Page 50 of Pride
Parker’s exhale through the handset was audible, as was the string of curse words he tried to hide from her by muffling the phone. When he came back, there was an edge to his voice. “Why, pray tell, did my mother attack you?”
“Soyou havebeen spying on me,” she said. Her pulse quickened. “Were you watching me undress and… all the shopping?”
“I had to make sure you were—”
“You can’tmakeme do anything, Parker Lazarus. If I want to buy clothes, I will. If I don’t, I’ll send them back. I’m not some sort of doll for you to play dress up with.”
His voice deepened. “If I wanted to play with you, there’d be considerably less clothes.”
She gaped. Made an embarrassing sound. He chuckled.
She rallied her wits. “And furthermore, if you think you can buy me, or lure me, or—”
“Be nice to you?”
“Yes! If you think you can… wait. What?”
“Alice. I just wanted you to have nice things. You deserve it.”
Alice didn’t know what to say.
“Alice?”
“Yeah?”
“The answer is yes.”
“To what?”
A deep, velvety laugh that liquified Alice’s restraint. “To the alliance. We’ll work together to find your Sinner and my sister.” His tone hardened. “And then we’ll destroy the Syndicate.”
“It’s too late.”
“What?”
“Well, I mean for working together. After the attack at the cathedral, the other Sinners left for the abbey. I’m the only one left.”
It was only half true, but she wanted to make him sweat.
18
At the frontof the Lazarus Tech skyscraper, with his back against the cold stone wall, Axel Alvares readied himself through a breathing technique he’d learned as a CCFD cadet. He had doubts about this mission. He’d always had doubts, but he couldn’t stop it, even if he wanted to.
When death put your name on his chalkboard, there was no avoiding it. But through the offer the Syndicate had given him, he might find a way around it.
His little sister, Elena, needed him.
The boss’s voice in his earpiece:“Go time.”
He checked the white plastic mask was safe and secure in his back jeans pocket, took a deep breath, and entered the building. He bumped into a petite woman coming out.
For a split second, they met eyes. He glimpsed a fit older woman, perhaps in her fifties. Long black hair, determined face. Then he kept moving.
Julius’s voice burst into Axel’s ear.“Don’t fuck it up this time.”
Get to the elevator.
Get this done.
