Whispers of a Broken Halo by Abbi Glines

Henley and Saul stood behind us. Hillya stood beside Henley with Hazel on the other side of her. Drake was on the other side of Saul. He had come for my sake. Then, there were the two owners of The Red Stiletto—Marley, along with her husband, and Saint, who wouldn’t fucking stop looking at Bryn. A dancer I remembered from the night I had gone to the club was also here, and I knew Drake was glad he had come now. She was clothed, but unlike Bryn, she still wore the heavy makeup and tight clothing when she wasn’t working.

The last prayer was said, and Bryn stepped forward and tossed the bright yellow rose she’d said was her sister’s favorite onto the casket. Cullen tossed his next.

“Good-bye, Mama,” he said, and I heard Bryn let out a small sob. The first one today.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders when he walked back to stand with her. He hugged her tightly. It was then I saw the tears in his eyes swimming like pools. Bryn sat back down in her chair and pulled him onto her lap and held him while they cried softly together.

I saw Henley pull out a tissue and blot her own tears as she watched them. It was done.

The others talked in muted tones, and as they left, they didn’t bother Bryn and Cullen.

I thanked Saul and Drake for coming. I hugged Hazel and Hillya. They were following the others, but there was one person not leaving. Saint stood off to the side, watching Bryn. I hadn’t forgotten about the night at the club and how protective he’d been of her and how she’d put his leather jacket on like she did that often, nor when he had shown up at her apartment.

She hadn’t slept with him, and he hadn’t gone down on her, but what had happened between them? Because he was looking at her like he wanted to tuck her under his arm and run. I didn’t like it. He needed to leave.

His gaze swung to me, and I met it. He wasn’t taking what was mine. He smirked at me, and that pissed me off. He hadn’t tasted her. He hadn’t been the first and only man inside her. He’d had plenty of time before this past weekend to do both those things.

Was her being off-limits a challenge for him?

Bryn wiped Cullen’s face off with a tissue, then did the same for her face.

She smiled down at him and kissed his nose. “I love you,” she told him.

“I love you,” he replied.

She took his hand, and they stood up. Her gaze went to Saint’s first, and there was some insanely possessive monster inside me roaring. Why did she look at him? Was he someone she wanted and he didn’t give her attention? Did she want him?

Then, her gaze moved to mine, and she smiled. My smile. The one for me. She bent down and said something to Cullen, who nodded, then ran to me. I held out my arms to him, and I picked him up when he reached me. Feeling like I had just been given fucking gold. Then, I saw Bryn hadn’t followed him. She had walked over to Saint. I tensed, watching them.

“Aunt Bryn had to tell that guy thanks for coming. Then, she’ll be over here. Don’t worry; he won’t hurt her. I thought he was scary, too, at first.”

He had seen him more than once? How often had he been around?

“Do you know his name?” I asked him, wondering how well Cullen knew the guy.

Cullen shrugged. “Can’t remember.”

I put Cullen down and took his hand, then started walking over to Bryn. I wasn’t going to just stand here and let some other man look at her like she might be his. She wasn’t. I would make that shit perfectly clear for him. I didn’t give a rat’s ass that he was built like a wall.

Saint locked his gaze on me as I approached. I didn’t look away from him. I stopped beside Bryn. I could feel her gaze on me, but I didn’t break eye contact with Saint.

He shook his head and smirked, then looked at Bryn.

“I can wait,” he said. “One day.”

“Don’t,” she said to him and shook her head. “Not here. Not today.”

He nodded, then looked at me. “If you mess up, I’ll be waiting.”

I scowled at him. “You’ll wait in vain.”

He gave a small shrug, then turned and walked away.

I wouldn’t make her tell me or explain today. She needed today to be about Tory. It was clear she had chosen me. But if there was a history between them, I wasn’t sure I could live with her working with him. Especially topless.

Cullen took Bryn’s hand. “Let’s go,” he said.

Each of us holding one of Cullen’s hands, we walked silently together toward the Jeep.

“Are you coming to our apartment?” Cullen asked me.

I looked over at Bryn. “Yes,” I replied.

She smiled, then rolled her eyes as if she could read my thoughts and they were unwarranted. Either way, she was going to have to explain Saint and his belief that she would be his one day. The image of her in his leather jacket, naked underneath, was going to fuck with my head all damn evening. But I would not make her talk about it today. I wouldn’t. I was better than that.



Cullen fell asleep after eating the chicken casserole Hillya had sent over and the mac and cheese my gramma had sent. Bryn had bathed him before dinner because she was afraid he might not make it much longer. There had been no nap today, and after burying his mother, he was drained emotionally. I carried him to the bed, and Bryn pulled back the covers, then tucked him in. She pressed a kiss to his temple, then stood up. Neither of us touched the sound machine.