The Sinners - Ruby Vincent Page 0,8

Royal’s warning and the knowledge Rio could easily shoot me and Gregory and beat it out of here before the cops came, pressed my lips together.

“Good evening, Miss Bancroft,” said Gregory.

“Evening.”

“Back from the academy to visit your aunt and uncle?”

“Yes.”

“Very nice. You both have a good night.”

That was it. Part of me hoped Gregory would question why I was in this man’s car.

A rich community like this wouldn’t employ a man to ask questions.

“Who do you know in the Estate?” I asked as we drove through the rumbling gate. “Is it the same mystery person who put Royal on the list?”

“You assume I don’t have a home here.”

“I assume nothing,” I replied. “You don’t live in the Estate. Everyone knows everyone around here, and a man like you would not escape notice.”

“Men like me blend in far better than you believe, sweet Ember.”

It wasn’t an answer to my question, but I long since accepted Rio did not give those. This man could be waterboarded, racked, dipped in honey and covered with fire ants, and he’d still share nothing more or less than what he wished.

Oleander Park was a short drive from the gates. The park we passed on the day Eli and I moved into my uncle’s mansion. This beautiful patch of green was open later than normal community parks. This one was known for the manmade natural path trailed with fairy lights, leading to a cozy gazebo at the end for lovers to curl up under the moonlight.

It was in that gazebo my aunt and uncle renewed their vows on their tenth wedding anniversary. I knew this from the pictures in their drawing room. My family—when we still were a family—wasn’t invited to the ceremony.

All of that went through my head as Rio pulled into the emptying parking lot. Those two didn’t want me here as they celebrated one of the happiest days of their lives, but here they were risking everything to pay off a debt that wasn’t theirs or mine to bear.

A peek at the clock read nine twenty. Couples young and old were dragging their feet, hanging on to the last vestiges of their dates. I saw why Royal chose this time for the drop. Swarming with people it would be easy for police or security to blend in. Whereas at closing time, if we saw someone other than giggling yuppies getting handsy, Rio would know to beat it out of there.

I pierced through the shadows searching for Uncle Harrison, Violet, anyone. “Where’s Royal?”

Rio didn’t answer.

“Will you truly keep your end?” I pressed. “You get the money for your mother and I never hear your name again.”

“Shh.” His shush was a soft croon sealing my lips. “Pay attention. Should something go wrong, you’ll want to see who is to blame for destroying your last chance.”

I swallowed through needles. I marveled at Royal’s ability to menace with little fanfare or description. I thought he was the only one who could deliver a terrifying threat as blandly as a waiter asked for your order. Evidently, he was merely the apprentice learning at the knee of the master. With two sentences Rio laid out that he was firmly in control of this situation and my life.

The twenty-nine blinked out and three zero glared at me in harsh red light. Behind the swings, a writhing mass emerged from the trees.

Not a mass. A man.

It could only be a man from the expanding build, hunched shoulders, and hoodie pulled low over his brows. Hanging off his arm was a black duffle bag. The man skirted the edge of the lamplight, sticking to the darkness. I didn’t need to be told his destination was the trash can a couple of feet from the park’s sign.

Rio and I had it fixed in our sights, watching as the man dumped the bag in the trash and continued on without a hitch in his step.

In the space of a breath, Royal was there. I knew him for the simple reason that he didn’t hide. Sans hoodie, ducked head, furtive glances, and no scurrying out of the light. He just walked up to the trash, fished out the bag, and approached the car.

Rio lowered the window for his son to toss the bag inside. “The weight feels right,” Royal said. “It’s all there.”

How does he know what one hundred thousand dollars weighs?

“We’re good, Dad,” Royal stated, not asked. “I came through. The triplets are forgiven. Gran has her money, and Ember is done with the Horsemen.”

Rio