“The third is more delicate, but it will prove your loyalty is with us.”
His eyes turn cold, and isn’t that the sign of a true psychopath? That he can flip the switch so easily?
“I’m sure I don’t have to remind you of the consequences should you fail to deliver. As much as I love my fiancée, her comfort and her survival are in your hands. I will punish you and your mother if you displease me.” The veins in his neck bulge as he knots his hands in front of him. “Deceive me, and I’ll stab those boys you love through the heart without blinking.”
Panic shuttles through me, and I’m losing the hold on my tenuous emotions. Potent fear slithers through my veins, and I’m on the verge of throwing up.
“What is the last task?” I ask, pleased my voice sounds level even though I’m shaking inside.
“You will kill Police Commissioner Leydon.”
CHAPTER 15
Harlow
THE MEETING CONCLUDES with Sinner telling me he’ll provide more details on the commissioner’s execution in due course and he’ll message me when I’m being summoned to HQ. Then, he escorts me out of the room.
Shouting and screaming greet our ears, growing louder when we enter the lobby. John is in a pool of blood on the floor, and Saint and Galen are taking turns kicking the shit out of him. Guess the cat’s out of the bag. I never should’ve mentioned Bry because Saint must’ve gone straight to him and demanded answers.
“Do I want to know?” Sinner drawls, patting me on the ass before pushing me away. He’s getting far too handsy for my liking. I lean against the desk, keeping quiet as I wait to see how this pans out.
“You should stick around,” Saint says, as the side door opens with a slam and Caz and Theo emerge, dragging Instructor Corr with them.
“You won’t get away with this,” he shouts. “I’m a respected staff member and a long-standing member of The Sainthood.”
“Then, you should know better,” Saint says, punching him in the face. “I warned you to leave her alone.”
Sinner leans against the other side of the reception desk, crossing his ankles. He winks at the pretty receptionist, the same one who greeted me the day I arrived. “Hey, sweetheart.”
Her cheeks flush, and from the way she’s eye fucking him, I know she’s screwed him. Probably recently, too. I knew that bastard wasn’t faithful to Mom, and who knows what venereal diseases he’s carrying. I should warn her, but I’m sure she knows exactly what kind of asshole her fiancé is.
“Women have no place in our world,” the instructor says, appealing to Sinner with his eyes. “They are lower-class citizens for a reason, only good for sucking dick and spreading their legs.”
Saint punches him in the face again, and blood spurts from his nose, spraying across Saint’s white T-shirt. Saint looks down, scowling.
“Times are changing.” Sinner loses the smirk, stepping toward him. “And every member needs to get behind our new philosophy.”
“Of course!” Instructor Corr is sweating bullets now. “It was part of the strategy,” he blurts, grasping at straws. “To toughen her up.” His wild eyes dart around the men in the room. “She needs to have balls of steel to take a place beside The Sainthood men.”
Even when arguing—with his survival hanging in the balance—he still comes off like a misogynist jerk.
And every smart man knows pussy beats balls every day of the week.
Caz and Theo tighten their hold on his arms as Saint punches him in the gut. “Lo has more balls than most guys I know. Like fuck, she needs toughening up.” He punches him again, and the guy’s knees buckle.
Galen drops another kick to the asshole writhing and crying on the floor while holding his ribs and clenching his jaw. I know he’s on strong meds, but he must be in pain. He should sit this one out, but I guess he’s keen to prove his loyalty. “Well, shit for brains. You ready to fess up?” he snarls.
“Okay. Okay.” John blubbers, snot leaking from his nose, and I shudder. Ugh. “It wasn’t my idea.”
“Well, duh.” I roll my eyes.
“My brother said—”
“Shut your mouth, John,” the instructor hisses.
“They’ll kill me!” John cries. “And this is all your fault!”
What a sniveling, pathetic idiot. I don’t know why I tried to save him from this fate.
“It was The Bulls!” John shouts. “They made us do it. That slut he’s fucking is connected to them.” He jabs his finger in his brother’s direction as I trade a look with Saint.
How did The Bulls even know I’d be here? And is there no end to their reach? I hate to say it, but I think the Saints have completely underestimated The Bulls.
“I had no choice,” the instructor pleads as Sinner’s eyes darken with rage. “And I didn’t kill her like they asked,” he adds, as if that will buy him any favors.
A shrill pop resonates around the room, and the receptionist screams, dropping to her knees behind the desk. Sinner’s arm is extended, his gun pressed flushed to Instructor Corr’s forehead, a hole in the center of Corr’s brow where the bullet went through.
Holy fucking shit.
I wet my dry lips, sharing another look with Saint.
Sinner does not mess around.
Can’t say I’m surprised.
He’s an unpredictable psycho.
John roars, watching with horror as the guys let go of his brother and his lifeless body falls to the floor with a resounding thud.
Sinner places his gun on top of the counter, leaning over the edge. “Get up, you stupid bitch.” The woman stands on wobbly legs, tears streaming down her face. “How long have you worked here?” he asks, and I guess there wasn’t time for small talk when he was fucking her.
“Three weeks,” she whispers.
Warm fingers wrap around mine, and I look up into Galen’s green eyes. He pulls me away, shoving me behind him just as Sinner grabs the gun and he pumps three bullets in the receptionist’s chest. She slumps to the ground, blood oozing out of her wounds, her eyes unmoving, confirming she’s dead.
John’s screams ring out around the room, because he is just that stupid, and Sinner aims his gun in his direction.
“Wait.” Saint’s lethal tone bounces off the walls. “He might know something.”
The glass doors at the rear of the space open, and two of the board members enter the lobby. “We heard shots,” the creepy dude with the bald head and face ink says. “I’ll call a cleanup crew,” he adds, spotting the two dead bodies on the ground.
Sinner stabs Saint with a look. “Find out what he knows, then dispose of him.” He glances out the front window. “Not here.”
Saint nods as Caz and Bry lift a whimpering John off the floor. They move toward the side door, and Galen tugs me forward, his fingers still linked through mine. Warmth seeps into my bones, snaking up my arm, and I clasp his hand tighter before I snap out of it, remembering I’m holding hands with a traitor. Yanking my hand from his, I push forward, putting some distance between us, as I follow the three guys out into the corridor.
We end up in the inspection room, where they toss John to the floor. Saint removes my Strider from its holder, handing it to me. “You want to do the honors?”