Sinner by Minx Hardbringer, Natasha Tanner Read Free Book Online Page B

for a while. Nick and his wife took care of my sister, thank God."
    "You have a sister?" Lilith asks curiously, and Becks shoots me another death glare.
    "I do, but that's another story for another time. Okay, Peaches?"
    "Yeah, of course," Lilith says looking embarrassed. "Sorry."
    "It's okay. Anyway, the studio took care of my hospital bills, but I wasn't able to work again. Even after I got myself back together physically and was capable of work, no one would insure me because of the head injury. Too much risk of another fall, they said. My meager savings ran out quickly, and while I'm going to get a huge settlement eventually, the movie studio is tying up the litigation as long as possible. So, basically, I'm a penniless millionaire." I say and finish my glass of whiskey.
    "So you came back here to work?" Lilith asks sincerely.
    "I did. I had some old connections, and they pay well for sensitive information." At some point, I need to tell her that I'm working for the Russian mob, and they're holding my sister, but right now doesn't feel like the appropriate time. I trust her, but if she gets scared or angry and runs to the cops, it will sign Sophie's death warrant. I have to put my sister's safety first even though it's killing me to lie to Lilith.
    "Wanna hear my boring story?" Becks interrupts when she sees that I'm losing the battle to keep my mouth shut.
    "Sure. Can I have another?" Lilith says and thrusts her glass clumsily towards me. She's a lightweight for sure, but it's adorable and only makes me feel more protective.
    "Okay, but just a little and then I'm cutting you off, Peaches," I say and pour her another half-finger of bourbon. She pouts but turns her attention back to Becks.
    “Mine’s pretty boring compared to Adams tale of woe.” She says teasingly. “I was a programmer for a major corporation. Unfortunately, I have a soul, and I could not bear working for them any longer. I wanted to be Robin Hood stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.” She says and points at her chest when she says poor. “So I took up hacking. Basically, I take money out of unscrupulous people’s accounts and put it in decent people’s. I also take a little for myself, but never from anyone who doesn’t deserve it. They all steal from us, so I take a piece of it back. When Adam came back into town, I saw the opportunity to stick it to someone who wants to steal a lot of money from the little guy. That’s your boss.” She says and hiccups.
    I laugh because these ladies cannot hold their liquor. “What about you, Lilith? How did someone as sweet and intelligent as you end up working for the likes of Tom Hunt?” She blushes when I pay her a compliment.
    “It’s a really dull story. Working for Tom was supposed to be a fantastic opportunity, and I guess I had my blinders on for a long time as to what kind of person he really is. I went out on a couple of dates with him, and I thought we had something. He threw me over for the next model who caught his eye, but I still needed my job. Well, I figured I needed my job. I was actually just too scared to take any chances, and that included finding a better place to work.” When I hear her say that she went on a date with that clown, it makes my blood boil. Fortunately, the booze keeps my temper in check. I’m not an angry drunk. The bourbon actually mellows me out.
    “You went on a date with him?” I ask and unsuccessfully try to mask my jealousy.
    “Yeah. I’d like to say I didn’t know any better, but now I think a part of me did. I have so many regrets about it now. All the nights I spent working late trying to impress Tom when I could have been doing something more meaningful with my life.” She says and sniffles.
    “Hey, if you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have met Adam. It was a good thing for both of you, and it will work out in the end.” Becks says encouragingly, and she’s right.
    All of it led up to me meeting Lilith, so I have to be thankful for