Page 3 of As Angels Sin

Odd, isn’t it?

I don’t answer my dark voice. Yes, it’s odd. A Chinese restaurant above and a drug den down below. Right under Lorenzo Napoli’s nose, too. Very odd. Probably means they’re in cahoots. Wouldn’t make sense otherwise. Then there’s theboring cliché of it all. Why use a Chinese restaurant? It’s as if they’re trying to broadcast that they’re doing something illegal.

But now isn’t the time to contemplate this strange discovery. I need to remain steady, calm, and focused.

I step through a door and enter their den. The space is much larger than I expected, with red lights hanging above. Booths that are more akin to beds than seats line the walls on either side.

Then I see her.

A tiny woman is shaking her hand viciously toward the man she’s reprimanding. I see why, too. His half-stiff cock is dangling out of the front of his pants, and he has a firm grip on the base.

Is it drugs or fear that’s got him soft?

Doesn’t matter. It’s me, now.

Determination propels me toward the woman. In one swift motion, I wrap a hand around her head and clamp her mouth shut. The other presses my gun against her back.

He is going to be a problem, though.

He is as high as a kite. He doesn’t even know what’s happening.

“The fuck are you doing?” Another voice. Another man. Not drugged. He hasn’t realized that I’m holding a gun to the woman’s spine.

I look at him over my shoulder. He is sitting in an entry booth crafted from red curtains. The curtains drape and billow around him, giving the whole space an ethereal feel.

“Rough night, pal. Best shift over if you want this pretty thing to walk out of here alive.” I inch my way back, keeping a firm grip on the woman. Her slick, black hair runs over her shoulders and tickles my forearms as we walk.

“Who are you? What do you want with us?” The man by the doorway sounds scared.

I answer by flashing my gun in his direction.

“Okay. I get it.”

“Move the table,” I order when we’re close. He does as I command, and I walk the woman into the tent of red cloth.

He puts everything back in place before giving it another shot. “What do you want from us?” He raises his hands. He is wearing a wedding ring. Could this be his wife?

It seems luck couldn’t be any more on my side tonight.

“Nothing. If you do as I say, you’ll both walk out of here, safe and sound. If you don’t, she’ll die first—.”

She screams against my hand as my threat leaves my lips. “And once I’ve made you watch, I’ll take my time on you.”

“Christ, you’re a madman!” He blinks rapidly. I can’t get a read on him. Scared? Probably. But he is hiding it well. Maybe he is the trouble my shadow-self was taking about.

“Lorenzo Napoli. Do you know him?” I stare straight into his eyes, tightening my grip on the woman’s face.

He nods.

“Relationship?”

“Good? What kind of question is—”

“His men are going to arrive any minute now. Is this your wife?” I don’t need more than one-word answers. The quicker I can get my point across, the better.

“Yes.” He gulps down so hard I see his Adam’s apple bob.

“She is going to be okay.” I turn my lips to her ear. “You’re going to be okay. As long as your husband does exactly as I say. Do you both understand?”

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