Page 20 of Cherished by the Sinners (Sinners Never Die #4)

Darlene

M ason set Darlene down on 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 the p .

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said in a softer tone.

“Me too.” She looked down at Mason’s hand, curved around her waist. “I’d really like to go... home now.”

“Do you need to see a doctor?” Baz asked.

“No, I don’t think so.”

Baz gave her a once over, then nodded. “Mason, take her back to the hotel and make sure she gets everything she needs.”

“Yes, sir,” he replied, the vibration of his voice rolling through her.

“Magnus?” Baz asked.

“Inside.” Mason took a step out the door and glanced at Eli. “What about him?”

Baz sighed. “We’re going to have a chat, and if all goes well, then I’ll bring him to the hotel as well.”

“If all doesn’t go well?”

Baz angled a thumb over his shoulder and grinned. “The river is right over there.”

“Eli,” Darlene said. “Thank you for helping me.”

“How did he help you, exactly?” Baz asked.

“His uncle was going to cut my throat, but Eli convinced him to wait and do it in front of Mason and Magnus.” She paused. “That sounds worse when I say it out loud.”

Mason’s face, usually so calm, radiated rage and retribution.

She shook her head and met his gaze for the first time since he picked her up. “He was delaying things until you could find me. If he hadn’t, I would have been dead long before you arrived.”

The edges of Mason’s mouth and the corners of his eyes softened. He nodded, then looked at Eli. “Thank you.”

Eli, whose eyes were wide with terror, nodded back jerkily. “She is... different from most women. Kind and courageous and tenacious at the same time.”

That was a sweet thing to say.

Mason’s lip curled up and he snarled, “ Mine .”

“And yours,” Eli said with a squeak. “ All yours.”

A long moving truck pulled up, leaving space for a black limo to park between the warehouse and the buildings across the street.

Baz glanced at it. “That’s your ride, Mason. Magnus won’t be long.”

“Thank you,” Mason said, then he strode to the car. The driver had gotten out and was holding the door open for them. Mason moved into it, only putting her down once she was inside.

Darlene slid across the seat so Mason could get in, but as soon as the door was closed, he pulled her into his lap.

She tried to wiggle off him, but he kept her in place with one hand around her waist. The other pulled one of her arms out so he could examine it. He stared at it for a moment, then moved her around so he could do the same with her other arm.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Bruises.” His voice was a hoarse whisper. “Are they anywhere else?”

“Shoulders and, um, ribs... maybe? From when the first two guys grabbed me.”

Mason carefully pulled and lifted the neckline of her shirt so he could look at her skin underneath it. He made a noise, soft and worried. He looked like she’d kicked him in the balls.

She knew how that felt.

“I have some questions,” she said tentatively, then glanced at the back of the driver’s head. “But I need privacy to ask them.”

“And Magnus?”

“Yes, it would be better if I could ask you both at the same time.” She tried to smile, but knew it was a weak effort. The stress of the situation was starting to settle into her chest, into her bones, and the weight of it was becoming harder and harder to resist.

It wanted to drag her down into a deep, dark hole where pain couldn’t reach her. Where fear had no foothold. Where she was safe.

But nowhere was safe. Eli’s uncle had destroyed that illusion. Monsters lived among them, could be anyone, and she couldn’t tell a soul because they would think she was crazy.

“You’re shaking,” he murmured in her ear.

“I think the whole situation is catching up to me. I can only keep it at bay for s... so l... long.” Her teeth chattered at the end of her sentence, making her stutter.

Her whole body was vibrating, harder and harder with each passing second.

“What can I do?” he asked, his voice high with stress.

Great now she was making him feel like crap.

“Hold me,” she whispered in his ear. “Just hold me tight.”

Mason wrapped his arms around her and brought her into full-body contact, or as much as the interior of the car would allow.

He kissed her temples and cheek, despite the tears rolling down her face.

“Let it all out,” he breathed into her ear.

A sob worked its way out of her, then another, and the dam broke, shoved aside by the pressure of too many emotions repressed for too long.

She clutched at him, her arms around his waist, her hands grabbing fistfuls of his suit jacket.

It felt funny, stiff, like he was wearing armor, but she clung to him despite that.

If she didn’t hold onto something, she might be shaken apart by all the terror, anger, and panic boiling out of her.

“I won’t let anyone hurt you,” Mason said. “Magnus won’t let anyone hurt you. Even my stupid cousin Baz won’t let anyone hurt you.”

She snorted. “Baz is not sentimental. Why would he want to protect me any more than any other employee?”

“Because you belong to my brother and I,” Mason said, his voice sounding strong and sure.

“Do I? You two hardly know me.”

“We know enough.”

“Really, and what is it that you think you know?”

“Darlene, we should wait to have this conversation with Magnus.”

“I’m tired of waiting,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes and face. “I need to know. I need to know there’s a reason to stay.”

His hands tightened on her. “Do you want to run?”

“Part of me really wants to, but another part is begging for that reason.”

He coaxed her head off his shoulder and met her gaze. He looked at her as if he wanted to look at her for the rest of his life.

His head came down until they were breathing in each other’s breath. He hung there, waiting, until she wanted to scream at him.

“May I?” he asked, his voice almost soundless.

Oh. Oh .

“Have you and Magnus been waiting for me to make the first move all this time?” Her voice was breathless, but she couldn’t help it.

“Yes,” he said, his expression full of want and worry. “We didn’t want to scare you, and we wanted to be sure you understood that when it comes to that side of things, you’re in charge. Of both of us. Of everything.”

They’d been waiting for her to make the decision to move forward with a relationship. They were waiting for her to be ready.

No one, not her family or any of her friends beyond Sam had ever put her needs first.

She lunged up and captured his lips with her own.