Page 7 of Cherished by the Sinners (Sinners Never Die #4)

Darlene

D arlene finished cleaning the last suite and pushed her cart toward the doorway and Magnus. He stood there watching the rearranging of the furniture with a blank expression on his face.

It hadn’t been blank when he told her the hotel would pay for her to finish high school. He’d looked hopeful, then satisfied after she told him she was very interested. Some of the other housekeepers were afraid of him and his brother. She wasn’t.

She’d learned a long time ago to judge people by their actions. They had only behaved in ways that proved they were good men. Men who wouldn’t allow anyone they considered theirs to get hurt. They were safe.

Safety was something she’d had very little of in her life. The freedom it gave her to walk without looking over her shoulder and to sleep without fear of attack, was better than any high she’d ever had.

One of the Chinese ladies giggled as Darlene passed her, telling her friend she thought, based on the size of his hands, Magnus must be very well endowed.

Heat bloomed on Darlene’s face. Yeah, she agreed with that.

Magnus stepped back, out of the doorway, so she could push her cart out. “Finished?” he asked in an even tone.

“Yes. I’m heading down to Housekeeping now.” She headed for the elevator.

Magnus followed her, and got in the elevator with her when it arrived.

She pushed the button for her floor.

They rode in silence all the way down to the basement. When the door opened, she sighed and pushed her cart out. She dropped off all the dirty linens, towels, and garbage. Then she restocked the cart for the next shift.

Magnus followed her through it all.

“Am I this big of a security risk that you have to follow me around everywhere?”

“No,” he said. It was all he said.

Darlene waited, hoping for more info about what his concern was, but he stayed silent.

She rolled her eyes. “Peachy.”

Magnus’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it. “Mason will be joining us in a minute. Are you finished?”

“Yes, I suppose I am.”

They moved toward the entrance and met Mason as he came in.

“Okay,” Darlene said trying to hide how nervous she was. “Where are we having this meeting? The lunchroom?”

Magnus shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Why don’t we discuss things in the restaurant?”

Things ? “Okay. Do you mind if I change into different clothes first?”

Magnus nodded. “I’ll let our staff know we’ll be off the clock for a few hours.”

“I’ll walk Darlene to her room,” Mason added.

“You don’t need to do that,” she said to Mason a little too quickly.

He stared at her, one eyebrow raised.

“It’s just...” She sighed and muttered, “I don’t have much.”

The two men looked at each other, then at her. “We know,” they said at the same time, their voices in perfect sync. They gave each other a tiny glare before focusing on her again.

They were so cute when they did that, and a smile broke through her nervousness.

Magnus grunted and led the way to the exit.

Mason extended his hand in a gesture for her to follow his brother, then he brought up the rear.

Magnus went one way, heading for the main elevator to the lobby, while she and Mason took the staff elevator up three floors to the employee quarters. Her place was next to Yvgeny Breznik’s assistant, Brian, a man about her age who was also an FBI agent.

She’d bumped into him in the hallway a few times and he was always polite if a bit distracted.

He knew that everyone who worked for the Brezniks knew he was with the FBI.

People had been suspicious of him, but since he helped save Anna Breznik from a corrupt Homeland Security agent, most of the staff were cautiously polite to him.

Darlene let herself into her room and held the door open so Mason could follow her.

He hesitated, studying her face, before coming inside far enough for the door to close behind him.

Her room was spartan. She had a few changes of clothes in the drawers next to her mini-fridge, but not much else.

No jewelry or a purse or even pocket change on the side table next to the bed. She kept the room clean.

Darlene pulled a pair of jeans and a soft t-shirt out of the dresser and carried them into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

She took off her housekeeping uniform—a set of scrubs with the hotel logo and her name embroidered on it.

She’d been given three sets of staff outfits and she was ridiculously proud of them. Those she kept in the closet by the door to the room. This set was ready for the laundry though, so she folded it up and stacked it on the small pile of dirty laundry on the floor underneath the bathroom vanity.

She didn’t have any makeup on the vanity. She’d thrown it and her purse away after she’d come to live here.

