The Consequences of Sin

by K. A. Robinson

  He shook his head. “I never would’ve guessed that you were a badass.”

  I grinned as I twisted the cap off my water. “Most people wouldn’t. I’m tiny. I get that, but it works in my favor most of the time. People never expect that I can protect myself.”

  “No shit,” he mumbled, still watching me. His lips tipped up into a tiny grin. “It was kinda hot to watch a chick beat the shit out of a dude like that.”

  “Down, tiger,” I teased before taking a sip of my water.

  He laughed before glancing at the clock on the wall. “I need to run a few errands before I get ready for work. I’m going to head out. Do you need anything?”

  I shook my head. “Nah, I’m good. Thanks though.”

  He waved once before disappearing. I heard the door shut a few seconds later. It didn’t hit me until I was walking to my room that I didn’t even know where Reid worked. Huh.

  When I woke up, it was dark outside my window. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand, surprised when I saw that it was after three in the morning. Switching time zones was a real bitch. My body was still trying to live on London time.

  I stretched and sat up, now wide-awake. I sighed, annoyed that I’d wasted my entire day sleeping. I needed to get my body straightened out before I started work next week, or I’d end up getting fired before I even got started. There was nothing like sleeping through your first day of work.

  I climbed from the bed and pulled off my pajamas. Since I was awake, I figured I might as well be productive. I pulled a pair of black stretchy shorts and a tank top on before dropping down onto the floor. I spread my legs and started stretching. While I was no longer my father’s and Nico’s plaything, there was no way that I’d allow myself to get out of shape. I wouldn’t let my new life soften me when my past could turn up at any time.

  Once I finished stretching, I lay flat on my back and started doing sit-ups. I did a few reps, stopping only briefly between each, before doing push-ups. My upper body, like most women’s, was weaker than my legs. I’d always had to work twice as hard as Wesley to keep up with him.

  I finished my push-ups and started stretching again. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was the middle of the night, I would go for a jog. I wasn’t afraid of what might be on the streets below, but I didn’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to myself either.

  Desperate for a drink of water, I opened my door and stepped out into the hallway. I froze when I heard a groan come from Reid’s room. Another followed shortly after, both muted by his closed door. I raised an eyebrow. He didn’t sound like he was dying, but I wasn’t sure if he needed help.

  I shook my head. Reid had made it clear that he didn’t want me messing in his business. Whatever was happening in his bedroom at three in the morning was definitely his business, not mine.

  I turned and headed down the hallway, my mind back on my bottle of water. I hurried into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle before returning to my room. After working out, I needed a shower, pronto. I grabbed another pair of shorts and a tank top before opening my door again. I needed more clothes if I didn’t want to do laundry daily. I made a mental note to go back to the mall once the stores opened. Now that I was situated in my own place, it was time to stock up.

  I showered quickly before tossing my dirty clothes into the hamper. When I stepped back out into the hallway, the house was silent. I sighed in relief before heading back to my room. Just as I walked in, I heard something crash to the floor in Reid’s room. I bit my lip as I debated on whether or not to check on him. I really didn’t want to piss him off this early after moving in.

  Knowing that I’d worry until I made sure he was okay, I silently crossed the hall and grabbed his doorknob. I turned it and carefully pushed the door open. My eyes widened when I saw Reid sitting on the floor with his back against the bed. His face was buried in his hands. His whole body was shaking.

  I walked into the room and crouched down a few feet away from him. Cautiously, I spoke, “Reid? Are you okay?”

  My voice was nothing more than a whisper, but he jumped as if I’d screamed.

  His head snapped up to look at me. “What are you doing in here?” he demanded.

  “I heard a crash. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “I’m fine. Get out.”

  “Are you su—”

  “Out!” he shouted at me.

  I jumped to my feet and backed away from him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” I trailed off.

  He looked away from me, refusing to acknowledge me again. I sighed before backing out of the room and closing the door.

