Page 30 of The Sins That Bleed
“Fifth Avenue; I’ve seen some new boots with my name on it.”
“The car’s ready and Zyon knows. Let’s do some real damage to the coffers today.” I hold out my arm and she takes it, linking us together as we skip down the hall toward the elevator.
Spending a dead man’s money feels like we’re doing our part for the feminist agenda.
“Which car are we taking today, V?”
“The Maybach, darling.”
We don’t stop laughing the whole ride down to the garage. It’s so fun being ridiculously rich and having someone to share it with. We meet Zyon in the underground garage and he escorts me to the waiting car, my driver already holding the door open for us.
“Thanks, Zyon. Is there anything you would like us to pick up for you whilst we’re out?” I throw the offer out casually; I wouldn’t offer to do it for anyone except him and Sunny.
“No thank you, ma’am. I hope you and Miss Sunny have a delightful time.” His warm smile tugs up one of my own.
“I’m sure we will, be in touch if anything happens.”
His stiff nod is the only response I get as I slip into the black Maybach that’s been polished within an inch of its life. My driver closes the door, and I sink into the red leather seats that are softly lit by the hundreds of stars decorating the interior roof.
We’re soon moving through the city, the pace languid as we hit the city traffic, until we pull up to our favourite designerdepartment store. We’re guided around the back and into an underground car park where I have a spot reserved.
We step out and thank the driver. I dismiss him so he can take a couple hours off whilst we distract ourselves from what we need to do tonight. Once in the elevator, we head straight up to the shoe department so Sunny can get the ones she’s been eyeballing for a while. I end up picking up a few new stilettos and boots for myself.
We continue like that throughout the day, going through each floor and shopping to our heart’s content. The staff helps to pull everything for us and store it for delivery later today. We get matching white-gold chain bracelets, custom-made in front of us in an infinite loop that cannot be removed. Our first initials dangling from it, the tiny V and S next to each other, mimicking how we are always together in life.
I make a pitstop in the floral department while Sunny is busy trying something on, picking out roses saturated with the deepest of reds. The bouquet is made up of thirteen roses, wrapped in black paper and tied with a silk ribbon that matches the colour of the petals. I give them the address I have memorised by heart and pay for them there and then. I scribble down a note to be included with the delivery.
I’m back outside the private changing suite as Sunny comes out to show me another piece of clothing that caught her attention, unaware that I’d even left.
CHAPTER 15
Bleeding Hearts
RAI
I’m on my fifth coffee of the day. I know I should slow down if I want to get any sleep tonight but after the weird dream I had about Valeska visiting me, I’m on edge.
Nico and I have been putting things in place for our plan to get answers out of our lead guy, Jai Coltrane, researching everything we can get on him. There’s always something to find if you dig deep enough.
If I had more time, I’d be digging deeper into Valeska’s life too.
I excuse myself from Nico while I go take a leak, all the coffee running through me like a fountain. It’s late in the afternoon and the office has started emptying as people head home to their families. I say goodnight to a few of my colleagues on my way through.
The doors to the men’s room come into view and I step through, heading straight for a cubicle. Sometimes coming in here and sitting inside the stall is the only way for me to think, to step back from all the information we have and see it like a collage.
The sound of my belt buckle coming undone is the only sound that fills the drab bathroom. There’s nobody else in herewith me, the three other cubicles are empty this late in the day. I sit on the seat and let my mind drift.
All the details of the case and everything I know about this organised crime empire flash through my mind. I shut my eyes, closing out the real world in front of me as I connect the dots.
I now have it confirmed from Valeska that Alaric Vonbarro is the king of this orchestration, with one of the lower leaders in a holding cell. The latest group of trafficked humans totalled thirteen; that’s three more people than the last lot that went missing, the ones I let slip through my hands.
Ifailedthem.
A low macabre hum has me snapping my eyes open, I hadn’t heard anyone come in, the slight squeak of the door opening would have given them away. The humming stops as quickly as it started, and I chalk it up to the air conditioning.
I must be crashing from the caffeine.
I’m about to close my eyes to return to my thoughts but the creaking hinges of a stall door opening hits my ears, it’s as if someone is taking their time to swing it open. They move to the next one, but I don’t hear the clink of footsteps and my heart kicks into another gear, adrenaline racing through my body.
