The moment Sin got home, she revealed, “We’ve been played.”
Ten’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“Claire played us.” Sin lowered herself to the couch next to her friend with a heavy sigh. “Worth isn’t after her. It’s the other way round. She’s after him.”
“What? What?” Shock streaked through Ten’s gaze. “How do you know? Are you sure?”
“As sure as I’ll ever be.” Sin clarified, “I overheard a conversation between her and her sister in the ladies’ room and she spilled everything.”
“Well damn!” Ten was silent for quite a while before she said, “Can’t say I’m surprised.”
“I know. I know.” Sin sighed. “You told me so.”
“I told you so,” her friend agreed. “So I guess we should start packing, right?”
Sin’s heart sunk at the other woman’s words. Her shoulders slumped and her tone was hesitant as she questioned, “We should, shouldn’t we?”
“We should, shouldn’t we?” Ten mimicked. Her eyebrows raised, she offered, “You sound like you don’t want to.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to leave.” Sin worried her bottom lip. “It’s just… just… Wouldn’t it be wrong to leave without telling Worth that Claire is after him?”
“I guess.” Ten frowned. “But there’s no way to tell him without confessing our part in the whole thing. Then who knows how he’ll react; we could end up in jail.”
“No, I could end up in jail,” Sin said. “He doesn’t even know who you are.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Ten eyed Sin like she was crazy. “It’s the same thing whether you go to jail or we both go to jail.”
“I know. I know but-”
“There’s no but about it,” Ten cut her off. “We’re not doing anything that will send you back to prison.”
Sin protested, “I won’t let him get screwed over by Claire.”
Ten studied Sin silently for an uncomfortable long while before she asked, “Why are you so worried about Worth? Anyone else in your position would be happy to see him taken down. I mean he treats you like crap.”
“Yeah, he does. But…” Sin’s words drifted off because she couldn’t explain the complicated feelings that swamped her whenever Worth was involved.
“But what?” Ten eyed her. When Sin still couldn’t answer, the other woman’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me. No… no way. No way.” She canted her head to watch Sin even more keenly. “Don’t tell me you like this guy.”
Sin wanted to deny it, but her mouth refused to voice the right words to reassure her friend. She’d never really thought about why she always seemed to surrender so easily to Worth. However, now that she thought about it, it seemed like Worth had weaseled his way into her heart while she wasn’t looking.
But her silence was answer enough for Ten.
“Jeez! What do you like about the guy?” Ten stared at her like she’d lost all her marbles. “He’s a certified sadist.”
“I know, right? I must be a masochist,” Sin joked but she was also half serious. Only being a sadist could explain why she liked a guy who treated her like Worth did. Without conscious thought, she confessed, “I slept with him.”
“What?” Ten’s eyes widened so much it was a wonder they didn’t pop right out of their sockets. “Are you crazy?”
“I must be.” That was the only way to explain why she was so weak when it came to that man. If she wasn’t so shocked because of the conversation she’d overheard tonight, Sin would’ve fallen for his ‘should we go’ spiel again. That’s how twisted she was.
Both ladies were quiet for a while with Sin staring at her feet while Ten watched her with a concerned expression.
When Ten spoke, her tone was grave. “You know it won’t work though, right?”
Sin sighed. “I know.”
“If… no- when he finds out who you really are and why you came into his life, it’s over,” Ten reminded her.
“I know,” Sin agreed even as she felt a sudden tightening in her throat and itching behind her eyes.
Ten watched her for quite a while before scooting closer to her to pat her back. Shaking her head, she said, “What am I going to do with you?”
Sin forced a smile. “Love me?”
“You make it so hard,” Ten teased before her expression turned grave again. “We still have to cut and run though. Worth is a smart guy. I’m sure he’ll figure out that Claire’s after him even without us having to sacrifice ourselves.”
“How sure are we of that?” Sin met her friend’s eyes. “What if he finds out too late, after she’s already caused him damage?”
“You’re killing me here, Sin,” Ten protested, frustration etched on her dark features. “There is nothing we can do without risking jail.”
Ten was absolutely right. There was nothing they could do, not without risking their freedom. Maybe that was the only way…
It was almost as if the other woman could read Sin’s mind because the moment she started to mull over that thought, Ten said, “No.”
“What?”
“No.” Ten shook her head vehemently. “You can’t come clean to him.”
“It’s the only way to make sure that Claire’s plan flops.”
“I know you have feelings for this guy… but are you mad? Have you lost your damn mind?” Ten folded her arms over her chest and glared at her friend. “No. No way.”
“I think coming clean is the best option.” Sin offered, “Think about it. Maybe Worth will appreciate the heads-up and let me go without any consequences.”
“So we’re supposed to place all our hopes on his good will?” Ten rolled her eyes. “Girl, miss me with that bullshit. Hell no!”
“Well, I’m doing it.”
Ten blinked, then blinked again. “Wha… what?”
“I’m doing it,” Sin insisted stubbornly. “I’ll come clean tomorrow.”
Her friend glared at her. “I said no.”
