Page 80 of Seven Deadly Sins

Robert sat in a leather chair with a zebra throw blanket over the back and drummed the fingers of one hand on the arm while the other hand held a glass of whiskey. It grew tiresome that the agent and detective were harassing his people. They weren’t as strong as him. Sooner or later, one of them would cave under the pressure. Not all of them had the fortitude to follow through with being a martyr.

The two needed to be stopped. “Lucy, I have an ongoing job for you. Something for you to do in-between killings.”

She set down her phone. “I’m listening.”

“I need you to do everything in your power to keep the lovely detective and the Irish agent busy, so they aren’t bothering my followers.”

“Define power.” She arched a brow.

“Anything short of killing or maiming. I’m going to need them eventually. Can you restrain yourself?”

“I’ll do my best.” She rubbed her hands together. “I’ll start immediately. They’re at the clinic, and there’s a storm coming.” She rushed to her bedroom, returning a moment later draped in a black raincoat.

~

Finally, a job that would prevent boredom. Not to mention the fact Lucy would be paid handsomely for it. An ongoing assignment would cost Robert a fortune. Possibly the amount she needed to feel secure about retiring in Europe.

Another glance at her phone showed the two were still at the clinic. It wouldn’t take long for her to get there. She’d park out front and wait for them to come out.

Not that she needed to physically follow them, not with the trackers, but she was an opportunist. She couldn’t take advantage of an opportunity unless she was there.

Mindful of the increasing storm, she drove carefully to the clinic and backed into a spot as far from the detective’s jeep as she could. Now, she waited. Lucy was very good at waiting. She slumped down in her seat and watched the front door.

~

Liam paused as Harper stopped suddenly right inside the clinic doors.

“She’s coming for you,” she read. “Why? We haven’t reached the last sin.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”

The rain came down, and according to the weather on the waiting room television, it wasn’t stopping anytime soon. “We’d best make a run for it.” He eyed Harper’s shoes. “Can you run in those?”

“Maybe not a sprint, but we’re going to be soaked no matter how quick we are.” She pulled open the door and darted out, splashing her way through the parking lot.

By the time Liam reached the jeep, his feet sloshed in his shoes, and his pants were wet to the knee. There would be no saving the Italian leather shoes he’d splurged on.

Harper leaned forward, peering out the front windshield. “Those clouds look wicked. We aren’t under a tornado watch, are we?”

“Not that I know of.” He pulled up a weather app on his phone. “A slight chance. High chance of heavy rain and high wind gusts. We need to get to the station ASAP. It says here that it’s a fast-moving storm, but I still don’t like being out in it.” He hoped she could drive in this type of weather. He couldn’t. Not with one arm in a sling.

She turned the windshield wipers to high and pulled from the parking spot. “Hold on to your horses. This might be a wild ride.”

Tension set in his shoulders the instant they emerged onto the highway, although he preferred to slower speed limit as compared to the interstate. He closed his eyes, said a short prayer for protection, then popped them back open as a blast of thunder boomed.

After ten minutes, Harper pulled over to the side of the road. “It’s too dangerous to continue driving. I’ll put the flashers on, and we’ll wait it out.”

He didn’t mind some quiet time with Harper. He unhooked his seatbelt and shifted in his seat so he could see her better. “Does the weather act like this a lot in Arkansas?”

“This time of year, it does.” Her eyes widened. “Who is that?”

He narrowed his eyes to try and see better. A person in a dark raincoat stood in the middle of the highway. What kind of idiot did that in the middle of a storm? “Maybe they’ve had an accident.”

“My gut tells me they aren’t friendly. The assassin?” She pulled her gun from the glove compartment and set it on the dashboard in easy reach.

Liam did the same as the person came closer. “We can always hope a logging truck comes along and mows her down.”

A laugh escaped Harper. “That’s awful, but yeah, we can always hope. If it’s her. What is she doing?”