Page 45 of The Sins That Bleed
My books have been ripped apart, the torn pages crumpled and scattered like fallen leaves from a tree. I want to cry at the scene, my stress levels crank up at the mess and the itch to put everything in its place consumes me, but this is now a crime scene so I have to leave it.
I take in the kitchen one last time before heading out, my eyes snagging on the roses Valeska had given me that now lay crushed and bleeding on the floor from being trampled over. I break the number one code that you’re taught in law enforcement when in an active crime scene, never touch anything.
I ignore all of my training as I reach down and find the poem Valeska wrote for me that came with the flowers and pocket it, ignoring the overwhelming urge to call her and tell her what happened.
I don’t need her to save me.
I step into the hall and call Nico, my panic flaring but he answers before the first ring even finishes and his words fill me with dread.
“Someone broke in to my apartment.” He sounds close to tears, and I screw my eyes shut at the sound.
If his apartment looks anything like mine, then I know he’s devastated. I don’t have much for any intruder to take, let alone destroy, but Nico…fuck. I try and keep him calm, snapping into work mode and separating myself from the fact that this is my home.
“They broke into mine, too, this isn’t a coincidence. I’m going to call it in and then we can talk. Did you sweep the apartment?”
“Yeah, all clear. You?” he replies.
“All clear, I’ll call it in.” I hang up and make the call, dispatchers telling me they will be here in minutes, so I stand and wait, thinking I’m glad we weren’t here when it happened.
A couple of hours later,Nico and I each have a bag packed, ready to find a hotel to stay in for the night. We spoke with the attending officers and gave them all the information we had, which wasn’t much.
We don’t say anything to each other as we head to the lobby of the apartment complex, our fun night of pizza and beer long since forgotten. The doors open and we step out. I have no idea where we are going to stay—it’s late and the hotels in this part of the city are usually fully booked weeks in advance.
“Rai, Nico, over here.”
My head snaps over to the direction of the voice and I see Valeska standing in the lobby as if I have conjured her myself. She looks formidable in the three-piece suit that’s cut perfectly to her body, every inch the business mogul as she stands tall.
Her sleek black hair is down, parted in the middle as it surrounds her like a cloak. I’m transfixed. I want to march over to her and demand she leave, the fact I want her to take me with her and do dirty, wicked things is something I’m choosing to ignore.
Nico pulls me with him and I snap myself out of staring at her and head over, noticing that she’s got her friend Sunny with her tonight. Her short stature has me tilting my head down to meet her eyes.
“What brings you lovely ladies here tonight?” Nico asks them, sounding flirty instead of stressed like he had been earlier.
He still carries his stress like a cloak even as he pretends he isn’t. This night went to shit so fast.
“Oh you know, we were in the area and thought we’d stop by,” Sunny responds, keeping up the joke to break the tension.
My eyes find Valeska’s in the brightly lit lobby, unspoken words passing between us like she knows what happened already. I swallow roughly as the stress of tonight’s events wind my body tighter until I feel like I might snap. Her eyes narrow as she takes me in before she speaks.
“Come, you will be staying with us.” I go to cut her off but she waves a hand at me. “I wasn’t asking.”
She twirls on her heels and waltzes out the door, all grace and power. I have no choice but to follow behind Nico and Sunny as we step out into the chilly night. I’m thankful I put my knitted cardigan on earlier to ward some of the cold off.
A shiny black town car idles by the curb, and someone steps out to open the door for Valeska and Sunny. It’s the same guy from the club that took us to the private suite; he takes our bags and places them in the boot of the vehicle.
Zyon, if my memory serves me well, the handsome fucker.
I let Nico in first and climb in behind him, finding two rows of black leather seats facing each other. Valeska and Sunny saton one side as we take the other, facing the two women who came and saved our asses from finding somewhere to sleep.
The door clicks shut and warmth envelops me. I shiver at the change in temperature but I’m grateful to not be freezing anymore. My body relaxes a little as I put my seatbelt on, while I try to ignore the scrutinising gaze of Valeska as she watches me.
I’m also pretending I don’t enjoy it but I’m failing miserably.
It’s like a lifetime has passed since I saw her, but in reality, it’s been no time at all. She looks perfectly fine; you’d never know a metal object was plunged through her chest a couple of days ago and I’m relieved.
I hadn’t realised how much I needed to see her in person to quell it, even if I still have questions about how it’s possible.
The car rolls forward, merging with the traffic that still exists even at this time of night. We sit in silence and the atmosphere in the luxury car grows thick with tension until Nico breaks it.
