Page 108 of Sinner's Secret

“Does your paramedic know about the family business?”

“No, but she suspects something is weird about me, and now probably you.” Baz examined his cousin’s expression closer. There was something in his tone, in his eyes that was too carefully bland.

“How did she come to work for you?”

Yvgeny’s bland expression hardened, and he waved a hand as if trying to fend off a fly. “That is something of a long story, cousin.”

Baz took a wild stab in the dark. “Did you rescue her or something?”

Yvgeny sighed and shook his head. “No, she rescued me.”

Baz studied his cousin. He’d never seen Yvgeny look like this before. He was almost... blushing? “I think I’d like to hear this story.”

Yvgeny narrowed his eyes. “Instead of asking for a fairy-tale, maybe we should figure out what we’re going to say when Nika leaves the hotel. I’m quite sure her co-workers are going to want to arrest whoever hurt her. Something tells me you’re the first one they’re going to go after,” he said with a smirk.

Yvgeny was right, whatever he had going on with the paramedic could wait. Dealing with the NYPD was going to be enough of a pain in the ass.

“No running away,” Yvgeny said with a shake of his finger.

“Did I say I was going to run?” Baz demanded.

“No, but you got that look on your face. The guilty look. You only look like that when you feel responsible for something you didn’t do.”

“And then I leave?”

“Yes. Although, you usually do something ridiculous as penance first, then you disappear into the woods, mountains, or inner city for a few decades.”

Baz crossed his arms over his chest. “I can’t go anywhere. According to you I’ve been ordered to work with the NYPD, be a semi-official informant, and keep an eye on them.”

Yvgeny laughed.

The door to the hotel room opened and Sam the paramedic walked out with her first-aid bag slung over her shoulder.

Nika stood in the doorway. “Thanks again,” she said.

“No problem,” Sam replied with a nod and a professional smile. She spied Yvgeny and the smile died. She turned to Baz. “I’ve left some instructions for how to deal with the swelling in her neck.”

“Thank you.”

She took a step toward him. “Don’t let this happen again.”

He allowed one eyebrow to rise. “I’ll do my best, but she keeps walking into dangerous people and situations.”

“Try harder.”

Baz saw it then, the reason why Yvgeny had her working for him inhouse.

She could handle more of the truth than most people.

“I will not put a leash on her. She makes her own decisions, but I can promise to support her and her decisions.”

The paramedic narrowed her eyes, then nodded, and stepped back. “Fair enough.” She strode down the hall. Yvgeny followed her, without any sarcasm or eye-rolling.

Interesting.

Baz turned and found Nika still waiting in the open doorway for him. He went inside the room and locked the door behind himself.

“What did she say?” he asked Nika. “About your neck.”

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