Page 32 of Sin

We pulled into a nice neighborhood brimming with middle-class looking homes. Some of the houses were painted in yellows and blues, others white. There weren’t any cars parked along the curb as we drove along, just one here or there in some of the driveways. I noticed a few kids riding bikes, their parents idling nearby, keeping guard. A couple of dogs barked from windows, an orange cat scavenged a lavender home’s yard, and the occasional bird danced in the sky. The yards were well-maintained, and most had colorful flower gardens blooming along the front of the homes. Some homes even had bright flora filling the flower boxes beneath the windows.

But while it looked picturesque, there was something… off as Lewis parked the car in the drive of a simple two-story home at the end of the block. Unlike the other homes on the street, the white siding almost appeared gray? The front door was painted black, and the only speck of color was a flowery wreath hanging just above a brass knocker. The blinds were shut, and I noticed the owner’s car appeared to be parked further down the drive, just outside the garage and mostly concealed from view.

Lewis turned off the engine to our car, and the six of us took a moment to survey the home some more. Unlike the other houses, this one really did seem almost… duller. It didn’t stand out like the others. Sure, it had a manicured lawn, but the grass wasn’t as green as the others, as if the color had been somewhat stripped from the blades. Even the washed out color of the house made it easy to overlook at first glance. Like the house held a secret.

“I don’t like this,” Jinx said, squinting out his window. As if to emphasize his point, one of the clouds above let out a low, warning rumble.

“You don’t have to like it,” Blade said, reaching past him and prodding open the door. “Get your ass out of the van.”

He scowled at her. “Have I ever told you you’re mean when you’re nervous?”

It was Blade’s turn to scowl as she shoved him out of the door. “I’m not nervous.”

Jinx snorted. “Sure, you aren’t.”

“Can you two knock it off?” London asked, hopping out of the car with Lewis. Mare and I climbed out after everyone else. “You two bicker more than my sisters.”

Lewis jerked a thumb in my direction, eyeing my wrists. “What’s the plan with this one?”

“Unlock his dampening cuffs.”

“Are you sure?” Lewis asked, his mouth twisting with displeasure. “For all we know, he’s not needed for this.”

I scowled at Lewis, wondering if I could break a tooth or two of his and get away with it.

“And are you willing to take that risk?” London questioned, his brows hiking up his forehead.

Lewis lowered his head and toed the ground. “No.”

“Good,” London said, “because neither am I. Now stop wasting our time and do it.”

“Fine. Come here, Sin,” Lewis said, holding up his phone with an app displaying some keycode. “Let’s make sure this works.”

The cuffs around my wrists hummed as I lifted them to Lewis’s waiting hands. I winked at him as he touched the metal.

“Rules,” London interjected before Lewis could disable the cuffs.

I sighed and turned my face to give London an exasperated look. “Really? Again?”

“I need to make sure you’re taking this seriously, Sin. What are your rules?”

Holding up my hand, I pretended to tick off boxes, making sure my irritation was clear in my tone as I recited the rules he’d told me earlier. “No using my ability on any of the team, and no purposefully doing anything which might compromise the mission. I have to stick with one of my team members at all times. So no wandering off alone. Oh, and I’m to follow every order you make. Did I forget anything?”

“No killing Lucas,” he reminded me.

I waved my hand. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t kill the bad guy. Got it.”

Sighing, he waved Lewis to input the code.

The moment the dampening cuffs switched off, my power rushed through me like a wave of ultimate euphoria. I groaned with pleasure, flexing my fingers when they tingled. It was like my entire body was newly sensitized, and I could feel everything brush of fabric, every whisper of the summer breeze. I let out another pleased noise.

Lewis sighed in annoyance. “Okay, enough of that, Casanova. Come on.”

I blinked my eyes open, finding the two of them watching me. I grinned, finally feeling like myself. I turned toward the house but called over my shoulder, “Now stop loitering around and muévanse los culos. We’ve got a Villain to catch.”

I made it all of two steps before Blade said, “Don’t forget to suit up!”

Without turning around, I flipped her the bird and said, “I’m a little snake.” I almost missed the choked noise from behind me as my suit enveloped my body. I liked the way it hugged me like a second skin, and based on the heated stare nearly scalding my back from London, I knew I wasn’t the only one.

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