Page 74 of The Sinner: James

A serpent of heat slithers through me, coils between my legs, and makes my breath hitch again.

Gasping, I push back, a pair of green eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror, observing my reaction.

“What if I say no?” I ask.

James’ eyes are still locked with mine.

“You can say no, baby,” Ed murmurs, a warm grin creasing his lips.

Lex looks at us, silent, his blue eyes flowing through me, harboring the same thought.

The thought that makes Ed lick his lips in anticipation while James observes us, his expression set in stone.

“Is that what this is?” I ask, moving my eyes between the three of them.

“It’s whatever you want it to be,” Ed says.

“The Night of the Kings?” I murmur.

A mysterious smile flashes across Ed’s lips.

“That... is so much more, but in essence... yes,” he says.

“So what happens if I say no?”

Lex turns off the music.

“We’ll take you home and never cross paths with you again,” James says, glancing in the rearview mirror again.

His eyes could kill me right now.

I don’t quite understand––although at some level I do––yet still, I can’t make sense of this, but I go with the flow.

“So.... the stories are true,” I murmur, but nobody talks to me anymore.

Ed pulls away from me and shifts his focus to Lex and James. They start talking about their new enterprise while I slump into my seat.

Soon, their chatter turns into a muffled noise, rolling past my ears.

My stare goes blank as I shift it to the window.

“We’re getting close to town,” James says after a while with no emotion in his voice.

I look at him, somewhat broken and confused.

I wish he would help me understand.

Instead, he asks me the last thing I thought he would.

“So, which one is it? Are you staying with us, or are you going home?”

Our stares clash in the rearview mirror.

Frustration chokes me as I have my back against the wall.

He wants me to choose something I know nothing about.

Although one thing I do know.

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