Page 52 of Sin

I did, but only because it seemed I wasn’t able to move on my own. He was controlling the show.

When we reached the open door, Lucas remained at my side, as the day President Osborne showed up in the infirmary played like a movie screen through the door.

“His name is Lucas Delacruz,” President Osborne said.“Believed to be somewhere between thirty and forty years old. According to his file, he’s a Super with mind-controlling abilities. No known criminal record. From what we gleaned, the UAS took an interest in him when he enlisted in a paid drug trial.”

It sped through her telling me about some of the murder victims, and I wondered if that was Lucas skimming through what he thought inconsequential, or if because of his command, my mind was only trying to focus on the important parts of the memory.

“As far as we’re aware, your gifts might be the only ones strong enough to rival his.” She gripped the railing at the foot of the cot. “So I’d like to strike a deal with you. Work with us to capture Lucas Delacruz, help us stop any more deaths at his hand, and in return…” She paused, lifting her chin. “I’ll lift your sentence. You won’t ever have to step foot back in this prison. You will be a free man once more.”

“Interesting,” Lucas said from beside me, and when I found I could move, I glanced over to find him watching me, not the memory. It was eerie to have such undivided attention from a serial killer. He smiled an almost impish smile. “I was hoping we knew each other. I guess not.” He hummed softly. “Well, I’ll admit, you are strong. Stronger than anyone else I’ve come across as of yet. And maybe, if you hadn’t let yourself weaken, you would be a challenge for me,” he said casually. “But right now, you’re weak, scared, and no match.”

“I’m not scared of you,” I said, surprised to find I could finally speak.

He grinned, that quirky smile back. “I never said I thought you were scared of me,” he said, making me confused. “I know who you are, Sin. I might have been locked away for years, but you were splashed across every news article for months after I broke out of those labs. According to the world, you’re the man to blame. The one who put the world in danger by trusting the wrong person. The scapegoat the world sacrificed when they were scared and grieving.”

“You talk as if you don’t agree,” I said, frowning.

Casting me a sad smile, he shook his head. “I see you as the man imprisoned for another man’s sins. And the one who lost everything because you wanted to be loved.”

I didn’t know whether he was insulting me or not, so I just kept quiet and continued to reach within, searching for the spark inside…

He smiled, like he knew exactly what I was trying to do and found it amusing for some reason. Slowly, he leaned forward like he had a secret to share. “No, I’m not the thing you’re scared of,” he said softly. “You’re scared of failure.”

“What?” I asked, his words bringing me to a halt. “Why in the world would you even think that?”

“Because that’s how you perceive yourself: a failure. You failed your friends, your parents, your city, your lover. And now you’re here, scared you’re going to fail everyone again.”

Like they’d been summoned images floating before me, ones of my mom’s face as she knelt on the Citadel steps, my father’s alarming grin as he stepped out of the busted prison wall, myself impaled on a pipe…

Lucas was right by my ear now. “Isn’t that right?”

“Y-you’re wrong,” I forced out, but it sounded false even to my own ears. It was terrifying how easily he was reading me, how much access he had to my thoughts and memories.

“No?” He sounded entertained, but I couldn’t see him as he walked behind me, and my mental self couldn’t move. “Should I show you how I know you’re lying?”

And then I wasn’t in a hall of mirrors.

I sat at a small table, my father lounging impatiently across from me. He was riled up, frustrated with me.

“I only said I’d get you out,” I reminded him, leaning forward to make sure we weren’t overheard. “And now you expect me to bust out your buddies?”

My dad rolled his eyes. “They’re the ones who protected me down here. The ones who stayed loyal even when I had a target on my back,” he said in a pleading voice. “I can’t just leave them down here. They’re like family.”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I tried to calm myself. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. I’d promised Bennett, London, all the other Scourge members that I had this under control.

The talisman burned in my pocket, and my dad’s eyes drifted there, as if he knew what I was hiding. Which, he probably did. The talisman was infused with his power, and when wearing it, it would amplify his powers tenfold. He’d created this talisman, as well as a dozen or so others with the help of a woman who could store powers into objects. Metafora was her name, and shortly after making my father a talisman in the form of an amulet, she’d been killed under mysterious circumstances.

I hated that I still wondered if my father was the one who killed her, even though I’d asked him before and he’d promised it hadn’t been him.

“Please, Sinclair,” my father said when I still didn’t give in. “You’re already getting me out. I know you can help me with them. You’re strong. One of the strongest Villains out there. If anyone can pull this off, it’s you.”

And then he smiled proudly, making my heart thump annoyingly with the praise. It wasn’t often these days that he looked at me this way, like what I did was noteworthy. Since Mom had passed away, he’d usually treated me like a disappointment for not doing more with my life than run my clubs and casinos.

It hadn’t mattered that I’d made a name for myself in this world because my work to him was sinful and immature. I’m sure it looked that way from the outside, but I’d always loved letting my influence infect my clubs, lowering inhibitions and giving people a safe place to unwind and let go. Even law enforcement could be found indulging in what my clubs had to offer.

I glanced over at the four guards stationed at the door, two inside and two out. I’d had a plan to get my dad out by coercing the guards to escort me and my father out of this room and through the exit.

But could I do it? Was I strong enough to convince the guards to get my father’s friends, keep hold of the guard’s minds while they escorted us to the exit, and get us all out without raising any suspicion or alarm?

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