Chapter 48: Thieves

My eyes blinked rapidly, and I felt the world spinning under my feet. I slowly brought my hand to cover my mouth, my brows furrowing as my lips parted behind my palm. I felt dizzy and nauseous, and I probably would never be able to explain how I was still standing because my knees felt weak. Way too weak to carry my weight.

My eyes fell on the dead man again, then to Sin, who was gently cleaning his fingers, a small smile playing on his lips. A breath left my lips, just as my knees buckled, and I fell back, my hand coming in front of me, grasping for anything and everything there was in front of me.

That thing just so happened to be Sin's shirt, and I gasped as a button broke and bounced off as his hand wrapped securely around my bare back. My eyes widened as I looked down at him. From the dark, intense gaze he held in his beautiful, deep eyes to the skin of his chest that was now open and carrying slightly reddened marks from the force of my nails.

He pulled me closer, draping me over his body, his stance dominant over me. He felt so dominant that I felt immediately more feminine, soft, quite ready, and willing to be protected. To be whispered, sweet nothings.

"I... I feel faint," I managed to say, my other hand slowly, shakily grabbing the other side of his shirt, my eyes looking up to his.

"I know," he said, just before he went low, his hand going behind my knees to take me into his arms bridal style.

I gave a soft gasp, my hands wrapping around his shoulder, my eyes closing tight. I wasn't sure what I was avoiding. Dan's apparent disappointment or the dead man on the floor.

Maybe the dead man wasn't my business, but I don't think I owed Dan anything either. Sin walked out of the place with me, and without stopping, he headed straight outside for the car.

Dan followed right behind him, and once Sin settled me in the car, Dan handed him a bottle of water. Sin handed it to me, and I just collected it when everything came crashing down on me.

Sin had just killed a man. But not just anyone. The man that had killed Aldo. I know he had killed James, and maybe... the other man whom he had caught in Angel's bedroom but...

I flung the bottle away from me, my eyes wide as I looked up to Sin. His brows furrowed darkly, and luckily, the bottle hadn't hit him.

"You killed that man," I said, my chest heaving. "You killed him because you..."

"Shut up," he said, his eyes softer than his words. "We are going back home."

Before I could say another word, he closed the door. I couldn't tell what he was doing before the other door opened, and he walked in, now holding his jacket.

He never said a word to me, and I couldn't tell if he was angry, hurt, or disappointed, but I couldn't help it. He killed that man, and from the look of things, he had done it right after using him to kill Aldo in prison. That made it even worse. Not to even consider the fact that Larissa may have been right. Maybe he did want her back. I was the pawn.

The ride held a pregnant silence, and once we finally went back home, I swallowed, my fingers nipping at each other.

Sin still didn't say a word, and he got out of the car, leaving the driver to close the door behind him.

Suddenly, my door opened. I turned, and Sin was standing there, his eyes watching me.

For a long moment, he only watched me and never even blinked, like he wanted me to cave into his gaze.

He stretched his hands to me, like he was expecting me to just jump into them and wrap my hands around him, my face in his neck... fuck, I want that so bad.

"Come here, Annalise."

I looked down at his hand and then at his eyes. I shook my head, using every bit of morality that I still had left to decline that beautiful offer.

"No. I would rather not be in the hands of a killer."

Sin gave a small chuckle, then covered the distance to me, his eyes intense. "This is so disappointing."

"What?"

"I feel rather... used." He brought a long finger to gently caress my face, then down my neck. "I can accept a thief, but you can't accept a murderer."

"Can you hear yourself? It is not the same!"

"It isn't? I steal lives. You steal watches. You steal money. And a great deal of innocence."

I swallowed. "Innocence?"

He looked up from the trail his finger was making on my skin, and his eyes had darkened so much that I didn't need any more explanation. I knew what he meant by stealing innocence, and I hated how it sent electricity through me even though I had just witnessed what sort of monster he was.

I always knew what he could do and that he wasn't quite the best of men, but...

"Don't tell me you romanticized the entire process, Annalise. You can't be that naive."

"I am not naive. You killed that man."

"I don't remember you being this upset when I killed the man who was trying to take advantage of you. Double standards aren't very like you.

"That's different."

"Different? He killed my man."

"You sent him to do it."

His brows raised, and his finger stopped roaming around my skin. "What?"

I swallowed. "Didn't you send that man to kill Aldo?"

"Why would I need to kill Aldo?"

"Well, Larissa is one."

Sin watched me for a while, holding my gaze, and not even the sound of a car behind us could break that eye contact.

"So what am I pacifying you for, Annalise? Your insecurity about me leaving you for Larissa?"

"Leaving?" I scoffed, tucking my hair away. "You were never really with me."

"I like to think I am," Sin said, gently grabbing under my chin. I could feel his fingers tickling my throat, his breath teasing my skin. "I like to think you belong to me."