Breathe You In (Sweet Torment 1)

Respond quickly, I reminded myself. Hoping a straight posture would camouflage my trembles, I lifted my chin and spoke the way I had been practicing.

“I don’t have any say in his politics, Warren. You’re not welcome here, and I’d like you to leave.”

This was not a conversation I wanted to be having, but unfortunately, what I wanted didn’t matter just then. The truth was, if I could sway the governor to oppose Warren, I would. He was an asshole. Now, hearing Warren whine about Roman flipping on him, I was half confused and half happy.

I didn’t know what Roman’s motives were, of course. Today, he’d made clear that his job wasn’t my business. Warren, however, seemed to have his own theory.

“A Cunningham has sat in a house seat for the last five decades. I’ll be damned if some small-town whore is going to fuck with that.” That time when he snarled, I smelled the alcohol on his breath. “And you’re going to fix what you’ve done, Amy.”

“I haven’t done anything,” I said again in the calmest voice I could muster, hoping to defuse the situation so he would go away and I could lock my door.

“Reese is going to announce his support for that seat in a few weeks. If you don’t convince him that I’m the man for the job, then I’ll tell him what kind of person you really are.”

My heart lurched in my chest, and every ounce of blood I had in my face drained away. The night I’d been stupid enough to open up to Warren all those years ago had returned to hit me.

“You think he’ll still want you around when he finds out you let your sister die?” Warren tsk-tsked, and bile rose in my throat. “Won’t look so good for his campaign to be dating someone like you. Hell, you can’t even get your own parents to like you.”

My entire ribcage was shaking from my efforts to exhale. Breathing was difficult, and I struggled for control because the moment I gave into panic, I would crash in a tailspin of self-loathing. And I would crash hard. I couldn’t do that in front of him.

He tapped his chin. “I wonder what one would call what you did? Accessory to involuntary manslaughter?” He glanced at the sky. “You know, that has a nice ring to it.” Stepping away with the most evil look I’d ever seen, he stared me down. “Think about what I said.”

He turned and damn near skipped off my porch. “Have a nice night, Amy.”

I immediately shut the door and locked the deadbolt. Pressing my back against the door, I sank to my knees and cried.

Chapter Fourteen

What an asshole,” Paige said, pacing in front of the coffee table with her hands on her hips.

I sat on the couch and watched her brow furrow while she thought, until finally she faced me.

“Okay, let’s look at the facts,” she started in true Paige fashion. “First of all, the governor never committed his support to Warren.”

“Did you know he was running?” I asked.

“Not until recently. I didn’t even know he was going to be at the fundraiser. He announced he would run right after that. I should have known though,” Paige grumbled. “He’s going for his mother’s seat, and Bill is pushing for him to get it. He thinks another Cunningham on the house floor will keep the relationship in our favor. But from what I gather, Roman isn’t so sure.”

She started pacing again.

So Roman hadn’t committed, but Bill was on Warren’s team. No matter how hard my brain worked to find a solution, one fact kept rearing its head: This isn’t my place.

I understood that Roman had to do what was right for his office and for New York. I just had a hard time believing Warren Cunningham was a right choice for anything, especially when blackmail came so easily to him.

“Maybe I should tell Roman about Warren’s threats,” I said out loud, not sure if I was asking Paige’s permission or trying to convince myself this was a viable option.

“Then you’d have to tell him everything,” Paige said, stopping and staring at me.

My hands instantly went clammy, and the need to cry, or throw something—preferably at Warren’s face—rose to the surface.

“If Roman finds out what I did to Lauren…”

“Stop,” Paige snapped. “You didn’t hurt Lauren. She’s the one who took the pills.”

I rested my forehead in my palm. The world felt very heavy all of a sudden.

“Listen to me very carefully.” Paige came and sat next to me. “I know you’re a good person, and I know you deal with a lot of shit about Lauren from your parents and now this douche, Warren, but you have to remember: You didn’t kill your sister.” She grabbed my hand and gently shook it. “Do you hear me?”

I nodded, yet my chest still hurt. I wanted to argue that I’d had a responsibility to Lauren and I’d failed her, but Paige’s stern look made me keep my mouth shut.