“I’m still doing it!”
“So what I have to say doesn’t even matter to you anymore?” Hurt shone in Ten’s gaze. “We’re supposed to be partners here.”
“I know but…” Remorse swept through Sin. Her friend had been with her through thick and thin and it felt wrong to go against her wishes but she had to do this. “I’m sorry, Ten. I can’t just leave without at least letting him know the kind of danger he’s in. I promise I won’t get you involved.”
Ten glared at Sin for quite a while before she kissed her teeth and shot to her feet. “Fine! Do what you want?”
With that she strode out of the living room and headed to her bedroom. The door slammed loudly behind her. Sin stayed a while in the living room before guilt drove her to follow her friend.
She knocked lightly on the door before turning the doorknob. “Teeen?”
Ten was by her closet, pulling out her hanged clothes and tossing them on the bed.
Immediate panic bubbled within Sin. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Ten snapped. “I’m going back home.”
“Ten!”
“If you want to stupidly walk yourself to the slaughterhouse-” Ten yanked more clothes from her closet. “-then I’d rather not be here to watch you.”
Sin wanted to beg her friend to stay, but she knew that it would be wrong. It was already unfair that she’d dragged Ten all the way here on the strength of a story she hadn’t even verified. To expect the woman to stick with her while she put them both in danger would be just plain selfish. No, it was better for Ten to go home. If Sin was going down, then she preferred to go down alone.
Silently, Sin backed out of the room then closed the door.
THE NEXT MORNING, Sin walked into the living room to the sight of Ten’s suitcase in the living room. It was obvious that this was Ten’s passive aggressive way of letting her know that she was really leaving today. Sin wanted to knock on her friend’s door to bid her goodbye and to let her know that she appreciated everything she’d done for her up until this point, but she didn’t. Why? She was afraid that if she saw Ten she might end up begging her to stay. Her heart heavy, Sin left the house.
As she took the stairs down, the knot that had started in her belly the previous night further tightened. Would she really tell Worth what was going on? Yes, that was the right thing to do. How would he react? Would he be angry? Would he hate her? Of course he would. A lump built up in her throat.
Still, if that was the worst that came out of her confession then she could live with it. But what if he called the cops on her? Would she be okay with being handcuffed in front of him? With seeing the disgust in his expression as the cops hauled her out? The thought was enough to make her want to go back upstairs. However, she forced her feet to keep moving. Whatever happened, she’d deal with it. It was the price of living a life of deception.
When she emerged from their building, she found a silver BMW parked out front. The tinted, front passenger window soundlessly slid downwards to reveal Claire in the driver’s seat. Sin’s eyes widened in surprised. It wasn’t strange to find out that Claire knew where she lived (she was the one who’d found the apartment anyway). What was surprising was that Claire was here. The woman had made a point of making sure no one even knew they were connected. Why was she here where Sin’s neighbors could see her?
“Hey!” Claire leaned across the seat. “Get in.”
After everything she’d heard the previous day, Sin wanted to flounce off, but her curiosity won. What other lies would Claire tell her today? Sin opened the passenger door and got into the car.
“I thought you wanted secrecy,” Sin said as soon as she was settled in. “What are you doing here?”
Claire ignored the question. Rolling up the windows so they were shielded from human eyes, the brunette ordered curtly, “Seatbelt!”
As soon as Sin did as ordered, Claire started the car and soon they were off. The drive was silent. Claire’s full attention seemed to be on the road. Meanwhile Sin just watched her, wondering how such a normal looking woman could be so cold and conniving. She had to give it to the woman though; Claire had done what no one else had. She’d conned Sin!
Their first meeting in Miami was probably not an accident. Claire had deliberately approached Sin, which meant that she knew about Sin and her history long before she decided to use her. Most people would’ve directly asked Sin to help them out. This woman was smart enough to lure Sin into offering her services herself, which had made it even harder for Sin to pick up that she was being conned.
Yup! She was smart. Evil, yes. But smart.
“How’s your relationship with Worth going,” Claire asked without turning her attention away from the road.
“It’s going!” Sin barely kept from curling her upper lip in a sneer. Just thinking of how much this lady had used her was enough to make her blood boil. God! She wanted to slap the taste out of the woman’s mouth.
“Is it?” Claire asked. Though she didn’t raise her voice, there was an odd tightness to her tone that made Sin stiffen.
“What does that mean?” Sin watched the woman with narrowed eyes.
Claire didn’t say anything at first. She just slowed down then brought the car to a stop. Sin looked around, realizing that they were quite a distance away from both her apartment and W Sport.
She confronted Claire. “Why are we stopping?”
Claire turned to glare at her. “I asked you a question. How’s your relationship with Worth going?”
“And I answered it,” Sin retorted. “It’s going!”
“It’s going,” the brunette mimicked rudely then laughed. Even though her lips made chortling sounds and her upper body shook, there was no amusement in her eyes. “You must think you’re so clever.”
Sin frowned. “What are you on about?”
“You think I don’t know that you’re about to betray me?”
