Page 54 of The Sinner and the Scholar
I need to go to confession.
I wait for his retort, but nothing comes.
He shoves his hands in his jeans pockets and starts walking. “Right.”
“I had no idea you were a natural puppy whisperer,” I say, changing the focus to him.
He shrugs. “My uncle felt sorry for me being an only child, so he kept buying them.”
“What happened?”
“They never lasted long. Sick or hit by a bus.”
He hunches and increases his pace. I remain behind him for a second, thinking how sad his childhood must have been. He seemed so happy with the puppy in his arms.
I jog to catch up.
I’m such a cow. Heat floods my cheeks, and tears sting my eyes for the first time since forever. Why am I like this? Why can’t I just…
I sigh.
It doesn’t matter why because I can’t change.
We don’t talk for the remainder of our walk until we find a suitable dark alley between a block of commercial buildings. Dim lights over back doors flicker, and dumpsters overflow and smell like sewage. Feral cats and rats scamper about. But otherwise, it’s deserted. Perfect.
“Down here.” I motion for him to follow me.
I stop halfway and face him. This is where things might get a little awkward between us. But the tension already vibrating between us will help him accept what comes next.
He adjusts his spectacles. “What’s wrong?”
“We need to lure them to us.”
“The Deadly Seven?”
I nod.
“Okay.” His eyes grow suspicious. “How are we doing that?”
“They sense deadly sin,” I explain. “If we want their attention, we must feel deadly amounts of sin. Not just a fleeting thought, but a sustained ‘I want to kill you’ sort of thought.”
“You’re going to try to kill me?”
“That’s whatdeadlymeans.”
He shoots me a belligerent look. “I thought you said they were your friends.”
“They are. Sort of. Alice is an ex-Sinner and married to their leader. But since the mayor basically put them on the payroll, they’re now local celebrities. If we turn up on their doorstep, we’ll be noticed. I don’t want any record of us being here, even a text message. Nothing can get in the way of us finding that relic.”
“What sin?” he asks.
I dump my bag and roll my shoulders. “I’ll try to take your pack. Maybe I envy it and want to see what you have hidden inside.”
I actually do want to know what secrets he’s hiding in there. All I have to do is amplify that need and take it from him. Maybe rough him up a bit. Should be easy.
“Resist me.” I start circling him, sizing him up. “That way, I can intensify the sin.”
He licks his lips. “What if I don’t resist? What if Iwantyou to tackle me?”
