Dark Lies (House of Sin 2)

But no amount of sexiness can ever fix the corruption hidden underneath, and I must always remember that, even if my body screams to forgive him.

“You want me to show you all my cards?” he asks.

I don’t know if it’s a rhetorical question or if we’re finally getting to the part where he goes on his knees for me. Either way, I tell myself I don’t care, so I look away.

“Fine,” he adds, his nostrils flaring again from my defiance. “You want to know the full truth? I’ll show it to you.”

He grabs my arm and pulls me up.

“Hey!” I exclaim. “What is your problem?” I ask as he drags me along. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere I should’ve taken you right from the start,” he growls.

And he drags me straight toward the stairs that go down to the cellar, the forbidden area, the place I’ve never seen before. He takes me downstairs, muttering, “Careful with your steps.” As if now is the time to be chivalrous. I swallow hard as the lights flicker around me.

The distraction makes me slip on one of the steps, and I shriek. Within seconds, his arms are around my body, clutching me tight to his.

“I said be careful,” he growls, though this time a little less enraged.

I blush and push him off me. “Uh, thanks.” But even as he turns around again, I can’t shake the feeling of his warm embrace. I’m thinking of things I shouldn’t be thinking of anymore.

Stop it, Amelia. You made a promise to yourself, and you’re going to stick with it.

We go down farther and farther until we get to the bottom, where Eli flicks a switch and some not so bright lights turn on, guiding our way through a narrow hallway filled with ancient-looking doors.

“What is this place?” I mutter, looking around. My fingers skim past the stones that line the wall, all of them feeling like they haven’t been cleaned in years. This place looks old … and hellish. Just like he said.

“This was built a long time ago. It’s older than the house,” he answers as we walk toward a particular door in the back.

“Older than this house?” I frown. I didn’t think that was possible, but apparently, it is. “How long has this place existed?”

“A very, very long time,” he responds.

I gulp. And all this time, it’s remained intact, hiding the things they do from the rest of the world.

“Our ancestors kept the sinners behind these doors,” Eli says, and he glances at me over his shoulder with a devilish smirk on his face. “What can I say? They weren’t as fond of giving sinners the luxuries they are given today.”

I throw him a dirty look, and he smirks and looks away again, which makes me want to jump on his back and strangle him. Trying to make me feel humble about my perceived privileges compared to those kept here is ridiculous.

But then I hear a scream.

I pause and gasp in shock as I glare behind me, wondering where it came from. “What was that?”

Eli waits too and points at one of the doors.

My eyes widen as the realization hits me. “You still keep people here?”

He says nothing. The only thing that moves is his eyebrow, just a twitch, but it’s enough.

I move to the door where the sound emanated from and press my ear to the door. Another yowl follows, and I lean back again, sweat dripping down my forehead. I glance at Eli, who is still gazing at me with full intent as though this is what he wanted me to know.

“Go on. Look.”

Chapter 19

Amelia

I shiver in place, contemplating whether to take a peek. But my curiosity is too strong for me to ignore, and I peer through the tiny window. A man is strapped upside down to a cross. His genitals are connected to an electrical device that continues to shock him every other minute. He squeals in pain when the trigger goes off again, all automatic.

The man’s eyes suddenly land on me, the sheer pain in them catching my breath … because I’ve seen those eyes before.

He’s that man … the one who followed me from Joe’s club all the way back to my apartment.

No.

It can’t be, can it?

I step away and avert my eyes as I realize what this all means.

“You recognize that man, don’t you?” Eli asks.

I can only nod, but the rest of my body feels frozen.

“Hard to witness?”

“Why would anyone do this?” I mutter.

He steps closer while I back away against the wall. “To punish him for his sins … And I think you know what those are.”

Trying to take me to my own apartment.

I told Eli not to kill him, so he brought him here.

“You didn’t think I’d let that fucker get away with what he tried to do to you, did you?” he says through gritted teeth.