Page 92 of Sinner
Yejun went numb, his hand slipping off his thigh as his mind momentarily blanked before zooming in on Demitrious with more attention than he’d been paying him prior. “What did you just say?”
Hendrix? He was really here? With Nix?
“Where are they?” June demanded, but Demitrious merely laughed. “If anything happens to Nix, I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” He shook the gun. “You’ll be too dead to do much of anything.”
“He’s the Royal Consort!”
“So what? It’s not like it’ll be my first time killing one of those.”
He froze, mouth gaping open before he could help it. “Did you just confess to poisoning the late emperor and her Royal Consort?”
“How’d you know it was poison?” He hummed in appreciation. “Oh, because of that thing with West? You boys are smarter than I gave you credit for. Too bad. If only you were as loyal, I never would have felt the need to drug my own son in the first place. Lake’s always been so suspicious of those around him, I felt it was only safe to build myself a security net. It had the added benefit of ensuring he rushed home, where he belongs.”
It became obvious why he was comfortable sharing all the sordid details of his past misdeeds. Demitrious seemed to be done talking, so he didn’t bother asking if June had any last words. Didn’t even hesitate before pulling the trigger.
Once.
Twice.
A third time.
Nothing happened.
Yejun was on his feet and howling in a flash, taking Demitrious down to the ground hard enough that he may have even cracked one of the old man’s ribs. He snatched the blaster and slammed the barrel into his face, breaking his nose in the process.
Working on his anger issues to take a back seat.
“Tell me where the fuck they are!” he screamed. “Where is Nix?!”
If they were too late, he’d never forgive himself.
Or Beck Bardin.
Chapter 33:
Lake stepped into the room, and Nix dropped his arm to his side, relief sweeping through him.
Before he remembered what he’d just figured out.
“Where’s West?” Nix tried to move past Lake, but the Imperial caught him and refused to let him. “Stop, we need to find him, now!”
“We can’t just leave Hendrix here,” Lake said.
“Then shoot him or whatever so we—” Nix stopped struggling, horrified at himself for even thinking it, let alone saying it out loud.
“I called the police while I was looking for you,” Lake told him. “They’re on their way.”
“We might not have that much time. Demitrious—”
Lake frowned. “You saw Demitrious?”
“He’s the one who lured me here.”
Without another word, Lake slipped the weapon from Nix’s grasp and shot Hendrix in both legs. Then he went over and grabbed the bleeding man by the arm, dragging him across the room to the radiator.
“Give me your tie,” he ordered Nix as he tugged his own off and forced Hendrix’s left arm against the metal. He’d already secured it there by the time Nix brought him his, then he got to work on his right arm. “I’ll contact them and tell them where they can find him. You try calling West and June.”
