Page 16 of Cherished by the Sinners (Sinners Never Die #4)

Darlene

D arlene sat in the back of a limousine staring at the man who’d snatched her out of the crowd of people in the emergency ward.

Her hands shook. She wanted to punch him in the face, or kick him in the balls, or poke his eyes out.

Anything to let the rage that had her vibrating in her seat out in some semi-useful way.

It wasn’t just getting kidnapped again that had lit her fuse.

It was the arrogance and cruelty he displayed.

He’d knocked people out of the way, and treated everyone as if they were garbage.

No, that wasn’t quite right. Garbage was something to be discarded.

He treated them like furniture—inanimate objects to be moved and arranged until they pleased him.

He smiled at her, flashing his sharp canines at her. “You are not what I was expecting.”

“Why would you be expecting anything? I’ve never seen you before.”

“I thought that the woman who tamed the twins would be more...” he waved his hand around nonsensically in front of her. “ More .” He paused and sat forward a little.

Did he think she was going to be insulted or something?

“Is it my outfit?” she asked, plucking at the fabric of her shirt. “This is what was available.” The hotel’s housekeeping scrubs weren’t known for their cutting-edge fashion.

The weirdo shook his head. “No, no, I meant, someone with more poise and beauty.” His smile was very definitely anticipatory.

She shrugged. “Yeah, I don’t get it either.”

The smile on his face slowly died. “I want to know why they... like you.”

“I asked them the same thing.” She shook her head. “They told me it was my courage, which is bullshit, because I’ve run away from plenty of fights.”

His smile came back with a vengeance. “You will need all your courage in the hours to come.”

“Do I?” she asked. This was a man who, from the quality of his clothing, lived the high life. He probably couldn’t even imagine what her life had been like. “What if I don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t want to be courageous.” She sighed. She could tell by the confusion on his face that he didn’t understand what she was saying at all. “What if I’m not brave?”

It was his turn to shrug. “You have no choice.”

She leaned forward suddenly. “There is always another choice.”

He laughed. “Really? What would that choice be?”

“Death.”

“Death?” He frowned. “You mean you would choose to die?”

“Yes, you could do it right now. I’m sure you’re armed. Why don’t you just kill me now and taunt the twins with my body?”

His jaw dropped open and stayed that way for three whole seconds.

So, he wasn’t a psychopath or a sociopath. He still had some basic moral principles buried in the back of his head.

“You’re crazy.”

“No, I’m not. Would you like to know what I am?”

He stared at her like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be in the car with her anymore. “What are you?” he snarled.

“Sick and tired of other people using me,” she said. “For example, you. Who told you the twins had any feelings for me at all? Was it that moron vice cop?”

A flash of surprise flowed over his face.

“I thought so. He told you I was a prostitute, right?”

The guy nodded slowly.

“Did he tell you I survived a serial killer?”

The guy blinked a couple of times. “No, he didn’t.”

“I want to show you something.” She twisted in her seat so he could see her back and lifted the back of her scrub shirt up so he could see her scars.

He didn’t say anything, but the weight of his stare was a physical presence on her skin.

She dropped her shirt and turned around. “Do you get it now? I’m done with people using me for their own benefit. I am a human being. I have value. You might not understand what that value is, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

He stared at her, his expression changing, morphing into something much more complex than disgust or disdain. “Do you have feelings for the twin monsters?”

“I do. I’m not quite sure what they are, yet, but I want to find out.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Do you know what they are?”

That was a strange question. “Do you want me to list their attributes?”

He snorted. “No. I’m talking about their diet.”

“Huh?” Now she was really confused.

The smile that slid across his face was smug. “How about their age? Have they mentioned that?”

She shook her head.

He hummed under his breath for a second. “One of them was shot several times. How did he explain not getting hurt?”

“He wears a bulletproof suit. I could see the marks the bullets made on the outside of it. None of them penetrated though.”

The dude rubbed his hand over his face, then studied her for several seconds. “Why are you loyal to them? To all of the Brezniks?”

“They gave me a real job, a place to live, and medical care. They’re going to help me get my high school diploma, and if I want to go to college, they’re going to help with that too.”

He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “So, financial compensation.”

“No, not entirely. They’re fair and frequently kind. If I’m having a bad day, they notice and want to know how they can help me. They do this for all their staff. They’re good people.”

He shook his head and laughed silently. “Are you sure?”

“Am I sure about what?”

“That they’re good?”

“I can only judge by their actions.”

“And if they’ve left some things out? Omitted some important information?”

She shrugged. “They’re a family with a lot of businesses. I’m sure I don’t know everything, and I don’t expect to. If they’ve left things out, I’ll find out when it’s time or I won’t.”

“And if they have a medical condition, one that affects their health?”

“Is it contagious?”

“No.”

“Then it’s none of my business until they decide to tell me.”

The man drummed the fingers of one hand on his thigh while he studied her. “You are a peculiar woman.”

“Thank you.”

“It is not a compliment.”

She shrugged again. “I considered the source. Coming from a rich, arrogant asshole, it is a compliment.”

He stared at her for several seconds, then leaned forward and lowered his voice. “If you behave like this with my uncle, he will do as you suggest, kill you and taunt the twins with your body.”

She tilted her head to one side. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because, you’re different. Interesting. And...” His voice trailed off. “Perhaps I see why they like you, a little bit.”

“So, now you want to help me?”

He grunted. “I don’t want to see you die.”

“Okay. How do you suggest I behave in order to stay alive?”

“Say as little as possible, and don’t make eye contact. Anything else he will interpret as a challenge to his authority.”

Not much different than dealing with a dangerous john, who may or may not try to kill you. “I can do that.”

“Your scars...”

“What about them?”

“They are still healing?”

“Yes. Some of them got infected. Some worse than others.” She met his gaze again. “I would have died if the Brezniks hadn’t helped me. They didn’t have to. Do you understand?”

“I understand more than you do. They are different... we are different than most other people.”

“People are the same in all the ways that count.”

“Are you sure about that?”

She sighed. “I have seen people at their worst. I have been treated like garbage.” She huffed out a laugh. “Hell, I should be dead right now, but a friend found me on the street, and Yvgeny Breznik was with her. He gave me a job, a place to live, and my dignity back.”

The man stared at her with the oddest expression on his face. He wasn’t angry, or disgusted, like he’d been at the beginning. He wasn’t afraid or surprised either.

He looked... like someone stuck between hope and despair.

“My name is Eli,” he said finally. “I will try to help you as much as I can, but my uncle is angry and he wants the Brezniks to pay.”

“To pay for what?” she asked.

“A very long list of offenses, insults, and slurs.”

“So... what you’re telling me is, he’s going to hurt me to hurt them.”

He didn’t answer, but he looked away, as if embarrassed.

Great .

They didn’t say anything else for the rest of the ride.

When the car stopped, Eli slid out of it with her arm in his grasp. He pulled her along from the vehicle to a warehouse door. He knocked and it opened.

It was dark inside, only a couple of red emergency lights high on the walls provided any light.

She stumbled along beside him as he pulled her into the enveloping darkness.