Physical Science Excerpt
"What happened, angel?" I ask, twisting to set the cup on the dresser.
"I shouldn't involve you in this," she mumbles, breaking my gaze to stare at the floor. "He's your brother."
"And you're my…" I almost say future but manage to stop myself. "Student. Let me help you."
She hesitates for so long I think she's going to refuse.
"Please, beautiful girl. Talk to me."
"I saw him kill someone," she blurts out, wringing her hands together.
"What the fuck?"
She grimaces, her face falling again. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it like that."
"You saw him kill someone?" I say, just to make sure I heard her correctly. Don't get me wrong, I'm not surprised he killed someone. It wouldn't be the first time and I doubt it'll be the last time he drops a body. But the fact that she saw it…that's what's fucking me up. She's too innocent to live with something like that!
She nods miserably. "I was at the harbor, doing some things."
"What things?"
"Just things."
"Norah."
"I was snooping, okay?" she huffs, throwing her hands up. Irritation flashes in her eyes. "I'm nosy and impulsive and I wanted to see what was in all the barrels they keep stored there, so I snuck in to have a look around."
"You're fucking kidding me." She's not kidding me. I can tell by the guilty look on her face that she's being completely serious right now. She broke into the harbor's storage facility to snoop.
"Do you do things like this often?"
"No." She bites her lip, her eyes flitting across my face. "Define often."
"Jesus Christ," I groan, tipping my head back to look up at the ceiling.
"In my defense, I was unsupervised. And bored. And I really, really regret doing it."
I tip my head down to glare at her. "A jury won't care if you're sorry or not, Norah. You committed a felony."
"I know," she admits, her voice small. "But my felony is small fries compared to the other felony that happened while I was there, don't you think?"
Well, she's got me there.
"Tell me what you saw."
"I heard two men arguing by the docks, so I snuck closer to see what was going on. It was your brother and another guy, someone who works for him. He did something that upset your brother. He told the guy that he never should have put his hands on what didn't belong to him, and then he pulled out a gun and s-shot him." She sucks in a deep, shuddering breath. "The man fell into the river."
"Jesus fucking Christ."
"It gets worse," she warns me.
How could it possibly get any worse? She's already admitted to a felony and implicated my brother in a murder. It can't get much worse than that.
"I screamed when the gun went off."
"He saw you?"
She nods again.
Fuck Murphy and her law. Of course it gets worse. Of course it does.
"And I lost my phone when I was running."
"Fucking hell," I swear.
"I didn't mean to!" she cries, tears welling in her eyes.
Poor angel. She's been through hell and back. She doesn't need me cursing at her and making her feel worse. None of this is her fault. It's Rafe's fault. It's my father's fault. It's my fault for not recognizing that her rampant curiosity was bound to lead her into trouble. I should have seen that and done something to protect her.
What am I saying? She isn't mine to protect. She isn't mine, period.
Except…that's not true, is it? Not now. Not anymore. It stopped being true the second she showed up on my doorstep and I carried her inside. She became mine in that moment. If I lose my job for claiming her, so be it. I already decided this semester would be my last because of her. So nothing stood in the way of me claiming her. If I have to fight my brother to keep her safe, so be it. No one is going to harm her. No one.
"I don't know what to do, Nico," she whispers, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I know I shouldn't be here telling you any of this, but you were the first person I thought of. I didn't know where else to go. I can't go to the police."
No, she definitely can't go to them. They'll lock her up for commercial burglary, sealing her fate. If my brother's reach extends anywhere, it's into the heart of every jail and prison cell in this state.
"Hey," I murmur, reaching out for her. This time, she doesn't flinch. I pull her into my arms, holding her. My heart aches as she snuggles into my embrace with a whimper, letting me comfort her as she cries. Part of me, a big part, wants me to be the first person she thought of because she feels the same way I do. The other, more logical part realizes she probably only came here because Rafe is my brother.
I don't suppose her motivation matters either way. She still came here. She still trusted me to keep her safe. She's still mine…and I still have to deal with my brother.
Fuck my life.
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