Page 8 of Cherished by the Sinners (Sinners Never Die #4)

Mason

M ason filled a glass with water in the bathroom, and grabbed the container of over-the-counter pain meds he saw in the first aid kit. He brought them out to Darlene and handed them to her.

She took the pills with a swallow of water, then drank about half the glass.

“Finish it,” he ordered as she moved to put it down on the side table.

Her shoulders tensed.

Easy, don’t scare her.

He cleared his throat and added a deferential, “Please.”

A small smile tilted up the corners of her lips. “Still a magic word.”

He let one side of his mouth slide upward. “Truth.”

She laughed softly as she finished her glass of water. She set it on the side table, then lay down on her stomach on the bed. Which gave Mason the opportunity to study her back in more detail. Her bra covered some of the wounds and scars, but there were so many.

The lines, ridges, and curves of the healing wounds covered her from the top of her shoulder blades down to about an inch above her hips. The deepest one, still bleeding, crossed her spine.

The bastard could have easily cut her spinal cord.

Infection hadn’t set in yet, he would have smelled it if it had. But it would soon without proper care. He’d seen and bandaged enough wounds to know over the eight-hundred-odd years he’d been alive.

He’d never seen so many wounds on anyone’s back before. The pain she must be constantly in, and never a complaint.

He’d like to hunt down the killer who did it and give him a taste of his own medicine. Unfortunately, the modern justice system frowned on that sort of thing.

“It’s okay, Mason,” Darlene said, her voice muffled slightly by the pillow. “He’s been arrested and will be going to trial.”

“The prison system is too easy for the animal who did this to you,” he said, his voice a low rumble.

“He’ll probably get the death penalty,” she mumbled. “He didn’t just hurt me, he killed a couple of college students and a nurse.”

“Oh,” Mason drawled. “He killed more people than that.”

“He did?”

“Yeah, the moron was a contract killer. An assassin whose hobby got him caught.”

She chuckled and turned her head so she could see him. “Isn’t that the definition of irony?”

He snorted. “One of them, anyway.” She had a smile on her face and it stunned him all over again how strong she was, how she never let anything get her down.

“How do you do it?” he asked so softly he wasn’t sure she heard him.

But she did. “How do I do what?”

“Be so brave, so positive after...” He didn’t finish the sentence, he didn’t want to put into words the horrible things that had happened to her.

Her smile died for a couple of seconds, then brightened her face again. “Happiness is a choice, Mason. I make the decision every day, every hour, every minute to be happy. I refuse to let other people control how I feel ever again.”

It couldn’t be that simple, could it? No matter how much shit life threw at her, she claimed the right to decide how she felt?

“You are the most simple, straightforward, yet complicated person I’ve ever met.”

She laughed out loud, and it reverberated through him, all the way to a wound deep in his gut. And for a moment, he felt no pain at all.

Someone knocked on the door with a heavy fist. Magnus.

Mason went to the door and opened it. Magnus stood there with one of the large first aid kits from the surveillance room, and he wasn’t alone.

Louise stood a little behind and to his right, craning her head to see into the room. “Darlene? Are you okay?”

Mason opened his mouth to tell Louise she didn’t need to worry, that Darlene was being taken care of. Louise never gave him the opportunity to speak. She ducked under Magnus’s arm, slipped through the doorway, and ghosted past him as if he weren’t even there.

“She’s quick,” Magnus said.

“And slippery,” Mason said, nodding. He got out of the way so Magnus could come inside.

His brother set the first aid kit on the desk, opened it and began pulling out the necessary supplies to clean the wound. Saline, gauze squares, tweezers, iodine, and self-adhesive bandages.

“Louise, I’m fine,” Darlene said.

“Did something happen in one of the suites?” Louise asked her, her voice tight and high.

“One of the guests from India was rude,” Mason said. “A cultural misunderstanding. It was explained to them how things work in the United States, and in this hotel in particular. If there are any complaints, bring them to me or Magnus, we’ll take care of them.”

“Oh,” Louise said. “They didn’t complain, they just told me to cancel any further cleaning of their suite.

” She turned to Darlene. “The Japanese and Chinese guests all called to tell me how pleased they were with your work and service. And actually... they asked for you to clean their room, if at all possible, from now on. But it looks to me like you should be on bed rest for a few days.”

“No, I’m able to work. Magnus and Mason are going to take care of my back.”

Louise looked at Mason and Magnus, her face asking the question, can she work?

“We will ensure she’s well enough to work,” Mason assured Louise. “And if she isn’t, we’ll let you know that too.”

Louise let out a deep breath. “Thank you. You let me know if I can do anything to help.”

“We will,” Magnus said.

Louise left the room.

“I can do my job,” Darlene said, her tone sounding annoyed. “Neither one of you is a doctor, so I don’t need your approval before going back to work.”

“You work for us,” Mason said as Magnus brought all his supplies over to the bed. “That’s all the approval we need.”

Darlene pushed herself off the mattress.

Mason carefully pushed her back down.

“We are going to tend to your back, then we’re going to go downstairs to the restaurant and feed you. Then you’re going to get some rest.”

“I thought you were supposed to talk to me about some important thing? That’s what Anna said.”

“Nothing is more important than your health,” Mason said.

