Page 28 of The Bane of a Sinner
Turning, I looked at the pretty young woman and slowly shook my head. “I take you there, and I might as well sign your death warrant.”
“You know who I am, don’t you?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
She sighed and looked around. “I should never have come here. I should have stayed in Texas. My dad is going to lose it when he learns what has happened.”
“Your father is the least of your worries, because if George Stone gets his hands on you, you won’t be alive to explain shit to anyone. We need to go,” I said, taking her hand as I walked her to where I parked my bike.
Quickly getting on, she jumped on behind me as I started up my motorcycle. There was only one person in this city who could possibly help me hide Diana and keep George Stone off my back.
I just prayed the man was in a helping mood.
Chapter Fifteen
Diana
Never in my life had I ever met a man as dangerous as the one I was looking at.
The silk of his three-piece suit whispered against the oppressive stillness of the room, a stark contrast to the icy glint in his eyes. Those eyes, the blue of a glacier’s heart, bored into me, piercing the flimsy curtain of my composure. He didn’t just look at me; he saw through me, dissecting my very soul with a gaze so cold it stole the warmth from my blood. His presence hung heavy, a tangible weight in the air, thick with the scent of expensive cologne and something else... something feral, something predatory. He stood rooted, a statue carved from granite, arms crossed tight across a chest that hinted at coiled power. I’d known violence, tasted the bitter sting of betrayal, felt the chilling breath of death on my neck. But this... this was different. This wasn’t the brutish menace of a thug, but something far more chilling, a calculated, glacial menace that promised slow, deliberate destruction. A predator dressed for the ball, ready to play his game. He exuded an aura of absolute control, a chilling self-assurance that whispered a single, terrifying truth: this man was not to be crossed.
“Are you going to let us in, or just stare at us all day?” Shame snapped after a few moments.
The man’s eyes moved to Shame, then hardened even more, if that was possible, before he took a step back and smiled. “Please come in.”
As I stepped further into the mansion, my eyes traced the intricate moldings that graced the high ceilings, the gleam of polished wood floors, and the soft glow of crystal chandeliers. It was a world away from the country life I knew so well, a world of wealth and privilege that seemed to exist in a separate reality. Yet, even amidst all this opulence, I couldn’t shake the sense of unease that clung to me like a second skin. That man, with his piercing gaze and aura of controlled power, remained at the forefront of my mind. He was a force to be reckoned with, a predator lurking in the shadows of this elegant setting. I felt like a mouse that had inadvertently wandered into a tiger’s den, aware that my presence here was temporary and that, at any moment, the tiger could decide to play.
The air was thick with an expectant silence, as if the very walls held their breath, awaiting some unseen signal. Shame, seemingly unfazed by our host’s intense demeanor, moved with casual confidence, taking in the surroundings with a relaxed air. But I knew better than to let my guard down. This place may have been a sanctuary for the rich and powerful, but it also felt like a trap, carefully laid and waiting to be sprung. I could sense the man’s eyes on my back, even without seeing him, and I knew that this was a game, and I was but a pawn, about to be played by a master manipulator.
A soft sound, like the gentle chime of a bell, broke the stillness, and a subtle shift in the atmosphere signaled that something was about to happen as the man sighed. “I apologize for what is about to happen.”
“Excuse me?” I barely uttered when a young boy, no older than six, possibly seven years old, ran into the room, smiling as another man followed, his face a mask of mystery as his eyes never left the young boy.
“SIN!” the young boy shouted as he crashed into the man, holding up a baseball. “Look what Silas got me!”
The man leaned down and whispered to the young boy. “We have a guest, Dante.”
The young boy blinked, then turned to me and grinned. Handing his new treasure to the man called Sin, the little boy wiped his hands on his pants before holding out his hand to me. “Hello. My name is Dante Sharp. Wow, you are pretty!”
I chuckled as Sin cleared his throat.
“Sorry,” he sighed as his shoulders slumped. “That was rude. It’s nice to meet you.”
Smiling, I kneeled before him and took his hands. “It’s very nice to meet you, Dante, and I think you are very handsome yourself. My name is Diana, and that brooding man behind me is Shame.”
“What does brooding mean?”
“It means he’s thinking too hard, and it’s making him unhappy.”
Dante frowned, pondering my words when he leaned forward and whispered in my ear, “Sin does that a lot. Like all the time.”
I swallowed my smile as I looked up at Sin, who frowned and grumbled, “I do not brood.”
“Come on, Dante.” The other man walked over, taking the little boy’s hand. “Rowen will be here soon for your afternoon classes. You need to get cleaned up before he arrives.”
The young boy smiled and waved goodbye, taking all the warmth and joy with him as I slowly stood.
“He’s wonderful,” I muttered, watching the young boy disappear into another room.