Sin was so surprised by the woman’s words that she stared at her in silence for quite a while before she found her voice. “What would make you think that?”
“Oh, I don’t know-” Anger glittering in her eyes, Claire offered, “-because I’m not an idiot like you.”
Normally, the insult would’ve left Sin seething, but she was too shocked right now. Claire’s bet was too close to the mark. It was almost like she was reading Sin’s thoughts.
Claire chuckled. “I bet you’ve decided to come clean-”
Sin was too surprised to stammer anything other than, “Wha- what?”
“-But that would be a mistake. A big mistake!” Claire reached for her phone and swiped through it with fast strokes of her fingers. “You know why?”
Sin didn’t have the time to answer the question because right then Claire found the file she was searching her phone for. Then she pressed play, and Sin’s own voice came back to haunt her.
“So I need to get him to marry me then transfer his shares to me.” Sin’s voice echoed in the car. “After that I can transfer them to you.”
“You’re crazy.” Claire’s shaky breath could be heard even in the recording. “This is a bad idea… quit.”
…And on the recording went. Though the words were theirs, the recording had been edited. It sounded like Sin was trying to force Claire to con Worth, while Claire was trying to stop her.
Sin’s breath whooshed from her parted lips as her shocked eyes met Claire’s. “What the hell is that?”
“A recording of our conversation.” The brunette offered her a ‘duh’ look.
“That’s not how the conversation went,” Sin protested. “You’ve edited it.”
“Have I? Prove it,” Claire retorted with a smirk before her expression turned threatening. “If you come clean to Worth, this recording will go straight to the cops. With your record, I bet you’ll be in jail before the day’s out.”
Sin couldn’t believe that she was being blackmailed. Then again, this was Claire. She shouldn’t have been surprised. However, this did complicate matters. Sin had left the house this morning believing that all she’d have to deal with was Worth’s wrath. She’d forgotten all about Claire and how the woman might retaliate. Still, Sin knew what she had to and the recording wouldn’t stop her.
“Whatever!” Sin shrugged. “Send it to them.”
Claire’s jaw dropped. “What?”
Obviously, she’d expected more fear out of Sin. Sin guffawed. “Be my guest. Send the recording to the cops. I don’t care.”
“You don’t care?” Claire stared at her like she was crazy. “But you’ll be arrested.”
“And so will you.” Sin smirked. “Or have you forgotten that you’re the one who provided me with housing plus the recommendation to work with Worth? You’ve left a trail wide enough to show everyone that you and I were partners.”
Claire stared at Sin in wide-eyed shock as if she couldn’t believe that she was fighting back. Well, she didn’t know Sin! Judging by how Claire kept swallowing, it was obvious she was turning her brain cells over to figure out how to reel Sin back in. When she spoke it was another threat. “I’ll say you blackmailed me.”
“For all this time? And you never once went to the cops?” Sin watched the woman with amusement. “Like they’ll believe you.”
“Well… well… I’ll say you threatened to kill my son,” Claire said.
Boy, she was really reaching, wasn’t she?
Sin folded her arms over her chest and sat back in the seat. “Okay, go tell them that. Tell them how you - a high society woman who’s probably received many threats – were so scared of threats by a woman with no access to your son that rather than go straight to the police, you decided to work with her and con your brother-in-law.” Sin guffawed. “I think you’ve watched too many movies. Cops aren’t as dumb as TV makes them out to be. They won’t believe that crap!”
Claire’s eyes glittered with wild rage as she demanded, “So you’re okay with going to jail?”
Sin didn’t say anything but the look she gave Claire was answer enough.
“What about your little sidekick?” Claire arched her eyebrows. “Is Ten okay with this plan for yours?”
Sin’s blood stopped cold and her body stiffened. “How do you know about Ten?”
The two women had never met. As far as Claire was concerned, Sin was doing this all on her own.
“I know everything about you. Including the fact that on the day we met, you and Ten were robbing guests of the Atlantis Hotel. I’ll bet the cops will be glad to hear that.” Claire’s smile was as gleeful as it was wicked. “Hopefully, Ten is just as excited to go to jail as you are.”
The mention of Ten was enough to knock the air out of Sin and her heart began to pound. Though she was ready to fall on her own sword, she didn’t plan to stab Ten too.
“Ah, I got your attention, didn’t I?” Claire’s face hardened and her tone grew wintery cold. “Now, this is what’s going to happen. You’ll fulfill your end of our deal. Seduce Worth and get me my shares.”
“And if I don’t?” Sin gritted between her teeth.
“Don’t make me drag your friend into this mess,” the brunette threatened. “I hear that unlike you she’s never been in jail. Will you be the one who sends her there?”
Sin wanted to tell the woman to go to hell. But she couldn’t – not when Ten’s freedom was also at risk. So she just stayed silent.
“I’m glad we understand each other.” Claire clicked on a button and the car-doors opened. She turned to Sin. “Get out!”
More than a little shaken, Sin got out of the car. Smirking, Claire waved at her then sped off.