Page 60 of Cherished By the Sinners

Chapter Eighteen

Darlene

Darlene stumbled forthe fourth time as Eli pulled her through the dark warehouse.He kept her upright but didn’t slow down.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she was able to make out that they were in a long hallway.They reached a door at the end and Eli opened it.

The remainder of the warehouse spread out in front of her.But it was divided up in a weird way.Someone had used fabric-covered room partitions to create the illusion of rooms.

Eli dragged her around and past the screens and into a smaller central area.There was a single light on, illuminating a circle of three chairs in the middle of the space.

No, not chairs, recliners.The kind your grandpa sat in to watch TV.

Darlene stared at the chairs, then at the man sitting in one of them.The other two were unoccupied.He was dressed in an expensive suit, and was staring at her as if she were some kind of bug.One he wanted to step on.

Eli dragged her to an unoccupied chair, shoved her into it, then sat in the last open one.

No one said anything.

Darlene studied each man.Similar noses and chins.Same hair color.Hmm, Eli did mention an uncle.This must be him.

The stranger stood and strode over to her.There was an expression on his face that she recognized from her years on the street.It was the expression some men wore when they were deciding how they were going to hurt you.

Normally, she’d stare at her feet when dealing with someone like that, try to make herself small and non-threatening.

But not this time.Nope, this time, she wasn’t going to let anyone treat her as if she wasn’t a person.She had value, people liked her.Louise, Anna, Baz, and Mason and Magnus, they all liked her.And she was safe.

This was not safe.

Eli said to be quiet, but she knew this man.She’d met him a hundred times before in different bodies.Silence was an invitation to them.It gave them power.She would never give anyone power over her again.

This time she maintained eye contact with the man who stopped close enough to bend over and sniff her hair.

She leaned away.“I’m sorry if I smell bad.I was covered in someone else’s blood.”

The man grabbed her hair at the back of her head and forced her head back to expose her throat.

She couldn’t move, not even a little, and for the first time since entering the warehouse, fear threatened to overwhelm her.She couldn’t control her panicked heartrate, but she could slow down her breathing.It took effort, but she managed to take in a deep slow breath, let it out, then took in another one.

He sniffed again.“You have been drinking alcohol?”

“Yes.”She didn’t like the quiver in her voice.She cleared her throat and added, “Just a shot.”

He sniffed again, then let her go and returned to his seat.

“Well?”Eli asked.“Is she?”

“No,” the Sniffer said.