Chapter 49: Snooping

I felt my throat dry up, and I blinked. I needed to get away from him, but my body had other plans, and I stayed there, letting his fingers cup my chin. I could have stayed there forever, had the gruff sound of a man's voice not interrupted.

"Mr. Sin?"

Sin turned, his hand leaving my chin. "Yes?"

"I am Gabriel Knox, from the violent crimes unit of the police, and we will need to question you with regards to Aldo Maximus' death."

Sin nodded slowly, tucking his hands in his pockets. "I have a ball to attend, so I will not be able to make it today."

I swallowed, nervousness settling in the pit of my stomach as I got out of the car. Sin protectively wrapped a hand around the small of my waist, pulling me to him.

Suddenly, another officer, one of the other three that was standing behind Gabriel, pushed forward.

"You do not have the right to talk like that when you are the prime suspect in..."

Gabriel put a hand on his chest, stopping him. Sin gave a small chuckle, his eyes falling on the new guy.

"You must be new to your job," Sin commented, his eyes drifting to Gabriel.

"I apologize," Gabriel said with a small sigh. "Can you tell us a convenient time and place to question you?"

Sin gave a small shrug. "I will keep in touch."

Gabriel nodded again, then slowly walked forward. "We would like to also question you about the..." He trailed off as he moved, shielding the rest of the officers from view. He brought out an envelope from his pocket, then thrust it into Sin's hand, his eyes holding Sin's. I could see a silent conversation pass between them, and Sin smiled.

"Sure, Gabriel. Keep in touch."

I knew what that meant. Sin was paying him off. Gabriel smiled and nodded, then turned and walked away, dismissing the others.

I turned to Sin, who was still watching the young officer who had tried to confront him earlier, a small smile of triumph lifting his lips. It gave me an unsettling feeling deep down as his fingers gently drummed on my waist, like the wheels of his mind were turning.

"Shall we go?"

I met his eyes, then swallowed. Without a word, I turned away, breaking free from his grip. He didn't call me back or run after me, but I knew better than to expect that Sin would run after anything.

The room felt somewhat empty, and I closed my eyes, my chest heaving hard. Slowly, I started to remove the jewelry I was wearing, my fingers working just as fast as my mind tried to break down my own feelings to me.

I was so occupied that I didn't hear the door open until I felt Sin behind me, his breath hot on the nape of my neck.

His fingers slowly moved across my waist till they were spread across my stomach. He pulled me back to him, his head coming to solely nuzzle in my neck, so when his lips parted, I could feel it on my neck.

"Sin..." I said, my voice low.

"Do I need to whisper it in your skin till you believe me?"

My eyes closed, and I felt my fingers resting on his. "Depends. What will you be telling me?"

He smiled against my skin, the sort of smile that he knew he was winning.

"I don't think you quite care about Aldo. Or that I think you should belong to me."

"What do you think I want?"

"I am not sure, but I will let you know, sweetheart, that you are not breaking a contract clause."

My lips parted, and I nodded as he slowly released me.

"Now, be a sweet little girl, and dress back up. We need to go somewhere."

I bit down on my lips. Sweet little girl. I could be that all night long.

"Yes," I managed to reply.

He chuckled, then placed a dark, sinful kiss on my neck. My entire skin burned with that one kiss, and I threw my head slightly backwards, a sigh leaving my lips.

"You are a receptive little kitten, Annalise. And someday, I will see how far I can stretch you."

My eyes widened with what he had just said, but before I could compose myself enough to turn to him, he was gone, leaving me yet again with nothing but the promises of things I knew would come to pass.

I sat down on the bed, my hand on my chest as I tried to catch my breath. I turned to the door, but my eyes caught something else on the dresser.

I stopped, then stood up and slowly walked to it. It looked like the white envelope that Gabriel had given Sin earlier. Curiosity filled me, and I turned it around, trying to gauge what it was exactly.

There was nothing on the envelope itself, and I slowly opened it. I peeped in, but all I could see were the tops of papers.

I looked up at the door. It was closed, and I sighed, then went back to the envelope. I pushed my hand in, then slowly brought out one of the papers.

It looked like a handwritten letter, and attached to the edge was a small picture of Larissa. She was with Aldo, and it looked like a prison visitation room.

I could, however, see her finger slipped right under the bars and Aldo looking right down at it. My brows furrowed as I tried to make sense of it, but the writing seemed to be a code, and I couldn't understand a word.

I brought it closer to my eyes, just as the door opened, and Angel gave a small squeal.

"Aunty!"

I gasped, letting go of the paper, just as Sin came to the door too, a small smile on his face. I pushed the paper away, then leaned to Angel's height, letting her wrap her hands around me.

I looked up at Sin, and he was watching me, his eyes narrow. I swallowed again, hoping he hadn't seen me snooping, but even worse, was that paper itself. It was lying under the dresser now, and I needed to take it out.

Larissa came up to the door beside Sin, a smile on her face.

"Hi, Annalise."

I closed my eyes tight as I straightened, holding Angel's hand still.

"You're back. Again."

She chuckled. "Always."

I could smell trouble brewing, and it wasn't just Larissa.