Page 13 of Sinner's Salvation

The sexual hunger in his pale blue gaze all but set her on fire.

She’d expected the people who kidnapped her and Brian to make the first move and attempt to charm information out of her. She’d encountered many questioners over the years. None of them stayed charming for long.

None of them had the ring this man did on his little finger, either. It was one of a kind, and she should know, it had resided on her own finger for hundreds of years. She’d given it to an American soldier during the Second World War. A man she thought long since dead and buried, the ring with him.

She’d given him the ring as a way to say thank you. He’d discovered who andwhatshe was and treated her with the same respect and compassion as he always had. He hadn’t told anyone what he knew. She’d never given the ring to anyone else during her long, long life, but he’d earned her trust and friendship.

Seeing it now brought back a lot of memories. Some horrible, some courageous, some sad. He’d been a true friend.

This Evander Gunn had the same smile as the soldier she’d fought side by side with. Perhaps he was a grandson or great-nephew of her old friend? Bernard Gunnerson. The last names were similar, but not the same. She couldn’t, however, recall anyone who was more than six feet tall and had the hardened muscles his clothing couldn’t hide.

The presence of the ring and a familiar smile didn’t automatically make himherfriend. Did he know who she was?Whatshe was?

Would he smile at her if he knew?

When he walked into the room, he’d looked at her with admiration. As if she were desirable, and not someone to be feared. That lack of fear was...seductive. So few people looked at her like that. Especially if they knew her horrible secret.

The whisper of fabric rubbing together brought her awareness back to the here and now. She glanced at Brian and noted a slight tightening of the skin around his eyes and mouth.

And there it was. Alarm. Dread. Anxiety.

She turned away with a sigh. After so many years of seeing those emotions on so many faces, it was no wonder why she longed for the softness of a genuine smile.

“What’s wrong?” Brian asked hesitantly. “I thought that guy was...okay.”

Even his voice sounded strained.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Brian,” she said. Exhaustion sat on her shoulders, growing heavier every second, while thirst dried out her throat. “And thatguywas polite for a reason.”

Brian blinked a couple of times before he rubbed his face with both hands. “He was trying to be the good cop.”

She nodded. “To both of us.”

“I apologize.” He rubbed his face with both hands again. “I’m very tired and I’m not thinking clearly.”

There were dark circles under his eyes, a clear sign of fatigue and pain. “Sleep now, while you can. Even a few minutes will help improve your cognitive function.”

He nodded. “Okay.” He moved around in his chair, but it was too small for anyone to find a comfortable position to sleep in.

“Sleep here,” she ordered and slid off the gurney. “The blood is dry.”

He snorted as he got to his feet. “I’ve got plenty on my clothes, a little more won’t make much of a difference.”

They switched places. She sat in his chair, while he lay down on the gurney. He grunted and flinched as he laid down, favoring his left arm.

“Are you injured?”

He nodded. “After the Homeland Security agent shot you, he shot me, but I was moving when it happened, so it grazed my arm rather than punching a hole through it. Then he sat and watched me bleed for fifteen or twenty minutes before he let me bandage it up.”

So, the agent didn’t know who was different and who was normal. He’d had to shoot Brian to figure it out.

The room was silent for almost a minute before Brian said quietly, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Anna asked, just as quietly.

“I didn’t think anyone would try somethingthisstupid.” Contempt dripped off each word. Hopefully, the person who ordered their kidnapping was listening.

Anna laughed softly. “People are stupid all the time. All we can do is hope that they will eventually listen to reason.”

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