Page 17 of Sinner
She bit her lip. “This is what I’ve trained for, Flint. I’m their sinner. I don’t like it. But… I don’t know what else to do.”
“Mary.” His voice softened like a caress. “No. You’renotthat person, do you hear me? I know you. You’re not evil. You’re the woman who brings me cute little rocks and secretly puts them on my desk. I can see the same collection of pebbles and rocks in there with the children. You care for those kids, I know you do. You have hope for a future where killing isn’t the answer.”
Tears burned her eyes. “You knew the pebbles were from me?”
“I can hack into the camera feed, remember?”
She blushed, blinking away wetness.
“My point is,” he continued. “You’re thoughtful. You’re caring. You’re not a killer of innocents. I don’t care what they call you,you’re not evil. Please believe that.”
“So help me get them out of here. Help us destroy the research so it can’t be repeated.”
Flint didn’t have time to respond. A commotion at the security door brought both their attentions there.
Gloria strode in—actually, it was more like a fierce waddle. Her stomach was so big compared to her thin body, it threw her balance off. Her white lab coat was buttoned over her breasts but flared over her bulge, accentuating the pregnancy.
Mary’s stomach dropped when she saw the man walking in behind Gloria. Julius. A tall, handsome, sophisticated nightmare on legs. Mary saw his face frequently in her visions, always accompanied by blood and tears. She couldn’t look him in the eyes without betraying her emotion. To anyone else, he was a successful businessman, a widow and grieving father, but to Mary, he was the precipice the world balanced on. One push and it was the end.
