Page 111 of Seven Deadly Sins

Lucy pulled her weapon from the waistband of her pants and approached the women. “You.” She motioned to the blond with a ponytail. “

“Me?” She put a hand to her chest, then glanced at Margie.

“Make it fast or Margie dies. Come on.”

“Don’t go, Stephanie. She’s bluffing.”

“Really?” Lucy pulled the trigger. The brunette dropped.

People peered from the store. Lucy shook her head. If this fool didn’t come with her right now, she’d have to kill her, too. “Well?”

“Okay.” She practically ran to where Lucy told her the car was parked.

Inside, she cried big gulping sobs. “You didn’t have to kill her.”

“I don’t know whether I did or not. All I know is that I shot her.” She pulled away from the building as sirens rose in the distance.

“Why me? Where are you taking me?”

“There’s a hood on the seat. Put it on. You’ve committed the sin of envy and must pay.” She kind of liked stepping into Robert’s shoes.

“What? Just let me go. Please. I have a family.”

“Good for you. Now shut up. I’m not a person you want to disobey.”

At the house, she took Stephanie to the basement and locked the chain around her ankle. “Robert, she’s all yours.”

The woman glanced up wide-eyed.

Robert folded his hands behind his back. “Your life here will be recorded and on a live feed so anyone in the world can see what happens when they envy. You will be assigned tasks that you much accomplish or you will die. If you do what we say, the way we tell you to do it, then you will live. Just like the boy we released this evening.” He turned on the camera. “Good night.”

~

“Shooting at the convenience store.” Harper jumped to her feet and slipped her shoes on. What did she get? Fifteen minutes to sit down? She’d barely taken a sip of her wine.

“Fatal?” Liam opened the front door.

“Didn’t say.” She glanced at her phone. “Robert has a woman replacing Reynold.” Thankfully, no more kids. “Wanna wager the shooting was involved with her abduction?”

“That’s one we’d both win because I’m not going against you. You’re right, so I’d lose. I don’t like losing.”

When they arrived at the convenience store, Annie had people held in the store to be questioned. “So much for a curfew, huh?”

“Body?” Harper peered around her.

“Still breathing. Ambulance is on its way. The victim is sitting behind the counter.” Annie opened the store door.

All chatter stopped when Harper entered the store. She cast a look at those who should’ve been safe at home before rounding the counter.

A woman in yoga pants with a matching jacket sat against the wall and pressed napkins against a wound in her side.

Harper introduced herself and Liam. “Can you tell us what happened?”

“My friend and I stopped in here to grab something we’d forgotten earlier, I needed coffee for tomorrow, anyway…” She waved a dismissive hand. “This woman stepped around the corner outside and told Stephanie to get in her car. When she refused, the woman shot me.”

“Was it this woman?” Harper pulled up the composite drawings on Lucy.

“Yes.”

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