Page 290 of The Sinner: James

Eventually, she whips her head to the side, tips her chin up, and looks at the windows.

“Eve??”

Her voice is unexpectedly loud, considering how delicate and small her frame is. The echo rolls down the street.

“Yes?” Eve responds from inside.

The girl glances at me briefly before tilting her head up again.

“There’s a sex god down here, looking for you...” she says, glancing at me this time.

I bite my lip, stifling a grin.

“A what??” the answer comes promptly.

The girl fills her lungs with air, getting ready for an encore.

“A...”

I touch her arm.

She shifts her eyes back to me, voiceless.

“I think she got it.”

“What??”

Eve’s voice rings out above us.

We flick our eyes up before taking in the girl peering at us from above.

“James??”

Her voice is strangled with surprise.

“James...” the two girls murmur in unison.

“May I come in?” I ask.

Eve looks at me bewildered, nodding repeatedly.

“Yes, sure.”

The two girls step aside, motioning me to the door.

I enter the building, their stare burning my back all the way to the top of the stairs.

The apartment door is slightly open when I push it to the side and swagger in. Eve sweeps clothes off the chairs, dumping everything into a box.

“I’m sorry, we just, um... We’re getting ready to go back home,” she says, her face going through different shades of red, her voice shaky.

She shows me to a chair.

“I’m fine. I won’t be long,” I say.

Her eyes lock mine for a moment before she erases the space between us, her hand stretched out.

“I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced, although I’ve been to one of your parties,” she says. “Eve Malone.”

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