Page 127 of Sinful Games

“She came in, used the bathroom, and went straight to bed. She was falling asleep when the guy sneezed,” Angelo said, shrugging. “She freaked, he crawled out, she grabbed that lamp,” he gestured to the shattered ivory lamp lying nearby, “and whacked him over the head. Knocked him out, his neck hit the bed frame, and voilà—dead."

Scarlett lifted her head, fresh tears cutting paths down her cheeks.

I’d first met Scarlett Harper two years after Angelo. She’d called him once, freaking out after being arrested for a DUI. Naturally, I tagged along. We ended up in a police station where I met a woman with huge tits, fiery redhair, and pale skin so white she could be a ghost. Over the years, Angelo had played the role of her savior, rushing to her side whenever she got herself into shit. I never asked why he was so protective of her, but he always was.

Scarlett had been a trainwreck for years, and honestly, I didn’t see anything changing.

"I was scared," she whimpered between sobs. "I didn’t know the lamp would hurt him that … badly."

Angelo and I exchanged glances, trying to keep from laughing.

"Oh, of course, Scar'," I said, faking sympathy. "Because lamps are so soft and cuddly."

She wiped her face with the back of her hand, her mascara smudged beyond repair. "I-I just panicked."

Angelo chuckled. "Well, you sure showed him."

Scarlett’s expression shifted from grief to panic. "What am I going to do now?"

I shrugged. “Bury the body and move on. Honestly, I don’t see why you dragged me here from fucking Russia for this,” I gestured to the corpse on the floor.

Angelo sat on the bed. “Someone paid him to kill her.”

I raised an eyebrow. “He was a groupie?—”

Angelo cut me off. “I found forty grand in cash in his back pocket. There’s a message on his phone that says, ‘Is it done?’”

I smirked. "Maybe he was saving up for a deluxe tour package. You know, front-row seats for the afterlife."

Scarlett shot me a look that could kill. "This isn’t funny, Alexsei."

Angelo paced the room, his tone dark. "We need to find out who hired him."

I crossed my arms, narrowing my gaze at Scarlett. "Got any enemies?"

Being famous sure comes with perks—money, drugs, fansworshipping you. But it also comes with plenty of people who want to see you dead.

Scarlett shook her head. "Not that I know of..."

Angelo stopped pacing. "We need to dig deeper."

Then, Scarlett gasped, her eyes wide with terror. "Wait! I think I know who wants to kill me."

I sighed, running a hand over my jaw. I guess the night was far from over—just my fucking luck.

Chapter

Forty-Three

“Adieu to disappointment and spleen. What are men to rocks and mountains?”

?Jane Austen

Caia

I gasped, unable to believe what Valeria had just revealed.

"No way," I whispered, sinking onto her couch. Valeria continued sorting through files on her desk, her brows furrowed, before tossing one into the nearby garbage.

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