Page 117 of Sinner's Salvation

“Ask one of the housekeeping staff to ensure they take a few hours to rest when they return.” She thought about the mood the twins would be in when they arrived. “Make sure it’s Darlene you ask for. They have a soft spot for her.”

“Got it,” he said.

She hesitated, not wanting to leave him even for ten minutes.

His smile deepened. “Go, so you can come back.”

She went.

It took less than ten minutes to change and come back down to the lobby. When she walked into the large space, it was to see Mason and Magnus standing side by side in front of Evan. The twins had their arms crossed over their chests. Evan was drinking his smoothie.

Before Anna could say anything, Darlene arrived from the direction of the service elevator. She crashed to a halt between Evan and the twins, but her attention was focused completely on Mason and Magnus.

She gave them a once over, her eyes wide with distress. “What happened? Were you mugged?”

Her gaze sharpened on something at chest height on Mason. “Were you shot?” She lunged at him, her hands reaching for his chest. She put one finger through a hole in his suit jacket, then patted him gently, tears in her eyes. “Oh my God, you need to go to a hospital.”

“I was wearing a vest,” Mason’s voice rumbled, but it held no threat, no anger or aggression. “I’m fine.” He put his hand over hers on his chest, put his other hand around her waist, and pulled her closer until she came into contact with his body.

Anna stopped a few feet away, not wanting to interfere with what was happening between the three of them. It would be good if the twins found someone they could love, who loved them. They’d gotten increasingly ruthless and cold in the last few decades. She didn’t want to lose them to the insanity so many of them had succumbed to.

Magnus eased over so he was right behind Darlene. Another step and she’d be pressed between them.

She sensed his arrival and turned. She caught sight of a tear in his jacket. A gasp came out of her throat. “Did you get shot too?”

“Fist fight with an ass...a guy who didn’t fight fair.”

He had blood splattered all over his white shirt collar and some smeared on his neck.

Darlene sniffed and started to cry.

The brothers wrapped her up in their arms, and it was causing them to become something interesting to watch by everyone in the lobby.

Anna took another step closer to them, and Magnus lifted his head to meet her gaze.

Anna angled her head toward the service elevator, telling him silently to take this tête-à-tête to somewhere more private.

Magnus picked Darlene up like she was a bride. He whispered something in her ear. She nodded, then he and Mason left the lobby with her.

Evan watched them go until they disappeared from sight, then looked at her. “Are those three a...thing?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure she knows that yet.”

He grunted. “I don’t think it’s going to be long until she finds out.”

Anna turned to face Evan. “I tried to reach Bazyli while I was upstairs. He’s not answering and that’s not a good thing.”

The Customer Service manager came out of a blank doorway near the check-in desk. She hurried toward them with a stiff smile on her face that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Excuse me,” she said politely. “I’ve just gotten a call from an NYPD detective Williams. He asked me to pass along a request to you, ma’am.”

Anna didn’t bother trying to hide her surprise. “What request?”

“He was hoping you’d pay a visit to Detective Nika Johansen’s hospital room. He said that there are some people bothering Baz, and he needs...the voice of reason right now.” Her voice rose at the end of her sentence, making it more of a question.

“Ah,” Anna said, with a nod. “Thank you for letting me know.”

The manager nodded and retreated back to her office.

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