Page 27 of Sinner's Secret

“Well, I do.” He left too. Now it was just him and Williams who was focused on his phone.

Baz took a seat at the table and put his head down as if he were going to take a quick nap. Sleeping wasn’t something people like him could do well. He could relax and let his thoughts wander. Let the rumble of conversations outside the room roll over him. He couldn’t pick out specific sentences, but occasionally the odd word or phrase stood out.

Targeted.

Gang related.

Organized crime.

Execution.

Leak.

The door to the conference room opened. Baz lifted his head to find Nika had returned with Davis behind her, carrying two cups of coffee.

She looked a lot different than she had when she’d left for a quick trip to the bathroom. She wore a suit a lot like the one Smith wore. Only it was tailored for her smaller, curvier form. Her hair was up in a tight braid that had been pinned in a circle at the back of her head. Two chopsticks were entwined in her hair, sticking out to create a letter x.

If you weren’t familiar with her features close up, you’d think this Nika and waitress Nika were two different people.

He gave her a very deliberate once over and grinned. “Nice.”

She gave him a pinched look. “Asshole.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m...not.”

Williams laughed. “You’re about the most honest asshole I’ve ever met.”

“Yeah, I’ve never been good at lying.”

“Really?” Nika asked in a tone that challenged his assertion.

“It takes up too much space in my brain. Once you start lying, you have to keep track of the lies and that, quite frankly, is too much work.”

“You’re saying you’re too lazy to lie?” Williams asked.

“Huh,” Baz considered the question. “Yeah, I guess I am.” He smiled. “You guys are better than therapy.”

The door opened and Thomas strode in with another man two paces behind him. The new guy was also wearing a suit, but it was much nicer than anyone else’s in the room by a factor of ten.

The expression on the newcomer’s face was so neutral it looked mechaNikal. There was only one kind of person who looked like that.

“What’s with the lawyer?” Baz asked.

Thomas stabbed Baz with a gaze hotter than a blow torch. “What are you talking about? He’s your lawyer.”

Baz took another look at the man and sucked in a deep breath through his nose. He wasn’t as good at scents as his cousin Yvgeny, but his sense of smell was better than a regular human’s. Nope, not family. But there was another scent lingering on his clothes. An old rusty smell. He also looked a little pale. He worked for a family all right, just not Baz’s family.

“I didn’t call you.” Baz sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “How is it that you’re here for me?”

A small frown broke the sombre plane of the lawyer’s forehead. “I’d like to speak with you privately, Mr. Breznik.”

“No thanks.”

The lawyer blinked.

Everyone in the room looked at Baz like he’d spoken another language.

“You can go,” Baz added, when the lawyer didn’t reply.

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