Page 199 of Heartless Sinner

He slid behind the wheel without so much as glancing at my door, expecting me to get in on my own.

There was no chivalry for me anymore. No warmth.

I climbed into the passenger seat beside a man who suddenly felt like my enemy again.

Am I going to die?

Brooks pulled away from the White House, and I waited until it disappeared from my view.

“Where are you taking me?” I finally asked.

The dashboard cast enough light across his profile for me to see the muscle jumping in his temple every time he ground his teeth together.

He didn’t answer me.

Every minute felt like an hour as he drove and ignored my questions.

“Where are we going?”

No reply.

“Will you talk to me?”

Silence.

“Please, just let me out.”

We just kept driving northeast toward New York. I stared out the passenger window, watching semis pass us.

My reflection stared back at me in the window—pink sequins, ruined makeup, a princess tiara that suddenly felt ridiculous.

Nearly an hour into Maryland, he finally put on his turn signal and pulled off the highway. A few minutes later, he turned into the parking lot of a run-down motel that looked untouched since the ’80s.

A neon vacancy sign buzzed overhead. The blue paint on the doors was faded and peeling.

Oh, I’ll definitely need a tetanus shot after leaving this place.

If I make it out of here alive.

There wasn’t a soul in sight. If he planned to kill me, this was the perfect place.

Brooks parked in the darkest corner of the lot and killed the engine.

“Come on.” He climbed out and pulled a key from his pocket.

Knowing I had no choice and that this could be the end of me, I got out and followed him.

He unlocked the room at the far end of the building.

Stale air smelling of cigarettes and mildew hit me when he opened the door.

Brooks flicked on the light and shut the door behind us.

A yellow lamp flickered on, exposing a floral bedspread, scratched nightstand, and carpet I wouldn’t have walked barefoot across for a million dollars.

He stopped beside the foot of the bed and ripped the loosened tie from his collar before turning to me. “Why’d you do it, Daphne?”

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