Page 66 of In the Light of Sin

Blood. Not hers.

The sheers in her hand looked familiar, jarring my memory back to when she cut Knight’s neck with the same pair.

“Faith?” Knight asked immediately, running to her side, obviously not holding a grudge for her cutting him the other week. “What are you doin’—“

“Don’t come near me unless you want your blood on these again.” She held up a pair of sheers, blood coating the silver. Knight stopped in his tracks, knowing this woman made no idle threats. Her eyes narrowed, looking at us. “Which one of you is Darrell?”

Our President calmly stepped forward, exuding power that Faith wasn’t cowering to. She stood with him, not wavering even as he stopped a few steps in front of her. “That’d be me.”

“You owe me some things.” She had some balls on her to be pointing scissors at a man who could order her to be shot down with a flick of the wrist.

He cocked an eyebrow. “Do tell me what I owe you, sweetheart. I don’t even know your fuckin’ name.”

“Name’s Faith,” she said as she crossed her arms, the material of her oversized hoodie hiding her hands along with the bloodied scissors she carried. “A friend of yours came into my shop. I showed him why that was a mistake.”

He grinned, not intimidated, though she was pointing a pair of bloody scissors at him. He loved when people got in his face like this. “Crazy bitch ain’tcha?”

“Well, thiscrazy bitch,” she hissed, standing toe to toe with Darrell, “can get even crazier if given the chance. I want new sheers, a new storefront window, and your lackeys to clean my shop and get rid of the dead body that tried to assault me for information about Mr. Latham.”

Knight’s threatening growl was ignored as Prez’s eyes narrowed, darkening slightly. “The fuck you talkin’ about?”

“I’m talking about men who will always come up to an unsuspecting woman thinking if he doesn’t get what he wants, he can just overpower the information out of her.” She flicked her wrist, revealing her bloodied scissors again. “I showed him what a big mistake that was.”

Prez’s grin was wiped off his face, becoming serious. “What did he ask you?”

“Oh no. I’m not talking until my store is spotless.”

“Listen, lady.” I’m surprised Prez put up with her bullshit for this long. With each intimidating step towards her, Faith kept her chin up and eyes narrowed into slits. Not afraid of a man that anyone would be foolish not to fear. “That man could possibly hold the key to saving people from a life you can’t fathom.”

“Don’t assume I don’t know the horrors of what a man can do,” she said with calm conviction. She was a hardened woman, no doubt about that. She had some balls on her to come in, making demands to an MC that could overpower her. Those dull scissors she carried wouldn’t take all of us out before it was too late. “Clean up my shop and the body, then we’ll talk. I believe you’re in a confining position,Prez. Especially since I’m the key to some pertinent information you could be needing.” She was a snarky thing. If Victoria was here, I don’t know if she’d befriend her or knock her out for talking to Prez this way.

“Don’t think I didn’t have your background run. I know that…” he leaned down, whispering in her ear as her pupils dilated. If I thought she was pissed before, there was no containing this. Her blue eyes were fiery as she stepped back like he burned her. Her hand raised before thinking through what hitting him would do, slowly putting her hand back down at her side. Her fingers curled into her palm, her fist shaking with barely contained rage.

“Don’t you say his name again.” Her voice was a harsh whisper, trying to maintain the tough persona she commanded of herself. The more she trembled, the more she wavered. She took a step forward, hissing, “You knownothing.”

“I know more than you think.” Prez looked down at her, his hands in his pocket as he looked uninterested in her now that her bravado was slightly faltering after whatever he told her. He looked over his shoulder at Tyrant and a seething Knight. Knight usually kept his shit together, rarely ever coming undone. He ran away from his problems, obviously by the way he just avoided Victoria and whatever problem he had with her, but he was usually level-headed.

Didn’t think he’d come undone for the crazy chick that put a pair of scissors to his neck.

Faith’s shoulder dipped, and her eyes glazed over slightly before stumbling. Knight couldn’t help himself and rushed to her side with his arm around her shoulder, stabilizing her. “You okay?”

Her hand connected with his chest, weakly pushing him off of her, but she still looked wobbly. “Fine.”

Her speech was slightly slurred, her skin growing pale. But she stood up as straight as she could, willing herself to stop her body from shaking. Knight was by her side, his lips pulled down and his eyes concerned. Did he not remember her cutting his neck with her scissors a few weeks ago?

“Knight, Tyrant. Go help… Faith out.” The two in question shot each other a look, making me wonder if it wasn’t for Knight’s obvious interest in Faith, would they even listen to him? His eyes narrowed dangerously at her. “Don’t keep your end of the deal, and I promise I’ll show you I’m worse than him.”

She was still edgy, swaying back and forth on both feet. Even if it looked like she was going to fall over at any point, she still had enough backbone to spit at Prez, “Is that a threat or a promise?”

The corner of his lip turned up, cocking an eyebrow at her. “Fuck us over and find out yourself.”

“I’m good,” she drawled, eyes moving over to Knight’s lips, turning up knowingly. It was a weak smile, her eyes still hazed over looking drowsy. “One of you is already trying to fuck me over.”

Tyrant cackled, elbowing Knight, who practically had steam coming from his ears. “This the girl you got your dick in a knot for? Jesus Christ, y’all are falling like dominoes. First Grim with Nyla, then Sarge with Joslyn—“

“Joslyn?” Faith’s eyebrows furrowed. “You guys know her?”

I straightened, my senses on high alert at the mention of her name. “What if we do?”

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