Page 179 of The Sinner: James

A faint light brushes his eyes, drowned out quickly by a pool of darkness.

Narrowing his eyes, he tips his chin up slightly and flashes an arrogant smirk, feeding my growing apprehension.

And then he pushes his gaze down and takes me in, his rage barely contained. His lips are pressed together, and his jaw is tighter than a block of steel.

They both size me up before focusing on my necklace. My lips feel dry.

And James’ twisted smile should be enough of a dire warning.

He brings his eyes to my face, a muscle ticking in his jaw. He looks like he’s about to implode.

Panic soars through me.

“James...” I say.

Miraculously, my voice sounds calm and clear.

“Red... The fucking gutter kid, ” he mutters, his eyes slashing me without mercy.

My heart flips dead in my chest.

It can’t fucking be.

Horror floods my heart, and the air no longer moves into my lungs. A sinister grin drapes over his lips as he registers my reaction.

I shift my eyes to Lex, hoping for something different, perhaps sympathy in his gaze.

He studies me with frosted eyes, and my hope is gone.

I flick my gaze back to James, who slowly crosses his arms over his chest and brings a hand to his face.

His thumb and index finger gently rub his chin.

My eyes follow the slow motion, a gasp falling from my lips.

Oh, no. Fucking no.

This is not happening.

Ruby-encrusted platinum cufflinks sparkle on his white cuffs while dark satisfaction beams on his face.

I shift my eyes to Lex.

He raises his hand slowly, and another set of ruby-encrusted platinum cufflinks shines brightly, this time against his starched cuffs.

7

JAMES

Anger slams into my chest,a visceral pain flooding my body.

I take her in––every fucking inch of that silky skin, perfect lips, and hot body.

She’s made for love, lust, and pleasure. And now she’s tuned to perfection like a deadly machine.

If there was one thing I got right about her from the beginning, it was how powerful she was.

How unforgettable.

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