Page 35 of The Sinners Gambit

Killian

Ilookatthemasterfulwoman sitting in front of me. We’re sitting criss-cross on the floor of the study, facing each other.

Naomi’s tear-stained eyes break my heart, but that cunning mind of hers is more brilliant than I even realized. “So, you orchestrated all of this?”

“Pretty much.” She gives me a small smile. “Just made you think you wanted me.”

“How did you know I’d take the bait?” I ask her, now questioning if what I feel for her is real. If you’d asked me an hour ago if this was the girl of my dreams, I would’ve screamed it from the rooftops. And while that feeling’s still there, I’m unsure if it’s genuine or forced upon me.

“I did my research on you.” She looks up at me like the confident girl I remember at the coffee shop. “Just like you stalked me, Quinnly and I stalked you.”

“I know you’ve told me all of this, but I still can’t believe it.”

She purses her lips. “Yeah, it’s a bit insane, honestly.”

“You can say that again. I feel a bit insulted you were able to pull all this off and I’m the tech genius.”

“Let’s just say we know a gal who’s much better. Women often are,” she half-heartedly jokes, but I can see the hesitation in her eyes as she also tries to process everything that was just revealed. There seems to be more of an acceptance from her part.

Who knew one kiss could tear my whole concept of life apart?

“And you’ve been a killer who’s part of the Mortes Ostium this whole time?” I ask in disbelief, even though we’ve been sitting here talking for an hour while she spills the truth.

“For the most part, I’m a quiet killer . . . usually I do it in the OR ‘cause it’s easier to hide.”

“That’s why you hesitated that day I watched you in the OR; you’re used to making that call in the room.”

“Yup, but usually I hesitate while deciding how I want to do it, not whether I’ll do it or not. I made sure he’d slowly bleed out so it wouldn’t count as an OR death. I have to keep my stats up so no one gets suspicious and I don’t get fired. I also have my moments outside of there where I let all my rage out.”

“Wow. Okay. I had a feeling, but wasn’t sure.” Nodding my head I ask, “Why wasn’t Quinnly part of your plans? I mean during the actual kidnapping part—once you were here.”

She purses her lips. “Quinn planned this entire thing with me. But we knew she needed to be away for this to work. You guys would feel safer since she’s the type to get . . .creativewithout caution.”

“Well, that’s true. And she’s a killer too? Like you?”

Laughing, she says, “Oh she’s a scary little thing. But it’s a pretty well-kept secret.”

“And we had you covered with work. So it was all set.”

“It was do or die.” She shrugs. “I didn’t expect a third option: Be completely wrong.”

I scoff. “Yeah. I didn’t expect any of this either. I guess in a way I did, but not like this.”

“Ha. Yeah . . . what do you—what should we—what . . . ?” Naomi trails off.

“Should we do now?” I try to fill in for her as I wipe my clammy hands on my pants. “I honestly don’t know. Other than maybe take a moment to process all of this.”

“Can I . . . leave?” she asks. Is she hesitating because she doesn’t want to go? Or because she does, and is nervous I won’t let her?

“Do you want to leave?” I ask.

“Uh . . . why wouldn’t I?” She looks at me with her piercing blue eyes. “Who would want to stay kidnapped?”

“I thought you . . .” I barely whisper out. She was the perfect extension of me, and I thought this was what she loved. The enticing darkness. The evil we love to fall for because my woman truly wants a man who would burn the world down for her, not feeling any remorse if it saved her.

“What?” she asks.

“Nothing.” I look away from her, not wanting to see her. “You can go if you want.”

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