Perfect Sinner by Maggie Cole

15

Nolan

"I would never askyou to play second fiddle," I try to assure Gemma, but it sounds weak coming out. I don't care about social media. Killian loves it, but I have better things to do with my time. I'm not sure what Molly put on her page, but I'm going to find out.

Gemma steps into her panties and doesn't reply. She clasps her bra and tugs a T-shirt over her head.

"Gemma—"

The door opens, and Killian walks in.

"Get out!" I bark.

His eyes widen, and he spins toward the door. "Good to see you, too, Nolan. Gemma, how are you doing, lass?"

"Fine," she mutters and pulls her jeans up. "I'm dressed. You can turn now. I'll be waiting by the door." She leaves.

Killian spins, smirking. "You gonna put some clothes on?"

"Shut up," I explode.

"Hey, I'm not the one playing locker room games."

"You're two seconds away from getting your face smashed in," I warn.

He opens his locker. "Easy, killer. What the hell did you do to piss Gemma off?"

I almost tell him to keep his nose out of it, but I'm so far in with Gemma, I don't know how to get myself out. "Molly stopped by the house this morning."

Killian groans. "Let me guess. She wanted you to drop your pants so she could lick your balls for breakfast?"

"Jesus! Why do I even talk to you," I grumble and open my locker.

Killian cockily licks his lips. "Because I'm the good-looking, fun one?"

"Keep telling yourself that," I mutter and put my shirt on.

Killian shuts his locker. He backs against it then crosses his arms. "So why was Molly at your house?"

"Her mom caught a virus on their laptop again. She needed to schedule her doctor's appointments. I didn't listen to my messages when I got home last night, so I didn't know she was sending Molly by with it," I admit.

Killian asks, "And Gemma didn't like Molly fawning all over you?"

I groan. "Not you, too."

Killian tilts his head. His face drops. "Molly's had a thing for you for a while. I tell you this all the time."

My stomach flips. "You make asshole comments. I thought you were just being your normal prick self."

"Nope. She wants your cock." He puts his shoe on the bench and ties the laces. "I always wondered if you ever did anything with her."

"Are you kidding me? One, I'm not the slightest bit attracted to her. She's a total train wreck. Two, she's Colin's little sister," I remind him.

He raises his eyebrows. "Wouldn't be the first time someone violated bro code. It didn't stop Boris from seeing Nora behind my back."

"Yeah, well, I'm not Boris and not interested in her." I scrub my forehead with the butt of my palm. "Look, I don't want to hurt Molly, but it's never happening."

"Tell her," Killian says.

My stomach twists. I don't want to believe Molly thinks of me as anything but a big brother. The thought of doing anything sexual with her makes me ill.

Killian takes his phone out of his pocket and takes a selfie. He types something.

I shake my head in annoyance. "Don't you get sick of posting photos of yourself all day long?"

"The lasses would be disappointed if I didn't."

I stuff my gym shoes in my locker. Then realize there's no time like the present. I order, "Pull up Molly's account."

"Why?" Killian questions.

"Gemma said I needed to open my eyes and look at it. Pull it up," I repeat.

Killian obeys and flicks his finger across the screen. He pins his brows together and mutters, "Yeah. Girl has it bad for you. If I didn't believe you, I'd think you were her boyfriend."

My pulse shoots through the roof. I grab the phone, and my gut sinks. "Shit."

"Yep."

"Why didn't you tell me I was all over her page?"

He snorts. "You think I go on social media and look at Molly's page?"

"You're connected to her."

"So? I'm connected with hundreds of thousands of people. I have plenty of smoking-hot lasses to look at and interact with instead of trolling Molly's page," he boasts.

I ignore pointing out how half of his followers are dudes who want to suck him off and tell him so on a daily basis. "Great. So what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Sit her down and tell her it's never happening. Good luck with that." He pats me on the back then leaves.

I slam my locker shut. I slide my feet into my shoes and sling my bag over my shoulder. When I step outside the locker room, Gemma is standing next to the door. She's looking at her phone. Her face is white as a ghost, and her hand trembles.

"Gemma, what's going on?"

She shakes her head, avoids looking at me, then slips her phone into her pocket. "Nothing. Let's go."

