Page 1 of The Sinners Gambit

Prologue

Safetyfirst.

Think before you act.

Be aware, take care.

These are all things you’re taught growing up to ensure you’re never in danger. One would never think a decision made trying to keep oneself safe would be the thing that puts you in the most dangerous, life-threatening situation.

When I’m drunk at a party, the smart choice is to leave my car and take an Uber home. The wise choice is to not drive drunk. But that one choice lands me in the hands of the deadliest people I’ve ever met, putting my life at risk.

I’m at my best friend Jessey’s birthday party at her place. You name it, we drink it. I just wish Quinnly could’ve been here, but she's jet-setting across the states.

I stop drinking at midnight, not wanting to be completely hungover tomorrow at work. In my profession, that can be deadly. The only saving grace to partying tonight is that I don’t need to be at the hospital until after noon. I stay behind to help Jessey clean up after the party ends.

“Hey, is there anything else you need help with?” I ask as I finish loading the dishwasher.

She looks around the kitchen. For the most part the counter looks clean, it just needs a wipe down. All the bottles and garbage are already in bags that need to be taken out. She shakes her head as she says, “No. I think we can just take the bags out. The rest I can do later. I’m so tired.” She starts to yawn as she says the last part, which has me stifling my own yawn. “Looks like you are too. You want to sleep over?”

I look at my watch—it’s almost 2 AM. “No. I work tomorrow and don’t have any of my stuff.”

“You’re not gonna drive though, right?” Concern shadows her face.

At this point, it’s been about two hours since I had my last drink, and I don’t feel drunk anymore, but I’m far from being sober enough to drive. “I’m gonna order an Uber,” I say, as I take my phone out of my jeans to open the app. “I’ll be home in 15 minutes, power of technology!” I smile up at my friend. “Come on, let me help you take this out.”

We walk to the garbage shoot of her sixth floor apartment. “Do you want me to come down with you?” She yawns again.

I chuckle. “I don’t think you’ll make it. It’s okay. I’ll text you when I get home. Go sleep.”

“Okay, but you better text me. Love you! Thanks for everything,” she says as she pulls me in for a tight hug.

I squeeze her back. “Love you more!” I pull back from the hug and walk to the elevator, pressing the button. “I’ll come get my car tomorrow. Want to have dinner next week?”

“It’s a date, babe!” she says as she walks back to her apartment. She blows me a kiss before she goes inside.

Thankfully, the elevator comes quickly, and I click the button for the ground floor. Going to the Uber app, I schedule my ride. It says my driver, John, will be coming in a black Honda Accord to pick me up in ten minutes. I know a lot of things, but cars are not among them. Aside from the brand, I can’t tell you anything about any motorized vehicle.

When I get downstairs, I wait a few minutes. As I’m about to check my phone to see how far out the driver is, I see a black Honda pull up. The car stops in front of me, so I figure it must be John.

“John?” I ask as I open the back door.

The driver barely looks back but nods his head in confirmation. I can see that he smiles at me from the dimple that forms on his right cheek.

I get in the car and buckle my seatbelt. “Good evening,” I offer. He doesn’t respond.No problem.I hate when drivers are super chatty. I close my eyes to rest until I get home. An alert on my Apple watch goes off. I ignore it. A few minutes later another alert goes off.Ugh! Who’s bothering me this late? I go to put my watch on airplane mode when I notice it’s a message from the Uber app. I take my phone out and swipe down for my notifications. The most recent notification says that my Uber ride has been canceled.What the hell?I look confusedly up at John and back to my phone. My palms start to sweat.

“Excuse me, John? It says my ride was canceled?” I keep reading through my notifications. The one before that says that John arrived and will wait five minutes before canceling.But . . . I’m already in the car.My heart is now full-blown hammering in my chest as it gets harder to breathe. John doesn’t respond, so I ask again, “John? Did you forget to click that I got in?”

I know that isn’t the case. Something is very wrong.

I go to call 9-1-1 when the driver finally speaks, “Sorry, I thought you were Amelia. I can let you off here.” He pulls over at a gas station. I don’t believe him for one second, but I feel a mild relief being at a public place where I can get out.

He’ll let me go. I’ll be okay.“O-okay. Thanks.”

I hold my finger ready to dial if he tries anything. As soon as the car stops, I open the door. I’m about to get out when a dark figure blocks my way—with a gun aimed directly at my face. A chill washes over my whole body. “Move over and shut up,” he demands. Taking him in, I realize that even without the gun this man would be scary. He looks over six feet tall, and I can tell he’s built. My heart skips a beat as I assess my situation.

I’ve fucked up. I didn’t do the first thing you’re supposed to do before getting in an Uber— check the license plate. I’m tired and made the gravest mistake of my life. This driver isn’t John. This car isn’t my Uber. And this gas station isn’t going to be the place I find safety.

I obey and move farther into the car to let him in. I get a better look at him as he climbs onto the seat. He’s wearing dark jeans and a black hoodie that’s pulled up, covering most of his face in shade. However, from what I can see, he has tan skin. As his sweater clings to his body, his defined muscles become even more apparent.Guess I’m not going to attempt to overpower him.

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