After she understood that she really could have a regular life and didn’t have to turn tricks anymore. She’d thrown everything about her old life away.

She did have a large first aid kit her friend Samantha had given her before she left with her boyfriend, Yvgeny, who also happened to own the hotel. She’d needed it. The serial killer who’d carved into her back had left her with a roadmap back there that was still healing.

She turned in front of the mirror and noted that one of the deepest wounds had started seeping blood again. The bandage over it was saturated. It was almost in the middle of her back below her bra strap where she couldn’t reach.

Damn it .

She pulled on her jeans and a pair of socks, then opened the bathroom door. Her guest stood at the window, looking out at the street. “Mason, could I ask for a favor?”

He turned and approached her, his gaze flicking down then up her body. “What do you need?” His deep, dark voice rolled through her like it always did with a secret thrill that was a pleasure she never had to feel guilty enjoying.

“Can you change the bandage on my back? That cut is bleeding again.”

She turned around so he could see.

Of course, he could now see everything that asshole had done to her. Scars she would never be able to get rid of.

Mason didn’t move or say anything for so long she wondered if there was something wrong. “Mason?”

No answer.

Was he disgusted by what he saw?

“You know what? Never mind. I can ask Louise to help me. She does it most of the time anyway. Either her or another female housekeeper.” She tried to laugh, but it didn’t sound very happy. “I think they’ve all seen the spaghetti art that is my back at least once by now—”

A large warm hand came to rest gently on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry.” Mason’s voice rumbled out of him as if he were the voice of a volcano. “I wish I’d met you sooner, to spare you this.” His hand shook, the slight tremors betraying the depth of his emotions.

She wished that too, but regrets were easy. “I might not have accepted your cousin’s job offer if I hadn’t been so badly injured. I had to hit rock bottom before I could walk away from that life.”

She glanced over her shoulder at him. “It was that or die, you know?”

He nodded, his gaze following the path of his fingers. “I do know.” He blinked and gestured at the bathroom. “You have supplies?”

She nodded and stepped into the bathroom so he could join her. There had been plenty of space, but now... Mason filled it.

It didn’t matter where she looked, he was there. She closed her eyes, but his scent was all around her, telling her he was close. So close.

She sat backward on the toilet lid and hunched over the tank so he didn’t have to bend too far to reach her.

He looked at the first aid kit, pulled on a pair of gloves, and carefully peeled the bandage on her back off. He threw it in the garbage, then leaned down to examine the wound. He even sniffed it a couple of times.

“This isn’t infected, yet,” he said. “But it needs to be cleaned very well and some antibiotic ointment applied or it will get infected.”

He seemed to know what he was talking about. “Can you do it?”

Again, he hesitated. “It will hurt.”

“I can take it.” She tried for that fake laugh again, but it fell flat. “It can’t be worse than when he... he cut me.”

“I don’t want to cause you any pain at all.”

His voice sounded... tight and unhappy, and she didn’t know what to say to make him feel better.

Three strong knocks at the door had her grabbing her t-shirt and covering her chest with it. She had her bra on, but still...

Mason went to the door, looked through the peephole, then opened the door. His brother came inside.

“What’s taking you so lo...” Magnus’s voice trailed off as he caught sight of her partially dressed state.

His wide eyes had her quickly explaining, “Mason is changing a bandage on my back for me. It’s bleeding again.”

“It needs to be cleaned first,” Mason muttered, sounding even more unhappy. “It’s quite deep.”

“May I?” Magnus asked.

“Oh, of course.” Darlene turned so he could see her back.

He too, bent close and sniffed.

“I don’t think the first aid kit she’s got is sufficient,” Mason said, concern turning his voice almost, but not quite, tentative.

“I’ll grab one of the kits from the surveillance room,” Magnus said as he slipped a hand under her elbow and guided her out and toward the bed. “While I’m gone, drink a glass of water and some over-the-counter pain meds, then lie down on your stomach.”

“Oh, sure. Okay.” Actually, it sounded like good advice.

By the time she reached the bed, Magnus was gone, the door closing behind him.