Page 64 of The Sinner's Bargain

I hadn’t been expecting such a confession from a man like him. I expected him to laugh at my fears and tell me I was being silly. Somehow, knowing it wasn’t all in my head and I wasn’t alone on this foreign island made the whole thing feel less terrifying.

It also dawned on me that he didn’t reassure me that everything would be fine. He didn’t offer false words of comfort. Just the assurance that I wasn’t alone and that somehow made all the difference when he continued towards the dining hall with me in tow.

Along the way, I let my gaze drift up to the stained-glass ceiling and faltered. My eyes moved to the paintings. The moldings.

“Someone cleaned,” I realized out loud.

All the dust and grime were gone. The cobwebs were missing from the chandelier and the entire place held the faintest hint of pine floor cleaner and lemon polish.

“I’ll have the windows done next,” he promised.

I looked to him. “You don’t have to—”

He squeezed my fingers. “You like looking through them. They should be clean.”

Heart a tender mess, I returned the subtle flex of my grip around his. It was all the words I couldn’t speak when the whole cavern of my chest brimmed to capacity.

Oliver and Vance were already seated at the table when we arrived. Oliver rose politely, but Vance remained still and stoic in his seat.

I liked Oliver.

He reminded me a little of Malcolm. Kind and always thoughtful of others. Whereas Vance reminded me of Mr. Yorick. I understood it was his job to pay attention and look after Thoran as Mr. Yorick had looked after my father, but their approach was always so cold and harsh.

“My dear, you look absolutely lovely,” Oliver said, delighted.

I offered him a smile as Thoran led me to the seat next to the head of the table. Next to his seat.

“Thank you.” I said to Oliver before turning to Vance. “Hello.”

“Miss Smith, it’s lovely to see you once more ... properly dressed finally.”

Mother would have liked him. The thought was not pleasant.

“Mr. Lacroix ... Thoran,” I corrected myself, “was kind enough to take me to the mall.”

Thoran held my chair out and helped tuck me under the table. I thanked him and was rewarded with the slightest brush of his fingertips across the naked path of skin along the back of my neck, scattering a trillion tiny goose bumps all throughout my entire body.

“I haven’t been to the mall in ages,” Oliver regained his seat and pulled his napkin across his lap. “Is Harvey still there? He owns the tobacco stand on the main level.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think we made it that far.”

“Harvey was arrested five years ago for selling coke out of the backroom,” Vance cut in. “He has another nine years before parole.”

Oliver frowned. “Fourteen years for selling a bit of coke? Meanwhile, that Donny down the block is selling fresh livers out of his garage and not a peep from the authorities.”

“Donny’s smart,” Vance corrected. “He doesn’t draw attention to himself, and he doesn’t sell to kids. It only takes one angry mom to set off the alarms and there goes everything.”

It was during the back and forth that I realized Donny wasn’t a farmer and his meat wasn’t beef. What surprised me most, however, was the unbothered way everyone was talking about it.

Oliver caught me watching the interaction with wide eyes. “I’m sorry, my dear. This is not at all proper dinner conversation.”

I shook my head. “No, please, I don’t mind at all.”

I really didn’t. The whole thing intrigued me. Mother never allowed conversation at the table and the times Father had guests, it was always about mergers and stock exchanges. I’d wanted to drown myself in the soup multiple times just to have something to do, but a man who made a living selling human organs on the black market had my attention.

“How do you get into such a line of business?” I heard myself asking.

“You need to go to medical school,” Oliver stated with every confidence.

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