Page 194 of Bad for Me

I spin around and lift a shoulder. “Oops?”

“Thought so,” he mutters, running a hand through his hair. “Think you can call it off before Aidan loses any more money? I’d really rather not tell him he’s losing hundreds of thousands of dollars because you wanted my attention.”

I scoff. “I wasn’t trying to get your attention, Carver. I was trying to learn about you.”

Sinister swaggers toward me, his face breaking into a grin. I lean back on my stool when he places both hands on the table and stoops over me. “You were curious about me.”

My brows kiss my hairline. “So?”

He slides a finger down the side of my face. “Were you thinking about me when you were stalking me all over Arcadia?” His nose brushes mine and he whispers, “Did you come back here and touch yourself after?”

I duck under his arm and skip away. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” When I reach the doorway, I turn around. “They stopped trying to hack you four days ago and won’t try again. Your compound’s safe.”

* * *

Sinisterand I spent the past few days getting to know each other better. He took me out for meals, scowling at anyone that looked at me curiously. We made a trip to the river and found a small embankment where we sat and let the water run over our feet. Sinister drove us to the old fortress in the woods, where we walked hand in hand through the old rooms and relived the better memories of our time there. He took me to meet Aidan, who held our hands and told us to be happy.

We talked, and fucked, and cried, and laughed.

And we came up with a plan. Richard is still nowhere to be found, but the other three men that took me? We know where they are, thanks to some help from Eric and Trey.

“What do you think?” I ask Sin with my hands on my hips. We rearranged The Dollhouse by removing all the furniture and storing it behind the third section. Sinister located more wall panels from God knows where, and we turned the warehouse into a maze. We kept the hidden tunnels and added some fun new additions.

One thing I discovered is how rich Sinister is. I guess being the hitman to the largest Mafia boss in the state has its perks. I’ve never cared too much about money, beyond being able to buy necessities. Second-hand furniture and clothing suits me fine. But Sin has discovered he’s got a thing for providing for me, and I now own more clothes than I ever have in my life and get to have fancy new toys to play with.

I’ll never give up Barbie, though. She’s my ride or die.

Sinister glances down from the ladder he’s on, paint dripping from his brush. He wanted to add more decoration to the walls, so I let him at it. He won’t let me turn the blue lights on until he’s finished.

“Looks good,” he replies, glancing over the warehouse. “Have you sent out the invites?”

“Yep.” I tuck my hands in my back pockets and do a final turn through the building, double-checking where we placed the weapons. I sent Leo, Thom, and Chris invitations from The Dollhouse website. Knowing their predilections, I crafted an enticing summons they wouldn’t be able to refuse.

Sinister comes up behind me and wraps an arm around my waist. “Ready?” At my nod, he flips the switch, and the blue lights come on. I turn in a slow circle, taking everything in. On the retractable wall to the third section, he drew a monster and a wren. Another wall holds our names and the date they separated us. Scythes, crosses, and other deathly images cover the remaining walls, along with my original words that he’s interspersed with the pictures.

“It’s perfect,” I breathe, and Sin grins down at me. “Now let’s get ready. They’ll be here soon.”

10

SINISTER

Dolly spins aroundand throws her arms out. “What do you think?” She’s wearing one of the new dresses I bought her, a pale-pink one with a lot of flounces and lace. Frilly socks and her Mary Janes complete her outfit, and she’s styled her hair into two French braids intertwined with pink ribbons.

I dressed myself in my usual Carver attire. Black slacks, brogues, a white button-down shirt, and a trench coat that flows down to my knees. I modified it to add hidden pockets to store a variety of weapons.

“Perfect,” I reply, dropping a kiss on her forehead. An alert pings my phone, letting me know there’s movement out front. Dolly’s head snaps up, and a smile spreads across her face. She’s adorable.

She grabs my hand, and we hurry down the stairs. I close the wall behind us as Dolly heads to the front to let Chris in. She staggered their arrival times so they wouldn’t be suspicious when they saw each other. I tuck myself behind the door and give her a nod. She winks back and pulls the door open, and I notice the change in her behavior immediately.

“Welcome to The Dollhouse, sir. Please, come on in,” she says in a sensual voice, grabbing his arm and pulling him inside. “Here, let me take your coat.” While he’s distracted, I come up behind him and plunge a needle into his neck. His hand comes up to cover the injection site, and he spins around, backing up when he catches sight of me.

“Wha—” He collapses to the ground, his eyes rolling up into his head. The corner of my mouth ticks up. It’s another of The Chemist’s formulas. The fast-acting concoction knocks them out and loosens their muscles, allowing for easy transport.

Dolly bounces on her toes. “You’re going to introduce The Chemist to me, right? I need to meet this man.”

I growl low in my throat and wrap a hand around her neck. “Mine.” My lips capture hers, and my tongue plunders her mouth. “Don’t get any ideas,” I say after leaving her weaving on her feet.

She blinks at me before turning with a huff. “I’ll have ideas if I want to.” She lifts Chris’s legs and raises a brow at me. “Going to help me, or do I have to do everything by myself?”

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