Page 65 of Sinner's Secret

Part of her wanted to run, to return to the normal world and find safety. But the world wasn’t safe. Someone was trying to kidnap her and kill anyone who got in their way. She didn’t even know who she could trust and who she couldn’t.

There was nowhere to run.

Yvgeny continued to vomit blood. Had he drunk that much of Baz’s blood? Why would he do that? Did he think he was some kind of vampire?

Her breathing echoed in her ears, too fast and too shallow, and her vision blurred. No. She rubbed her hands over her face. She was not going to pass out. Whatever was going on, she was going to get to the bottom of it.

Finally, Yvgeny stopped throwing up, and instead took in great gulps of air. “You are trying to kill me,” he said to Baz.

“If I wanted to kill you,” Baz answered in an annoyed tone. The kind you used when you’ve had the same conversation with someone ten too many times. “You’d be dead and not trying to recover from an instant hangover.”

This wasn’t normal. They should both be dead, not arguing like nothing happened. Like Yvgeny hadn’t tried to kill his cousin.

Nausea rolled her stomach over and over, and cold, sticky sweat broke out across her body. She should run, but there was nowhere for her to go. She had no idea who had betrayed her.

No, that wasn’t true. She knew Baz hadn’t. Despite the extreme weirdness of what she’d just witnessed, she knew Baz was safe.

Yvgeny spit on the floor. “How can you stand it? The pain is horrendous.” He shook his head so hard it looked like he’d have his brains leaking out of his ears. “It’s in your blood.”

A question rose to the surface of her thoughts, and she grabbed it like it was a life-preserver. “What,” Nika asked. “is it?”

Baz looked at her, his gaze sad, resigned, and waiting for the axe to fall. “Alcohol.”

Yvgeny’s head snapped up and he snarled again, but Baz grabbed him before he could move, locked his arms around his cousin, and said very clearly, “No.”

Yvgeny seemed to shiver all over. “I need blood, now, or I’m going to lose what’s left of my sanity.”

He wanted her blood. Again?

“Close your eyes and listen,” Baz told him in a tone that allowed for no argument.

Yvgeny followed his instructions, closing his eyes and slowing his breathing.

That’s when she heard it, the echo of footsteps and whispers coming from the direction of their escape.

Yvgeny reoriented on whoever was down in the storm drains with them, his whole body turning in that direction. “Let me go.”

“I will when I’m sure they aren’t average everyday cops,” Baz said. “Act like you’re sick. Throw up some more.” He looked at her and said in a quieter tone, “Get out of here.” It was an order.

Normally, she’d have told him where he could stick his orders, but what she’d just seen was as far from normal as shit could get. Also, she thought there were a lot more than a couple of guys following their trail. She shook her head. “You might need...a distraction.”

He frowned at her, but a shout echoed through the tunnel, sounding much closer, and it grabbed his attention.

Nika backed into the manhole niche behind her and held very still. She couldn’t see the approaching men, but she could make out what they were saying.

Freeze.

Stop right there.

Put your hands up.

Baz answered the last one. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. My cousin isn’t well.”

She couldn’t see how many of them there were, but that was at least three different voices.

“I don’t give a shit,” someone barked. She listened, hard, but didn’t recognize the voice. “Drop your weapons.”

“We don’t have any,” Baz said, sounding both irritated and impatient.

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