Page 90 of Two Sides of Sin

The water cascaded off my tall frame, pooling onto the imported Italian tile. I didn’t bother reaching for a towel. I was unbothered by the cold air of the penthouse or the dead girl currently bleeding out in my bath.

I reached out and grabbed the neck of the chilled champagne bottle from the silver bucket on the counter, ignoring the crystal flutes entirely.

I walked completely naked across the sprawling, pristine apartment, the heavy silence broken only by the sound of my wet footsteps. I stopped in front of the massive floor-to-ceiling window, the bustling city stretching out beneath me like a scattering of diamonds in the dark.

I took a long, slow drink straight from the bottle, the cold champagne burning the back of my throat. I stared out at the millions of tiny lights below, the millions of fragile, fleeting mortal lives unaware of the immortal serial killer standing high above them.

I pulled away from the glass and set the half-empty champagne bottle down on a black marble table with a soft clink. Beside it sat my phone, a slim piece of modern technology that felt mundane in the hands of an immortal.

I picked it up, my wet thumb swiping across the screen. The blue light illuminated my pale features, casting shadows over my face as I scrolled through a contact list that consisted of disposable assets.

I stopped on a number I hadn’t dialled in a long time.

It belonged to a private investigator—a highly connected, resourceful mortal whose loyalty I had purchased a long time ago with a small fortune and a very clear, unspoken understanding of what would happen to him if he ever failed me. He was the best in the world at hunting down what didn’t want to be found.

I hit call and lifted the phone to my ear.

It only rang twice.

“Sir,” a cautious voice answered on the other end, detached and devoid of any casual pleasantries. The underlying tension in his tone told me exactly how much he feared this late-night call.

I looked back over my shoulder. Through the open doorway of the bathroom, I could see the edge of the tub, the red foaming bubbles, and the pale, lifeless arm of the blonde model draped over the marble ledge.

My expression remained blank.

“I think it’s time I find my brother,”

A heavy silence stretched over the line for a moment as the investigator absorbed the weight of my command. Finding Julian wasn’t just a missing persons case—it was hunting a lethal, immortal soldier who had spent the last century actively trying to erase his own existence. And mine.

“I’ll put every resource on it immediately,” the man finally replied, his voice tight. “Where do you want me to start looking?”

“Everywhere,” I spat out, turning back to look out at the glittering city below.

“Let me know when you find something.”

I ended the call, dropping the phone back onto the table. I stood there in the silence of the penthouse, the phantom, harrowing memory of June’s eyes flashing in my mind one last time before I brutally shoved the image back down.

A sinister smile touching the corner of my mouth.

Let the games begin.

Chapter 53

Sage

The stack of heavy envelopes sitting on my nightstand had become my lifeline over the last few weeks.

Every word Julian had written me—every dark, fiercely protective promise penned in that beautiful writing of his—was etched permanently into my brain. We had been responding back and forth constantly, a deeply intimate exchange that made the physical distance between us feel both unbearable and electric.

I was exhausted from a long day of classes and studio time, my brain practically fried as I fumbled with my keys in the hallway of my apartment building. I finally managed to unlock the deadbolt, pushing the heavy door open with my shoulder.

I had barely taken one step inside when my cell phone started vibrating frantically from the bottom of my tote bag.

I sighed, kicking the door shut behind me with my heel. I dug my hand past my sketchbooks and art supplies and pulled my phone out.

The screen was glowing brightly in the dim entryway.

Unknown Caller.