  “Great,” I mumbled as I walked back to my room. “I’ve only been here a day, and I’ve already pissed him off.”

  I was gone before Reid woke up the next morning. I felt horrible about barging into his room, and I knew I’d get bitched out when he saw me again. Things had seemed so good between us, and I’d already screwed it up. I shook my head as I walked through the mall. He’d made his rules very simple, and I’d ignored them.

  I couldn’t help but wonder what he had been doing in his room before I walked in. It wasn’t normal to sit on your floor in the middle of the night, shaking like a leaf. If that had been Wesley, I would’ve demanded answers. I couldn’t do that with Reid though. Yes, he was my roommate, but I didn’t know the guy.

  I pushed thoughts of Reid’s late-night activities away as I walked from store to store. In addition to clothes, I picked up a few other things. I’d taken the perks from living with my father for granted. Maids had always been there to get me whatever I needed.

  I’d never spent a lot of time shopping, and it was strange to watch the people around me. Teenagers were everywhere at the mall. Girls were giggling in groups while the boys stood around and pretended that they were epically awesome. Watching them, I realized that maybe I was lucky that I’d missed out on being a typical teenager. It didn’t seem possible that I was only a couple of years older than them.

  After a few hours, I finally had everything I needed. I called a cab to take me back to my apartment. I could’ve walked, but it was a long walk, and my arms were full of shopping bags. I would’ve been forced to buy a car if it wasn’t for the fact that several markets were around my apartment. I would need food more often than I would need to take trips to the mall for clothes.

  When I made it back to the apartment, Reid was nowhere to be found. I was surprised to see a note stuck to the table in the living room.

  SORRY ABOUT LAST NIGHT.

  It was short and sweet, but at least I knew now that he wasn’t mad at me. That made me feel better even though I shouldn’t have cared if he were upset or not. Even though I’d broken his rules by checking on him, I’d only done it because I was worried about him.

  I spent the rest of my day washing clothes and putting them away. It was a pain in the ass to walk all the way downstairs just to wash my underwear, but it wasn’t like I had much of a choice.

  When my laundry was clean and put away, I sat down on the couch and pulled out the e-reader and gift card I’d purchased at the mall. It was stupid of me to buy something expensive when I needed to save every dime I could, but I’d caved when I saw it at the bookstore. I always loved reading, not that I’d really had much of a chance to do it though.

  I quickly set up the reader and added money into my brand-new account. I smiled as I searched through the thousands of books I had to choose from. With one push of a button, I could instantly read them. It was magical.

  I browsed through the books before finally settling on something I’d never taken the time to read before—a romance novel. I wasn’t a prude by any means, but romance had never been something I considered. Sex wasn’t really on my mind either. I was probably the only eighteen-year-old out there who could say that.

  It wasn’t that I wasn’t attracted to men because I was. My initial reaction to Reid had proven that my libido was alive and well. It was just something that I’d never had time for
before. I’d grown up in a different world, one that had left me with no time to explore my sexuality. My father would never have allowed me to date even if I had wanted to. Plus, living in a houseful of murderers and criminals hadn’t really done much for my overall opinion of men.

  Without another thought, I dived into the book, unsure of what to expect. As I read, I found myself trying to read faster, my finger constantly swiping across the screen to get to the next page. The story was unlike anything I’d ever read before. Through another woman’s eyes, I saw men the way most women might see them. I fell for the lead character despite his idiotic tendencies. When the book started into rather adult scenes, I was shocked when I realized the lead character wasn’t the only one turned on. My face flushed red with embarrassment as I realized just how hot and bothered I was. There was a throb between my legs that I’d never felt before, but I wasn’t naive enough not to realize what it was.

  Of course, that was about the time Reid finally decided to come home. My eyes snapped up as the front door opened. Reid came in, followed by two other guys. All of them had their hands full of pizza, chips, soda, and beer. Reid gave me a small smile before walking into the kitchen. At least he hadn’t glared at me after last night. I considered that a win.