I study her. It isn't just her hand trembling. Her lips are, too. I slip my arm around her, lead her out to the car, and once we're inside it, I hold my hand out. "What did Orla send you?"

She scrunches her face and looks out the window.

"Gemma, be pissed all you want but don't hide this from me. Did she figure out your new number?"

Her glistening blue eyes meet mine. She nods.

I stroke her cheek and soften my voice even though my insides are back in vengeful chaos. Orla should never have gotten her new number. No one knows it except her sisters, mom, Liam, and me. I ask, "What did she say?"

She closes her eyes. "Nothing new."

I pull the phone out of Gemma's pocket and punch in the code. My stomach flips. It's similar footage of the night I found Gemma with the pills. It's from the Bailey whorehouse. This time, it also shows every painful expression in Gemma's face while Orla made her watch the vile rapes. There's one message.

Unknown number: I wouldn't have killed you yesterday. This is your fate, and I'm going to watch when they break you in.

Abhorrence gnaws at my stomach. I set the cell in the cupholder. "I'm getting you a burner phone."

Gemma takes a deep breath and stares out the windshield. She quietly says, "Nothing is ever going to be normal again."

I lean toward her and slide my arm around her. "It will. We'll find her, and all this will stop. I promise."

She turns her face. Her eyes fill with tears. "Even if she's dead, my father will come after me."

My heart races. "We're going after your father, too. Make no mistake."

Her phone vibrates, and she grabs it before I can. "What the..."

I take it from her, and my stomach pitches. Bile sprints up my throat. A picture of Gemma, naked and with blood all over her pops up.

"How did she get a photo of me without clothes on?" Gemma asks.

I stare closer. It looks so real, but it isn't. I turn to Gemma. "It's edited. This isn't your body. It's not your abs or breasts."

"Let me see." She reaches for the phone, but I hold it away from her and turn it off.

"No. You aren't looking at these vile threats anymore." I slide the phone in my pocket near the door.

"Nolan—"

"I said no. There isn't any point in torturing yourself any further."

She leans back into the headrest and closes her eyes. "It's only a matter of time before she gets to me."

"No. It's a matter of time before I get to her," I vow.

She sighs. "Can we not talk about it anymore? Where are we going?"

"I wanted to check on Nora. I haven't talked to her in a few days. Do you mind if we stop by their place?" I ask.

She rolls her head toward me. "Why are you asking me?"

The feeling I can't shake, the one I don't understand, swirls in my chest. I tease, "You make it sound like you don't have any choices with me."

She stares at me.

My gut drops. In a low voice, I ask, "Is that what you think?"

"I didn't have a choice earlier about coming here, did I?"

Guilt is like a woodpecker, hammering into my heart. "We were both angry."

Her eyes turn to blue ice. "Yeah. And you got to order me around how you always do."

The hammer pounds harder. I quietly ask, "Am I that bad?"

She takes a deep breath. "No."

Uncomfortable silence fills the air. I debate about digging deeper into how much of an asshole she thinks I am or talking to her about the Molly situation.

I open my mouth, but Gemma asks, "Can we go? Hanging out in vehicles like this freaks me out. I feel like a sitting duck."

"Sure." I start the car, and we ride in more silence. My phone rings, and I glance at it, then answer, "Boris. Is Nora okay?"

Boris replies, "She's in labor. We're heading to the hospital now."

"Gemma and I were just on the way over to visit. Should we meet you there?" I ask.

"No. Nora said to hold off so you're not waiting around. I'll let you know what they say when we get there. Can you let your brothers and mine know? I tried calling Killian, but it just rang."

"Sure. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks." He hangs up.

I put my phone down.

"Is Nora okay?" Gemma asks, her voice full of concern.

I smile. "Yeah. She's in labor. They're on their way to the hospital. Can you text my brothers and Maksim? Tell them Boris said he'll let us know when to come, but Nora doesn't want anyone waiting around the hospital." I hand her my phone.

"Sure." She texts them and puts my cell in the cupholder. "Are you excited?"

"Yeah. I'm undecided whether it'll be cooler for her to have a girl or boy." I veer into the other lane and head toward the house. I cautiously ask, "Are you hungry?"

