundan nang iba pa bago namin pormal na tinawag ang club ng title na Secret Sins. Then the fiasco about Trina happened at nagalit si Liam noong pinagpalit ko ang Secret Sins sa katahimikan ng pamilya ko. We were so secret it was sinful. He argued I didn't need to worry about being found out. He felt I did not trust the club – and him – enough and was insulted. I got out of the club twice – noong dinala ako ng mga magulang ko sa UK, at noong wala na si Trina. Iyong una ay involuntary. I was a minor. The second one was my choice. That was when Liam got angry with me. Wala na si Emile noon, he was sent back to Germany by his family to get him out of trouble. He wasn't supposed to hide Trina. Nabisto iyon noong binawi ko si Trina to return her to her family. He was suspended from Secret Sins Club.

He'd blamed me for everything.

Kung hindi ko raw inagaw si Trina, she would still be alive and possibly recovered. And he would have left Secret Sins if he had to to make her stay that way – sane and rehabilitated. I took all those away.

That had almost split the whole group apart...

Naririnig ko ang sama ng loob sa tinig ni Liam ngayon. This brother only cared about being abandoned by me and Emile. Since Emile was back... it was really just up to me.

I knew his anger would disappear with my answer.

"Say it, damn it," ulit niya.

I did. I said it. "I'm here to get myself back into the fold. I am Giancarlo Verrazzano, and I am a Secret Sins founder."

Isang sandali na walang nagbago sa mukha ni Liam. Then he was striding over, and he was grinning. And we were hugging.

"Welcome back to the fold, brother. You fucking idiot – what took you so long?"

I hugged him and the other grinning brothers before Emile could get there to, I suspect, break all hell loose...