Page 43 of Perfect Sin

“As soon as you get patched up, you get the hell out of town. If I see you again, you’re dead. Hear me?” Sin threatens Jesse.

He wraps his arm around me, tucks my head into his chest, and leads me to another side of the room. The coppery tang of blood permeates the air, and now that I’m not afraid for my safety, the urge to vomit rises up. I won’t give in though. Kyle deserved this, and I won’t spend a moment feeling guilty he’s dead.

* * *

There wasno way we were going to be able to cover this up, and I doubted I’d get away with burning down another building.

Ford starts rummaging around behind the bar. He drops a large roll of duct tape and a gag on the bar top. “You’ve got the full serial killer tool kit back here,” he says as he peels a strip of tape off the roll.

He nods to Lucien. “Get his hands behind his back.”

Lucien smirks. “With pleasure.” Jesse yelps as he roughly yanks his injured shoulder and arm behind his back. Fordbinds his wrists together. His ankles are next.

“You won’t get away with this! I’ve got connections. Your life is over, Shaw!” Jesse threatens.

Ford shoves the gag in his mouth and secures it behind his head. “Shut the fuck up.”

Sin picks up the folder Kyle gave me with the annulment papers. “Son of a bitch!” he shouts. “These are the same papers Arthur tried to get me to sign. It states that we married under duress, with both of us threatened by Damien Blackthorne.”

He stalks toward Jesse, taking a knife from his pocket, and flipping open the blade. “Where did you get the papers?”

Jesse’s eyes bug out. Finally, he’s seeing beneath the mask Sin barely manages to wear. How he didn’t see the predator in front of him before now is a mystery.

Ford is still the closest one to him, and he yanks the gag out of his mouth. “I suggest you start talking. Unless you don’t value your life.”

“But I’m helping! Uncle Arthur said you were being threatened, and I needed to separate you from the girl. Come on, man, did you see how much easy pussy was out there? I practically gift wrapped Poppy for you. Why would you want to shackle yourself to the gold digging daughter of a thug? You could have anyone out there.”

Sin’s nostrils flare, and he makes a fist around the handle of the knife. “Uncle Arthur?” His voice is soft, but there’s an edge of violence rolling underneath that’s contrary to his tone.

“He’s not my real uncle, just my uncle’s best friend since college. My whole family is close to him.”

“I’m glad we don’t have to welcome you to the family. This would have made the next reunion awkward,” Lucien quips.

“Gag him,” Sin tells Ford. “He’s told me everything I need to know.”

“My pleasure.” Jesse releases a pained groan as Ford shoves the rubber gag back in his mouth.

Chaos erupts upstairs as we hear people shouting warnings of the arrival of cops. Little do they know it’s the FBI and not the local police. Not that they’d overlook criminal behavior, but the dead body down here is probably a higher priority for them than a bunch of drunken assholes.

Footsteps echo down the stairs followed by the creaking of the broken basement door. Holbrook steps forward and surveys the scene. “I assume the unconscious men upstairs are your handiwork?” he asks Sin.

Sin smirks. “I can’t take all the credit.”

“It was a group effort,” Lucien says with a matching grin.

He exhales as he examines Kyle’s body. “A knife through the eye? A bit overkill, don’t you think?”

I shrug. “Is it possible to be deader than dead?”

He regards me skeptically. “Not that I’m aware.”

“Then how can it be overkill? Look, he came at me, and I protected myself.”

Holbrook crosses his arms, his attempt to look stern. “Why would you think you needed to take such extreme measures?”

Glancing at Sin, I take a deep breath. “Jesse said Kyle promised to share me with him. When I refused to sign the papers, he got angry and came at me. I’ve been on the other side of his anger before and I promised myself I’d never be there again.”

Sin takes a step forward, but Ford intercepts him before he can make it to Jesse. “He’s not worth it,” Ford says.

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