“Hold still,” Magnus said. “I’m going to put some saline on this wound to soften up the scabs.”

She sighed and relaxed. “Okay.”

Mason watched his brother drip enough saline on Darlene’s back to soak the scabs, but not enough that it ran over either side. He waited a little while before taking a clean gauze and dabbing it over and around her wound. A few bits of old skin came away, revealing pink, healthy skin underneath.

Already it smelled better.

“I think that bandage had been on for too long,” he said.

“Yes,” Magnus agreed. “How often have you been changing it?”

“Once a week.”

“It should be every other day. What did Samantha tell you?” Magnus asked as he dropped more saline onto her back.

“Every other day, but... I can’t afford the first aid supplies to do that many changes.”

“We will cover the cost of the supplies,” Mason told her. “I thought you were told this before.”

“I was,” she admitted. “But I don’t like asking... for things.”

“Then we will have to keep a closer eye on you,” Mason said, bending down to growl the words in her ear.

She sucked in a quick breath, and the scent of desire perfumed the air.

Mason turned his head to smile at his brother.

Magnus grinned back. As he continued to gently tease away more dead skin from the wound’s edge, Darlene flinched.

“Wait,” she mumbled into the pillow. “Aren’t you supposed to leave scabs alone?”

“Healthy ones, yes,” Magnus said without pausing, his voice a low, reassuring murmur. “This one was trapping moisture underneath. We’re just clearing away the damaged tissue so the healthy skin can finally heal properly. Don't worry. We know what we're doing.”

His confidence soothed her, and she relaxed back into the mattress.

Mason pulled on a pair of gloves as well so he could help collect the bloody saline with gauze.

By the time Magnus cleaned it with iodine, then added an antibiotic ointment, and covered it with a fresh self-adhesive bandage, Darlene had fallen asleep.

The two men cleaned up all the first aid supplies then stood looking down at her.

“I almost don’t want to wake her,” Mason said. “I mean, when was the last time anyone fell asleep when we were in the room with them?”

“Baz,” Magnus answered.

Mason shook his head. “He doesn’t count.”

“I dare you to say that to his face.”

“He wouldn’t care either.”

Magnus inclined his head. “You may be right, but we’re not dealing with him. Darlene needs to eat.”

“Agreed,” Mason said.

Neither of them moved.

Asleep, she looked young. Innocent. Until you noticed the marks a serial killer made on her body. The edges of some of them could be seen if her shirt stretched one way or the other. She thought they were ugly, but Mason saw them differently.

She survived a monster.

She was smart and didn’t let her fear and pain cloud her head.

Someone with less tenacity would have died.

People with her strength of character were rare. Rarer still was her refusal to let what happened to her color the rest of her life.

She was amazing, and had no idea how special she was.

“I’ll find her a shirt,” Mason said. “I think she’s sleeping on the one she had out earlier.” He opened the dresser drawers and found two more shirts, another pair of jeans, and three pairs of socks. “She has hardly any clothes.”

“We could take her shopping,” Magnus suggested as he zipped up the first aid kit he’d brought down. Then he put it on the floor next to the desk.

Magnus stood on one side of the bed, while Mason stood on the other. They looked at each other then down at Darlene.

Mason finally got down in a crouch and put his hand on her shoulder, giving her a little shake. “Darlene, wake up.”

No change.

“Darlene, darling,” Mason growled into her ear. “It’s time to wake up.”

“Huh?” she mumbled as her eyelids flickered. “Why? I was having a great dream.” She frowned. “What time is it?”

“Don’t you have a watch?” Mason asked.

“No, I haven’t had the time or money to get one.”

Mason took his off. “Here, take mine” He put it around her slender wrist and tightened it as far as it would go. It was a little big, but the sleek black titanium looked good on her.

She blinked at it. “This looks expensive.”

He shrugged. “It tells the time.” It could also pinpoint the wearer’s precise location within five feet and withstand a bullet strike. Knowing that he could find her no matter where she went while she wore it, soothed him more than he thought possible.

“You need to eat,” Magnus said growling into her ear as well. “Your body needs fuel to heal.”

“Okay,” she said slowly. She got her hands underneath her and pushed up and off the bed. The wounds on her back, some covered in bandages, reminded him that she could have died before ever meeting him and his brother.

Mason had to work to keep a growl from erupting from his throat.

She gave him a startled look anyway. Maybe some of the sound got out after all.

She looked down at the shirt underneath her. It was stained with watery blood. “I’m going to need another top.”

Mason held out the shirt he’d taken from her dresser. “Here. This one is clean.”

“Oh, thanks.” She pulled the t-shirt on and yawned. “What were we... oh, yeah, food.” She looked at the room and frowned. “I’ve got some instant noodles, so I’m covered. You guys go on without me. I’m kind of tired.”

“Oh, no,” Magnus said, putting a hand under her arm and coaxing her toward the door. “You’re coming with us to eat a real meal.”

“But—”

“Empty calories aren’t enough,” Mason said. “You need protein and vegetables.”

Her shoulders slumped. “I’m really tired, guys.”

Magnus urged her forward with one hand. “Eat, it won’t take long.”

“And we’ll have our conversation,” Mason added as he opened the door for her. “Before making sure you get all the rest you need.”