Page 32 of Sinner's Secret

Yvgeny blinked. “What?”

Baz stood and patted his cousin’s shoulder. “She lied. Oh, she did suggest that I lay low and that she’d call me when the time was right to re-enter society, as it were. But I told her I would never be her tool again.”

Yvgeny’s eyes widened. “You...what?”

“Her manipulations are partly why I wasn’t with my family when our castle was attacked.”

Yvgeny stared at him with his mouth hanging open.

“Getting back to our current problem. You have a leak in your organization. Find it, and when you do, call me. I want to be there when you ask the traitor what the fuck.” Baz shrugged. “Who knows, maybe my standing in sight, all scary and stuff will help.”

He headed toward the door.

“Wait,” Yvgeny said. “This human smuggling ring, are you going to let me handle it?”

“Nope. I’m going to take those assholes down myself.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? Like you said there are cameras everywhere, and some things are hard to explain.”

“I’ll be careful. I’m wearing body armor.”

“What about your...drinking habit?”

“What about it?”

“Doesn’t it affect your coordination? Things like that?” Yvgeny waved his hand passed his nose a few times. “It sure does make you stink.”

“I’m happy to be underestimated by almost everyone.” He reached for the doorknob. “Get dispatch to call me in for a maintenance check on the car when you have any news.”

“But...well...fine.”

He left Yvgeny standing next to his desk, an oddly forlorn look on his face.

Baz went down to the main floor using the stairwell and left using a side exit rather than the main one. He got into his cab and pulled away from the curb.

That was about the strangest conversation he’d ever had with his cousin. How had his mother hidden what she’d done from him?

A moment later, he was able to answer his own question. By making him look like grief had taken his sanity, that’s how. Which was true. And all the rest of them had been too frightened to try to track him down and talk to him. He’d always known she was ruthless, but this...anything that might have been human inside her really had died all those years ago when the Sweating Sickness had destroyed all their souls.

Baz drove toward the Bronx, then circled the neighborhood streets aimlessly for a while. Someone had started a war tonight. They’d nearly killed a cop a year ago, tried to kidnap another one repeatedly, then murdered several more tonight. Whatever was happening was escalating fast.

The entire police force was going to be gunning for them now. Which made them look stupid. So, why had they done it? What could they possibly gain from attacking the police?

There was something hinky going on at the station, and that was putting a lot of people in danger. It put Nika in danger. So many attempts to kidnap her.

Shit, he didn’t know where she actually lived.

He pulled over, parked, then texted her, asking for her address.

Are you serious?

Yeah.

I’m not giving you my address.

I’m not asking for nefarious reasons.

Sometimes you sound like you were born a long time ago.

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