Page 200 of Awakened by Sin

He gestured to the bar. She followed slowly in his wake. She could feel what little strength she had ebbing away. She sat heavily at the table he indicated. There was a handful of men in the bar area, and every one of them was staring at her. She kept her eyes on the table. She had no weapons and no fight left. If this was the part when Lucifer tossed her to the dogs, there was nothing she could do to defend herself.

“Here.” Lucifer slapped a can of Coke in front of her.

“Water, please.”

He rolled his eyes and went to the bartender and returned shortly with water. She fumbled with the cap and tipped it to her mouth. Her mouth was so dry, she felt as if she had a dozen cuts in her mouth, but that didn’t stop her from drinking. She set the empty bottle on the table and fought the urge to vomit.

Lucifer tapped his fingers on the table. “Roman’s taking his time.” He glanced at her. “You want chicken wings?”

“You’re kidding.”

“No, we make the best chicken wings on The Strip.”

Just the thought of eating something made her feel sick. “No, thank you.”

“Ah, this is unexpected.”

She was about to ask what he was talking about when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw Marcus walking toward her. He was dressed in a black on black suit, no tie. The sight of him sent a shockwave of agony through her entire being. He shouldn’t be here.

A man stood from a table. She saw a flash of steel and opened her mouth to yell, but there was no need. Marcus did some fancy move and slammed the knife into the man’s shoulder. He screeched and fell to his knees. His table companion leaped to his feet and rushed Marcus who managed to keep his feet during the tackle. His attacker reached for his leg, but Marcus grabbed the man’s head and twisted savagely. There was a sharp snap and the man went limp and dropped.

“Friend of yours?” Lucifer asked.

She couldn’t speak. It was Marcus as she had never seen him before. He might look like Pyre Casino’s COO with his hair perfectly styled, but the man approaching her held no resemblance to the man she thought she knew. His face was expressionless, green eyes glittering and cold. His fighting technique was quick, practical, brutal. She didn’t even know he knew how to fight. It was just another side of him she didn’t know existed. He rounded the table to reach her but stopped when Lucifer held up a hand.

“Brave of a fancy pants like yourself to come into my territory,” Lucifer said.

“I’ve been here before,” Marcus said.

He sounded completely in control, which shouldn’t surprise her. No matter the situation, one could always count on him to keep a cool head. She averted her eyes because the sight of him hurt more than anything she had been through since she saw him last.

Lucifer laughed. “I doubt that. You wouldn’t last ten minutes in Hell dressed like that.”

“The last time I was here, I left with Emmanuel Pyre.”

Lucifer’s tapping fingers stopped. She glanced at his face and saw the smile fade. She didn’t know what was going on, but Marcus’s words had a profound effect on Lucifer’s demeanor. His expression became inscrutable, and he examined Marcus with calculated interest rather than amusement.

“So you made it.”

She didn’t understand Lucifer’s quiet tone or the reason behind it.

“What brings you back to Hell?” Lucifer asked.

“You have something of mine.”

Marcus’s words made her jerk, but she didn’t acknowledge him.

“You must be Marcus,” Lucifer said and draped his arm on the back of her chair. “How intriguing. Carmen’s been annoyingly mum about you.” He gestured between them. “How do you two know each other?”

“I work with Gavin.”

Lucifer clapped twice. “Bravo, Marcus. Made something of yourself, have you? And with Gavin, no less. Impressive.” He glanced at Carmen before he clucked his tongue. “I sense trouble in paradise. I was expecting Roman, actually.”

“She’s mine.”

“Is that so?” Lucifer asked as a scream split the silence.

Angel rounded the corner in jeans and a white shirt flecked with blood. He had a stained six-inch knife at his side. He spotted them and started forward. Relief calmed her nausea. Angel would get her out of this mess and give her the time she needed to shore up her defenses before she had to deal with life again.

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