Empire of Sin (Empire #2) by Rina Kent

They started when I was five and haven’t stopped.

They never will.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

I push away from my desk and inhale a few sharp intakes of air, but it’s like I’m breathing smoke, thick and foggy and fucking asphyxiating.

It’s not Sandra Bell’s words that play in my head like a distorted record anymore, it’s not her voice that I’m hearing.

It’s mine and my twin sister’s.

And they’re more haunting than hers, more fucking deranged and raw. I can still smell the rotten stench of our hellhole. The pungent smell of alcohol, cigarettes, and disgusting male musk.

It was twenty years ago, but it feels like only twenty minutes.

The twenty minutes Sandra spent telling me her story.

I can listen to tales of murder all day long and not blink an eye. I should’ve been desensitized to child abuse by now, too.

I’ve come a long way from when it all happened. I didn’t stand there, waiting for the hit.

I fucking punched back and rose above the shadows and their bloody rotten smell. I grabbed my sister’s hand and ran away without a look back, so why the fuck are those shadows dragging me under again?

My phone vibrates and I’m about to hit Ignore. The last thing I should do in my state is talk to people. They wouldn’t recognize me when I’m like this. I’m not the charming, fun-loving Knox they know, I’m the Knox from that hellhole.

A kid in an adult’s body.

A man who still sees his demons.

The picture that flashes on the screen makes me pause.

Teal. My twin sister.

In it, she’s in the middle while both her husband and son kiss each of her cheeks. But that’s not all, she’s smiling.

No, laughing.

When we were growing up, she never had any of these joyful expressions. She also barely spoke for years and only when it was absolutely necessary.

But look at her now. A wife, a mother, and a successful businesswoman.

My finger hovers over the Ignore button, but I don’t press it. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t reply, but Teal is different. Teal is my other half.

Falling back onto my seat, I accept the video call, plastering a smile on my face. “Hey, T.”

My sister and I obviously aren’t identical twins, so she doesn’t look much like me. Her eyes are darker, bigger, and used to be sadder. Not now, though. There’s a light in them, a spark.

Life.

That’s what she lacked until she met her husband during our senior year in secondary school.

She’s not smiling back, though, a deep frown etching between her brows.

“Where’s my nephew?” I search behind her. “How dare you video call and not show me Remi?”

“He’s having a bath with his father.” She inches forward to the screen and her black hair follows the motion, framing her face. “Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I just got a weird feeling. You know, twin hunch.”

“There’s no such thing as twin hunch, T. Especially for fraternal twins, so you’re just making that up to get information.”

“Stop the lawyer talk, Knox, and yes, there’s such a thing as a twin hunch. That’s how we found each other when I was lost in the market while we were kids, remember?”

I grunt.

“So?” she insists, squaring her shoulders and crossing her arms over her chest. “What’s going on?”

“Work.”

“And?”

“And shagging.” I grin. “You want to hear details about that?”

“Ew, no, and you’re not changing the subject.”

“You’re a pain in the arse, T.”

“And glad of it. Now, are you going to tell me what’s going on or should I smash your Metallica collection?”

“You wouldn’t fucking dare.”

“Yes, I will if you don’t spill.”

“I’m bribing Dad to watch them for me, so screw you, T.”

“I’ll just bribe Dad more and have him film me while I do it, then I’ll take the next plane to New York so I can find out what’s going on myself.”

“I’ll call Ronan and tell him his wife is on the loose.”

“Joke’s on you because I’ll just bring him with me so he’ll annoy the shit out of you.”

I groan.

“That’s what I thought. Now, spill, Knox.”

I release a sigh. I can win a million battles in court but not one against Teal’s sense of infuriating perseverance. Especially when she senses that something is wrong.

“It’s really just a case, T.”

“What type of case?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Apparently, I do.” She softens her tone. “Please, Knox, tell me. I won’t be able to sleep if I’m worried about you. Isn’t it enough that I can’t see you as much as I want? I feel like you’re slipping away.”

“I’m here, T. I’ll always be here.” I inhale deeply, thinking about how to deliver this.

The best option is to lie, but she’ll see straight through that. No matter how much I’ve perfected my façade, she’s the only one who detects my bullshit and calls me out on it.

She’s waiting for me, her face blank, but she doesn’t say anything.