Page 51 of Sinner's Fury

“War changes men.”

Shaking her head, she groaned. “Not to this extreme. Shame told me once that everything was connected, and I think he was right.”

Handing her back the file, I asked, “How so?”

Sighing, she sat on the bed. “I’m not sure, but I’m close. I can feel it. Before we left the city, I was on the cusp of something big. I know the answer to everything is in these files, but I haven’t had time to go through them all, and honestly, it’s a lot to take in.”

“You told me in the car that you were in the city doing research when you met Drew’s father. Is that what you do for a living, research?”

Smirking, she shook her head. “No. It’s a hobby of mine. I enjoy putting puzzles together and this mess is a big puzzle. As for a job, the only thing I’m really trained in is running theSociety. I didn’t have the normal upbringing like most kids did. I never went to school.”

“Hold up,” I said, walking over to sit next to her. “What do you mean, you never went to school?”

“Not in the conventional sense. Mother told me public or private education was for the bottom feeders and tantamount to government brainwashing. Instead, I had specialized tutors she brought in who taught me other things like etiquette or how to persuade, blackmail, seduce, even kill. I know how to properly present myself to several government officials. I can command a room with one look or look like a meek, unassuming woman. I can speak several languages, and I can easily blend into any situation.”

“What about the other things like math, science or English?”

Slowly shaking her head, she replied, “No. I don’t even have a high school diploma. I never went to college. Never played sports, but I can throw a dinner party like a pro. I always wanted to go to school. I would see kids running toward school buses and thought how fun it would be it be like them. To be around kids my age, to make friends, to laugh, to play.”

“What about Drew?”

She smiled. “I homeschool Drew. After Mother died, I knew I couldn’t just enroll Drew in regular school. So, I researched homeschooling. I started him early, and over the years, we have slowly learned everything together. I find math and science fascinating. I can’t wait till he starts his next set of courses. Did you know a potato can power a light bulb?”

Laughing, I nodded. “Yep, I sure did.”

I marveled at how stunningly innocent she was. She had lived a completely sheltered life, denied the normal things children took for granted, yet it didn’t bother her. With every new thing she learned, she marveled at its genius, wanting to know more. It was as if the death of her mother opened her eyes to an entirely new world. She couldn’t wait to learn everything about it.

Though entirely innocent of everything around her, she was cunningly smart, perceptive, and very knowledgeable about matters that most took for granted.

She was an enigma.

An innocent spectator in a world that was hell-bent on destroying her.

Chapter Seventeen

Montana

Looking at the phone on the small table before me, I stared at it, watching and waiting for him to call. I fucking knew he would. It was only a matter of time before he learned what happened.

It was all over the fucking news now. The news of the event spread like wildfire, with every media outlet covering it, creating an unstoppable momentum that made it impossible to undo the damage.

The entire underworld now knew that the president of Satan’s Angels, Steele, was alive. More importantly, the table now knew I had failed to uphold my end of the marker. If that wasn’t bad enough, I learned the fucker got away in the chaos of the night’s events and no one had seen him since.

Pandora’s box was completely open now and there was no way I could put the lid back on the box. My only hope was that I could find a way to persuade him from destroying everything I held dear. It was a long shot, but I was banking on the fact that I had a direct blood link to his club in my possession.

Never thought I’d be grateful to have Golden blood in my club, but if they saved my ass, then I would gladly use them.

I never claimed to be a decent man.

Hell, I was a bastard, and I fucking knew it. But when it came to me and mine, well, I didn’t give a fuck who I threw under the bus, as long as my family was safe.

Did that make me a fucking bastard? Probably, but I didn’t give a shit because I knew he would do the same damn thing for his family. That was the one thing we had in common. There was nothing either of us wouldn’t do to protect those we loved. And for that reason alone, I knew when he learned what happened, he would come for me.

I wasn’t scared of him, just like I knew he wasn’t scared of me.

It was the waiting, knowing that he was out there, plotting and planning. Anything and everything was now on the table, and when he struck, it would be when I least expected it.

That’s what scared me.

---