She glances at me. "I'm starving."

The vision of her uneaten omelet makes me cringe inside. "If you could have any type of food right now, what would it be?"

She doesn't hesitate. "Mexican."

"What's your favorite restaurant?" I ask.

"It's a hole in the wall in Lawndale."

"Miguel's?"

Surprise fills her face. "You've been there?"

"Yeah. It's my favorite, too. Want to go?"

She tilts her head. Her lips twitch. "Are margaritas on the lunch menu?"

"Sure. Should I drop the car off, and I'll have a driver take us?" My stomach somersaults, waiting for her to answer.

"Probably safer," she finally replies.

I don't ask anything else. I call my cousin to meet me at the house. He's waiting when we arrive. We get in the car, and as soon as the door shuts, I tug Gemma onto my lap.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

"Trying to make things right between us," I admit.

She sighs and turns away from me.

My nerves eat at my stomach. I pull her chin so she can't hide from me. "I understand why you're upset."

She doesn't say anything.

"Killian pulled up Molly's profile. I don't go on social media a lot. I haven't seen her page in years. What she posted isn't how it appears," I insist.

Gemma swallows hard. "And what do you think it looks like?"

The air in my lungs becomes stale. "That we're together."

She arches an eyebrow.

My gut dives. I hate how I feel guilty about something I've never done, but I do. I reiterate, "We aren't now, nor have we ever been."

"Why did you cook her breakfast? Her post made it appear as if she slept over," Gemma asks.

My heart races. "She did. She got super drunk at the pub and was throwing up. Her mom was out of town, and I didn't want to leave her on her own. I didn't think it was a big deal. She stayed in the guest bedroom."

The color drains in Gemma's face. "In my room?"

My chest tightens. "Yeah."

Gemma blinks hard. "Did you stare at her while she slept?"

I tighten my arm around her. "No. I've only ever watched you."

"I don't want to be lied to, Nolan."

"I'm not. I wouldn't do that to you," I insist.

Hurt fills her voice. "Then why didn't you tell me about the hospital?"

"You were already upset about what happened at the pub when she commented on your bracelet. I didn't want to piss you off again," I admit, then add, "But I didn't lie."

"No. You just omitted the truth," Gemma fires.

I nod. "Yeah. I did. I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

She looks at the ceiling and bites her lip.

"Gemma, look at me."

Her eyes slowly drift to mine.

I firmly state, "I won't lie to you or cheat on you. I'm not one of those dickheads you dated."

She stays silent.

"What do you need me to do so you believe me?" I ask.

"Make it clear to Molly you aren't interested."

"Have I done something to make her think I am?" I blurt out, still shocked Molly even thinks it's possible we could be together.

Gemma's eyes turn to slits. "You drop whatever you're doing and take care of her. She thinks she can just come over whenever—"

"She's never done that until recently. Not this frequently, at least. And I only take care of her because I promised Colin I'd watch out for his mother and her. He's coming home soon. I won't have to deal with her. But I'll sit Molly down and make it very clear it's never happening between us," I state.

"You will?" Gemma asks, as if she doesn't believe me.

"Yes. I promise you. I didn't know she had feelings for me. Honest. If I did, I would have set her straight immediately. And I'll tell her no more popping over. I don't want to hurt her, but she's obviously confused."

Gemma bites on her lip and twists her hands in her lap. Time seems to stand still.

I finally blurt out, "Gemma, I really like you. I'm not a saint. There's plenty of sins I'll pay for someday, but doing anything other than treating Molly like a little sister isn't one of them. And I'd never sleep with you and someone else at the same time. Are we going to get past this?"

Her lips twitch. She slides her hand up my chest and around my neck. "Sounds like you're a perfect sinner, then."

I cock an eyebrow. "Does this mean you forgive me, and we can pick up where things were before our breakfast got interrupted?"

She brings her lips an inch from mine. "Okay. You're forgiven. How dirty do you want to get?"

My dick perks up. "I'm always down to get filthy with you, princess."

She laughs. Her eyes sparkle. "Good. I have a craving for dirty nachos. I'll let you decide what comes after."