Page 97 of Where Sinners Repent

Kai seems lost in a world of pain. His entire body trembles, sweat coating the scars and tattoos. A different man that just left me. A different man who just left me. A different man who sat with me while I drew on his skin. A different man who shared a piece of himself. A completely different man.

“What are you doing?” I breathe, taking a step back.

Kaleb’s smirk turns cruel. Violent. “I’m beating you out of him.”

The irony of coming here to yell at Kai for running away from me, to then run away from him, isn’t lost on me. My boots thud against the stairs, hands gripping the railing as dizziness spins in my head.

The door to the club crashes open, and I see the exact person I need right now.

“Leon,” I gasp, falling into the booth next to him. “Tell me you weren’t lying about all that drugging and poison stuff.”

He eyes me curiously, shutting his laptop closed.

“I wasn’t lying,” he replies, tilting his head.

“Good. I need your help.”

Chapter 24

Kaleb

15 years ago...

With every move, leather bites into my wrists. But I’m desperate to get free. To get to my brother.

I cry and beg him to keep his eyes on me, but we’re past that. Kai’s eyes have gone blank, slipping into that dark place he often goes.

“Kai!” I scream, but he won’t acknowledge me.

Won’t hear me.

And it’s all my fault.

My foster dad, Frank, learnt long ago that his fists and belts don’t bother me. That any physical pain he gives to me is useless. Every time I acted out, he grew more and more frustrated with the mere fact that he couldn’t settle me.

Being the oldest out of all their foster children, me and Kai take the brunt of everything he has to offer. All the cruel, sadistic pleasure he finds in wielding his power over us, even though we are only eleven.

One day, Frank put his cigarette out on Kai’s arm, watching me the entire time. I went ballistic. Smashed furniture and glasses, and plates. Made all the other kids cry. Frank just smirked. Because he had finally found my weakness.

That night, he tied me up and forced me to watch him beat the hell out of my brother. My voice went hoarse; I was screaming so loud, begging him to stop.

Tonight is no different. Kai and I returned from school to find him slapping Millie, a new girl who’s moved into the house. Our foster mum, Sheree, accused her of stealing jewellery and was sneering at the girl whose nose was bleeding.

She can’t be older than five.

I lunged without thinking, cocking my fist back and landing it on Frank’s nose with a sickening crack.

And now, he’s taking it out on Kai, just like he always does.

My brother.

The vision of him, strapped to the bed, blurs through my tears. His small body is covered in scars, proof of his torment over the years. Proof of all my fuck-ups.

His body is like mine. Bones sticking out from lack of food. And although we are identical twins, that is where the similarities end. Because my skin… My skin isn’t tainted by scars and burns.

Frank watches me as he sucks in a deep inhale of his cigarette, smoke billowing from his mouth through our bedroom. If you could even call the hovel a bedroom.

“Let him go!” I cry, body yanking furiously to free myself. “It’s my fault, it was my fault! I’m sorry! I’m fucking sorry!”