Page 1 of Sinful King
ONE
blair phillips
13 YEARS OLD
SEAN (14 YEARS OLD)
There wasn’tmuch Godly about Five Points Community Baptist Church; if anything, it was the devil’s den—a place for the weak to be preyed upon. And right now, I was the prey.
My sneakers slapped against the church floor, the sound echoing in the empty halls as I ran as fast as I could. Thankfully, I knew this building, and every possible hiding place played in my mind as my body moved toward the closest one.
The door clicked shut behind me when I slipped into a room meant for storage and pressed myself against it, thinking I was safe for at least a moment until I saw them—four boys with their eyes fixed on me.
My stomach dropped but recognizing them as the O’Sullivan brothers helped me keep my composure. I’d seen Sean, Finnegan, Cian, and Rían while spying from the hidden passageway in my father’s study, but only when he talked business with their father, Darragh—the head of the Irish Mob. He made my dad, Nathaniel “Steel” Phillips, look tame.
I should’ve turned around and left immediately, but I was safer with them than Caden, whose voice echoed down the hall, closer this time.
“She looks scared,” Rían said, the frown on his face catching me off guard.
He was no more than eight or nine but had the poise of someone much older.
“Not afraid,” I said quickly, forcing the words out even though my chest felt like it was caving in. “Outweighed in strength.”
It wasn’t a lie; I wasn’t scared of fighting.
But this wasn’t just a fight, it was survival. My mom always said to choose my battles wisely. She told me it was okay to run if it meant staying safe.
The sound of door handles rattling got closer and closer, forcing me to shake my inner thoughts away. Knowing I would need to face Caden eventually, I turned to get it over with but never got the chance.
Sean’s movements were quick, and in a blink, he had me tucked behind his back.
He opened the door as if he had all the time in the world and a sense of security washed over me, a feeling I only got when at my grandma’s in Harlem.
“Whatever you’re looking for, ain’t here,” Sean said, his voice calm and cool.
Why was he protecting me?
I peeked around his shoulder to get a good look at my cousin.
Caden had been touching me since I was ten, and tonight, I finally fought back. Something in me snapped when I realized his plan to go further, to take more than he already had from me.
But he was bigger and stronger and the fight didn’t last long before I had to bolt, using the only advantage I had—speed.
“O’Sullivan,” Caden spat, the word dripping with disgust. His gaze shifted and met mine, but only for a second. “Stay out of family business.”
“Your family business is my business,” Sean said smoothly.
His tone was so steady, but there was something about the way he stood there, completely at ease, while toying with the danger Caden carried like a second skin. He glanced back at Finnegan, who stepped forward slightly on cue.
“I could let Finn here use your face as a punching bag,” he went on, almost conversational, “or you could turn around and walk away and pretend you never saw us.”
I had no idea what to make of him or his brothers, who stood quietly, as if waiting for the signal to attack. They were in complete sync and it made me sad for some reason.
Because you don’t have that with your brother.
Caden’s nostrils flared and I could see the muscles in his jaw working overtime to keep cool. Even his hands twitched like he was deciding whether to stay and fight or listen to Sean.
“I’ll see you at home, Blair,” he mused, the threat as obvious as his decision to retreat.