  Mortified by what I was reading when they walked in, I quickly locked the screen on my reader and tossed it onto the end table like it might bite me. Reid and his friends appeared in the living room a moment later. From the curious look he gave me, I had no doubt that my face was on fire.

  “Who do we have here?” one of his friends asked as he sat down on the couch next to me.

  Reid sat down next to him and grabbed the remote while the other friend sat in the chair across from me.

  I carefully looked over each of his friends. They were both extremely attractive but nowhere near as attractive as Reid was. Both had dark brown hair. One had gorgeous blue eyes while the other’s was light brown. Their lips were full. Both wore tight shirts, and I could see their muscles underneath the fabric.

  “Piss off, Jake. She’s my roommate, which means she’s off-limits. I won’t have you sleeping with her and running her off. I have rent to pay after all. I can’t do it on my own,” Reid said as he flipped the TV to a sports channel. He started eating a piece of pizza he’d brought with him from the kitchen.

  Jake rolled his eyes. “Always ruining my fun.”

  “I’m Scott. That idiot over there is Jake. We work with Reid,” the other man said as he gave me a genuine smile.

  “Bree,” I said shyly. I felt out of place and completely awkward while sitting with three extremely hot guys, especially after reading a book about sex and romance.

  “Oh, and she has an accent.” Jake nudged Reid. “Why didn’t you tell us you had a new roommate?”

  Reid rolled his eyes. “What did you want me to do? Send out a mass email?”

  “That would’ve been appreciated”—Jake glanced over at me, a sly grin on his face—“especially if you included pictures.”

  I blushed furiously, causing him to laugh.

  “Where did he find you, sweetheart? It’s been a long time since I saw a pretty girl blush that hard.”

  “He didn’t find me. I found him,” I said quickly. “I just moved here and saw his ad in the coffee shop.”

  “You seem awfully young to be on your own,” Scott said.

  I shrugged. “I look young, but I’m actually twenty-one.” I wasn’t, but that was the age Wesley had put on my license. I couldn’t exactly tell them I was barely eighteen. Besides, I’d seen things none of these guys had. That had aged me well beyond whatever number Wesley had tried to pass me off as.

  Reid gave me a strange look. “You’re twenty-one? You don’t look it—at all.”

  I frowned at him. “Well, I am. Just because you look like you’re thirty-something doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t age gracefully.”

  He smirked at me. We both knew I was lying. Reid was twenty-four. He’d mentioned it briefly when we were out searching for a job for me. He didn’t look anywhere close to thirty.

  Jake chuckled as he threw his arm over my shoulder. “Hey, you’re legal. That’s all I’m worried about.”

  I froze at his touch. He seemed to notice my discomfort because he quickly removed his arm. I wasn’t used to being touched by anyone but Wesley. Well, I was used to my father backhanding me whenever he’d felt like it, but I didn’t count that. The thought of someone touching me chilled me to the bone.

  “I, uh…I’m going to go to my room,” I said as I started to stand.

  “Why?” Reid asked.

  “Uh…I don’t want to be in the way of you and your friends.”

  He looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “We don’t care if you hang around with us. You live here, too. It’s not like I’m going to run you off.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Stay and watch TV with us. We can teach you all about American football.”

  I grinned as warmth filled my body. I’d never been included in anything before. “Okay. Thank you.”

  I stayed silent for a while, keeping my attention on the TV, as the guys talked around me. I felt like an intruder as I watched them socialize together. I’d never seen anything like this. They were all so relaxed, joking and tormenting each other.

  This is what real people live like, I thought to myself.

  These three feared nothing. They were simply living in the moment, enjoying life.

  For a split second, I had an intense feeling of anger toward anyone who had lived the kind of lives Reid, Scott, and Jake had. Their lives were so simple. They never had to think about the sins of their past. They never had to see the faces of their victims when they closed their eyes. Their hands weren’t coated in so much blood that it would never wipe clean. I’d spent my entire life living in fear, praying for a way to escape, just because of who my father was. I didn’t deserve the life I’d been given.

