Page 12 of The Sins That Bleed
I conclude that she must be another agent that I’ve not met yet, pulled in from another division or district to help. She thrusts something at me and I look down, finding a large bundle of fabric in her arms.Blankets, she has blankets for the victims. I move into action, taking them from her and marching towards the first person now free from the restraints.
I wrap him in the blanket as they sit him down and wait for medical help. I keep moving, draping blankets over as many people as I can. I notice Valeska and her shadow are doing the same on the other side. I’m grateful that they won’t have to wait for me to get around them all.
I am still expecting tears or some kind of reaction from the victims, but they’ve been traumatised into silence. I step back into the rain with Nico when Valeska and her shadow come and stand with us. I’m exhausted and don’t have it in me to discuss anything with them right now until I know what their role is here since they never clarified.
“Can I fucking help you two?”
It’s rude and usually I wouldn’t be like this, but her presence is getting under my skin. Nico cuts me a look to try and get me to pull myself together but before I can apologise, Valeska responds to me.
“Do you always speak to people this way?”
Her voice, like earlier, is soft but I can hear the undercurrent of steel. She’s not one to take shit from people it seems. I can’t say I blame her; I’d respond the same way to myself but there’s something about her that gets my back up.
I look over to the woman with her, drawn to her face but unsure why. Like I might know her from somewhere but I would remember someone with such bright hair.
“Ignore princess here, he’s tired and needs his beauty sleep.” Nico jokes, and I catch the wink he throws at the petite woman who I still don’t have a name for.
“Aww, mon amour, why didn’t you say so? I’m sure we can wrap this up without you,” she coos.
“Listen lady, I don’t know who the fuck you are or why you’re here. If the next thing that comes out of your mouth isn’t related to helping with this case in any way, piss off.”
My chest is heaving as the adrenaline floods through me, my heart pounding in my chest. I’m riled up and can feel the frustration rising in me, but I have no idea why she’s bringing this out of me.
My gut tells me something is off with these two but I don’t know what. I flick my gaze to the woman with her to make sure she gets the message too.
“Dude, take a breath.” Nico has pulled me back from where I’d stepped up close to Valeska to block my view of her. “Look, go home. I’ve got things here; you’re not being yourself and you need to sleep.”
He’s right. I hang my head in shame for being such a dick. He pats me on the shoulder and moves back to my side.
“Forgive me, it’s been a long day, ladies. You can speak with agent Nico here. I apologise for speaking out of turn and appreciate the assistance.”
Valeska’s head tilts slightly to the side as she considers me. “I accept your apology, but before you leave, I need to speak to both of you.”
I tamp down the remark that wants to slip free and nod at her to go on. Part of my mind is already on the cleaning I’ll do when I get home, using it to take my mind off this day. I need a clear head for tomorrow when I start preparing the case stacking up against these bastards.
Valeska looks around to make sure nobody else is in earshot, her movements quick before her attention lands back on us, on me. My fingers burn with the need to remove her sunglasses and see her eyes, an instinctual need to gaze into them and find out the secrets they hold.
“You’ve got a bigger problem on your hands than you think.”
CHAPTER 6
Bite Me
VALESKA
Being this close to him is testing my control—and my patience.
I’d felt every conflicting emotion and rush of desire he’d felt for me the first time his eyes landed on me up close. Barely any time passed in that moment but so much happened—he heard the call of my dark, decaying soul and couldn’t resist its pull.
The same pull I suspect is tugging at me from his bright one, despite his attitude.
“What do you mean a bigger problem? What do you know?” Agent Rai’s demand forces me to still, so I don’t reach out and strangle him.
“Don’t get me wrong, Agent Rai,” I purr, “you look cute when you’re pissed off and all, but I will not tolerate it being taken out on me. I will walk away right now and leave you to spend the next decade trying to dismantle this trafficking ring, or I can share what I know. I can provide you with some extra resources that will reduce your time frame significantly, so you can retire before another wrinkle of stress graces that pretty face of yours. So,princess, what will it be?”
I cross my arms as I watch my words land and his reaction microscopically plays over his features. To a human he looks calm and collected, a man in control. What I see is a man barely hanging on to his composure. It agitates me to see him in distress, but I’m unable to put my finger on why.
Several times I’ve seen him regard Sunny and if I had a heart still thumping in my chest, it might be beating faster than his. He can sense something is off about us but it’s her I worry about, if they found out, it would be devastating.
