Page 67 of Cherished By the Sinners

Chapter Twenty

Darlene

Mason set Darlene downon the chair, tore the arm off the piece of furniture very carefully, then picked her up again.The other end of the handcuff dangled off her wrist, bits of the chair caught in it.

Her arm hurt.

Mason hurried out of the warehouse faster than she expected.A lot faster.

“Magnus?”she asked.They were just going to leave him alone with that...creature?

“He’ll be fine,” Mason said.“The man who kidnapped you is certifiably insane.”

“How does that make Magnus fine?”she asked as they arrived at the front door almost too fast to stop.She should have been afraid, but after watching Sebastien eat—no she didn’t want to think about that.

The doorway was empty except for a large piece of iron or steel.It looked large enough to be part of a bridge or building.No one was in sight.

“Where did Eli go?”she asked.“I hope Baz isn’t hurting him.”

“Are you injured?”Mason asked, giving her as much of a once-over as he could while holding her.

“I’m sure I have some new bruises.”She was proud that her voice gave no hint at how she really felt—terrified and horrified.“But nothing that requires medical treatment.”

Mason stared at her, the expression on his face turning more and more worried.“What aren’t you telling me?”

There was a goddamned list.

“Can we go?”she asked instead.“I really don’t want to stay here.”

Mason nodded, then went to the door, which opened before he could reach it.

Eli was on the other side.

Mason’s lip curled up, and if he hadn’t been holding her, she was sure he would have attacked the young man.

“Don’t hurt him,” she whispered in Mason’s ear.“He helped me.Sort of.”

Someone pulled Eli away.Oh, it was Bazyli.

Baz took Eli by the shoulders and moved him to stand to one side of the doorway.“Stay right here.Don’t move or Mason is going to want to tear your throat out.”

Baz stepped back into the doorway and gave her a casual smile.“Hey, Darlene.”

“Hi Baz.”Was he really going to pretend he hadn’t just discussed how best to avoid getting one’s throat torn out?“What are you doing here?”

“Oh, not much, just trying to keep the murder rate down.”He shrugged as if Magnus wasn’t killing someone only steps away.“You know how it is.”

“Well, I’m sorry to say, there’s probably two dead bodies in this building.”

“Two?”he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“Yes, Eli’s uncle and Joan, a working girl Eli’s uncle killed.”She paused, then tilted her head to one side and continued with, “Ate?”

Mason’s whole body stiffened.

Baz studied her face.“He killed her in front of you?”

“Yep,” she said, emphasising thep.