  I didn’t realize I was crying until Jake rested his hand on my arm.

  “Hey, are you okay? I know this game is brutal, but it’s nothing to cry about,” Jake said.

  I laughed through my tears, ashamed of the thoughts I’d just had. “I’m fine. Sorry. I was just thinking, and…” I trailed off, unable to explain myself. If I told these men what I was thinking, they’d either think I was crazy, or they’d call the police.

  “We can watch something else if you want,” Reid offered, studying me carefully. He was obviously starting to doubt his decision to let the crazy crying chick move into his apartment.

  “No, it’s fine. I’m just tired. I think I’ll go to my room,” I said as I stood quickly. “It was nice to meet both of you,” I threw over my shoulder before scurrying to my room like a scolded child.

  Who was I kidding? I might’ve left my old life back in London, but I would never really be normal, not after everything I’d done. My only hope was that I’d learn to survive in this brand-new world.

  The next two days passed by slowly. After my emotional outburst on the couch, I’d avoided Reid at all costs. I’d spent my days reading and exercising to kill time. I couldn’t wait to start work, so I could actually get out of the house. The only time I’d left my room was to use the bathroom and grab something to eat once Reid had left for work.

  I still had no idea where he worked. I’d meant to ask him before, but then I’d forgotten. The only thing I knew was that he worked the night shift. I’d hear him come in late at night or early in the morning—usually between three and six.

  He hadn’t brought up the scene I’d walked in on in his room, and neither had I. He knew I had been hiding out in my room¸ so he could’ve yelled at me if he wanted. If he wanted to pretend like nothing had happened, I was more than happy to oblige.

  I’d become so accustomed to being left alone that when I heard a knock on my door the next evening, I shot up off my bed like I expected a team of ninjas to throw open the door and attack. Or maybe I was
expecting a team of assassins. That was more believable.

  “Hey, you awake?” Reid asked as he opened my door.

  “Uh…yeah, I’m up,” I said, forcing my breathing to calm.

  He stepped into the room and gave me a small smile. “I ordered pizza. I thought you might be hungry.”

  My stomach growled at that exact moment, betraying the words that had almost slipped past my lips.

  “I guess I could eat,” I mumbled.

  He smirked. “I guess so.”

  I followed him from my room and then down the hallway to the kitchen. My stomach growled again as soon as I caught a whiff of the pizza. I really was starved. I opened the lid and pulled out a slice. As soon as I bit into it, I moaned. God, Americans knew how to make a damn good pizza. I’d eat it every single day if I could.

  “So…” Reid started as he picked up a slice of his own. “Want to tell me why you’ve been constantly hiding out in your room? I mean, if I smell or something, you can tell me. I won’t be offended.”

  “Now that you mention it…” I teased.

  He flipped me off. “Liar. What’s up? Did my friends piss you off or something?”

  I shook my head. “No, they didn’t do anything. Neither did you.”

  “Then, why are you avoiding me like the plague?”

  “I’m not avoiding you,” I said, hoping that the lie was believable.

  He raised an eyebrow, a look of disbelief crossing his face.

  Maybe not. “Okay, maybe I am. Really, you didn’t do anything, so please don’t think that. It’s just…it’s so overwhelming. I’m in a new country, in a new apartment, living with a guy I don’t know, and I’m starting a new job in just a few days. I’m stressed, and my awkward little outburst on the couch was embarrassing. I don’t want you to think I’m crazy.”

  He smirked. “Is that all?”

  My mouth dropped open in surprise. “Uh, yeah, I guess so.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Bree, we all have to face things we don’t want to, including new circumstances. You gotta learn to roll with the punches. I don’t think you’re crazy for crying while watching football or feeling overwhelmed by all the things that have changed for you lately. Life can be scary as fuck, but you’ve gotta suck it up and carry on. Shit will settle, and you’ll look back and laugh at how freaked out you were.”