Page 79 of Sinful

“I-you’re going to kill me if I don’t get it?”

“Oh, I won’t kill you,” I said, smiling at him as I pulled the carrot out of my back pocket and bit into it before chewing slowly.

Danny’s gaze darted around, clearly terrified.

“Look at me,” I instructed.

His gaze snapped to mine, and he opened his mouth to speak, but I jammed my carrot deep into his maw, making him sputter and choke as I held it there.

“If you don’t fucking get us what we want, I’ll let Asylum out to play. You remember how fun he is, right?”

Danny let out a choked, garbling noise before I drove the carrot deeper. His face turned bright red, tears dripping down his cheeks.

I cocked my head to the right at him again and smiled.

“Do we have a deal? Blink once for yes. Twice if you’re ready to die.”

Danny blinked once and stared fiercely at me.

“Perfect.” I pulled my carrot free from his mouth. He let out a shuddering breath, coughing and wheezing roughly as I tossed the carrot to the ground. Sin released his hair, and Danny fell forward to his hands and knees, trying to suck in mouthfuls of air.

“Keep that. A token to remember this moment by.” I backed away from him, Sin coming with me. Movement caught my eye, and I swiveled my head swiftly to see a shadow dart away. With narrowed eyes, I watched the spot where I’d seen someone before I smiled.

A shadow indeed. . .

I’d give our shadow a freebie this time.

“A name, Danny,” Sin called out. “Sooner rather than later.”

Danny said nothing, but his soft cries let me know he was on the same page as us.

“Why the fuck do you carry carrots in your back pocket?” Sin asked as we walked down the hall, Danny’s whimpers fading away.

“For times such as these, Sinclair.” I gave him a megawatt smile.

He shook his head at me. “You might be crazier than Asylum.”

I smiled at that.

It wasn’t the first time I’d heard that. I doubted it would be the last.

CHURCH

Iwatched from a dark corner as she sang.

She was breathtaking. Beautiful. Long, red waves. Bright green eyes. The voice of an angel. Her energy was palpable. And she was untouchable.

Her men were everything to her. And the spare.

I studied the pair with narrowed eyes as the Archangel kept close to her side. Everyone in the Underground knew who the Archangel was. A monster created from the sins of the very man who took him in.

He just didn’t know he’d spent most of his life doing the bidding of the very same man who put him in the position he was in now.

Well, mostly.

Being neutral in our world only went so far, and money talked.

When the Ivanovs sent a messenger to my father to meet with them, he’d done so, dragging me along for the adventure.

---