Page 57 of Sinful Sacrifice

“Am I under arrest or something?”

“Of course not.” His demeanor is so indifferent, hard to read. He strolls toward a table, sits, and pats the chair next to him.

Not knowing what else to do, I follow.

“Alllll riiiighty,” I say dramatically before sitting.

Not in the chair he patted.

The one across from him.

There’s only one man who’s allowed to boss me around, and it sure isn’t this one.

“How do you know Damien Bellini?” he asks.

My body stiffens in my chair, and I wish it hadn’t. “Why?”

“You don’t have to answer that. We’ve watched him with you.” He runs his hand over his trimmed facial hair. If he wasn’t playing Twenty-One Questions, I’d probably take the time to appreciate his attractiveness. “I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that he is extremely dangerous, along with the Lombardi family he works for.”

I cross my arms and immediately uncross them, not wanting to appear defensive. “I have no idea what you mean, Detective.”

He lowers his voice as two men take the table across from us. “They’re a crime family.”

“Damien and I have had dinner together a few times.” I shrug. “That’s it.”

He scoffs. “I don’t think that’s it.”

I shrug again. “I don’t have anything else to tell you, Detective Kinney.”

“You talk, and we’ll reward you greatly. All we need is for you to wear a wire?—”

I immediately stand, hefting my bag over my shoulder.

“Wait,” he says, jumping to his feet and gesturing for me to sit back down. “Give me five minutes.”

“You have two.” I hold up two fingers but don’t sit back down.

“You help us put them behind bars, we’ll pay off your father’s gambling debts.”

“Don’t try to use my father against me just to get me to lie,” I snap.

“Lie?” For a moment, he sounds out of patience with me until he corrects himself. “You know they’re dangerous. They commit crimes. Kill people. I’m not asking you to lie. All I want is to put these criminals behind bars. We’ll provide protection for you, your mother, and sister. We’ll give you a better life away from here.”

I hold up my hand to stop him from talking. “I have nothing to tell you. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

“You think of anything, you let me know.” He hands me his card.

I take one look at it and crumple it before tossing it onto the table.

He scoffs. “Stay safe, Pippa. You’ll need it.”

I glare at him. “Damien keeps me plenty protected.”

“He will until you cross him.” He raises his brows. “Once he doesn’t need you anymore, he’ll dispose of you.”

I storm away from him, the urge to flip him off heavy. But I don’t. He is a man of the law and could easily find a reason to arrest me. I survey the scene around me, as if feeling people’s eyes on me.

Damien and I don’t discuss his job, but I’m not stupid. Before I even googled him, I knew he was involved with the Lombardi crime operation. I’m also convinced he’s high up in the ranks, though I’d never ask him. From what I read on the blog, his family has been involved with the Lombardis for decades.

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