Violent Sins (New York Sinners Series Book 3)

1| Revenge

The venue was huge, which meant he couldn't have gone too far. 

I continued strolling leisurely, my hands clasped together behind my back while the fabric of my black satin dress hugged my hips and waist, flowing down to my heels while a sleek Kanzashi hair pain held my hair up into a twisted bun with a few strands slipping loose around my face. 

Kanzashis had a history of being used as lethal weapons in Japan, but here, they were a rarity and almost never suspected to be a murder weapon, merely an accessory. Elegant, rare, and yet deadly. 

I continued searching the halls until I finally found the man hiding in a tucked away corner, out of sight to anybody in passing. 

He viciously dialed his phone, pacing back and forth, making one call after another. "Did you secure the package?" he demanded. "Then check again, damn it! It should have arrived by now. We're not talking about small quantities here." 

A drug deal. How typical. 

"What about the mules? What did you do with them?" 

I listened in, hovering near the corner as I leaned against the wall, biding my time. 

"Get rid of their bodies. It shouldn't be too hard. Five kids is all you're dealing with." A beat later, he went quiet, which meant he'd hung up the phone. 

Pushing off the wall, I stepped forward and into the light, now standing in his path and blocking the only way out. "Smuggling drugs in and out of the city, and that too by using children as your drug mules, Mr. Murray?" I clicked my tongue in disapproval. "That's below the belt, isn't it?" 

Lifting a hand, I grabbed the Kanzashi hairpin and tugged it out, letting my hair fall down my back in loose waves while I spun the dagger-like pin between my fingers, firming my grip on it. 

"Excuse me?" he scoffed at me. I stared at him blankly, merely lifting my brows. 

"You're excused," I replied dryly. 

Ignorantly, he tried to side-step me. I shifted my weight, blocking his path. He tried again, but I stood my ground, bracing a hand on the wall. 

"I'm afraid I can't let you go, Mr. Murray," I said softly, taking a step forward, cornering him. I twirled the pin between my fingers, the sharp end pricking my finger until a single drop of blood pooled on the surface. 

Realization finally settled in his eyes. "Who sent you?" he asked. 

"I cannot disclose that information." 

"Whoever it is, however much he's paying you... I'll double it, Rose," he began, a surge of desperation washing over him as the gravity of the situation dawned on him. He wasn't going to survive the night, and I was sent to make sure of it. 

"If you tried that line on my father, it would have worked on him," I shrugged a shoulder. "Unfortunately, the blood flowing through my veins isn't thick enough to corrupt me, Mr. Murray. My morals are far stronger than that." 

His jaw ticked as he eyed me, looking for a way to escape. 

"I'm here on behalf of all those children you've killed," I said, taking another step forward, "I'm here for their revenge."