Sinner (Joey Santana Book 2), page 1
SINNER
JOEY SANTANA #2
KARINA ESPINOSA
Copyright © 2021 by Karina Espinosa
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover design by © Orina Kafe
Edited by Stacy Sanford
Copyright 2021 by Karina Espinosa
ISBN-13: 9798764170022
ASIN: B09HPBRTXQ
For my readers who have stuck by me until now.
Thank you!
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
About the Author
Also by Karina Espinosa
About the Author
1
Ten hours.
That was how long I’d been sitting in this uncomfortable metal chair across the table from two detectives who were asking me the same question a million different ways. My answer stayed the same.
I didn’t kill my father.
Unfortunately, the human police didn’t believe me because in their minds I was the only one with motive to kill Rodrigo Santana. You know, since he’d attempted to kill me one too many times. Funny how no one made any moves when he tried to kill me – like, I don’t know, arrest him – but when he got murdered, I was arrested for just walking down the street.
The humans were getting bolder if they dared to enter the supe district just to get me. I wondered who was giving them the balls to do so.
“I’ll only ask you one more time, Ms. Santana. Where were you two nights ago?” Detective Jim Kane asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.
I threw my head back and sighed loudly. “Like I said, I was in the supe district, at home. You know, at the Alpha’s house.” I straightened and faced the detective and his partner. “I had issues with my father, but I would never kill him. I know you might find that hard to believe, but it’s the truth. I want to find his killer just as much as you do.”
“Is that why you were in neutral territory yesterday?” Detective Kane asked. “We know there wasn’t a Guild meeting, so you didn’t have any business in Long Beach.”
I furrowed my brows. “Were you tailing me?”
“Answer the question,” he pushed.
I shrugged and my muscles ached from sitting there so long. “You should already know why I was there if you were following me.”
While they were tailing me, I was following Darius Blackburn.
“We don’t have time for your games, Ms. Santana. Answer the question,” Detective Kane snapped.
“I don’t think so. I’d like a lawyer … for the hundredth time.” I yawned, covering my mouth as my eyes watered.
The other detective exhaled loudly and sat back in his chair, flinging his papers on the table and seeming to give up. Detective Kane narrowed his eyes on me before turning to his partner. “Throw her in a cell,” he instructed before standing and leaving the interrogation room.
The other detective stood and grabbed me by the arm, hauling me up from my chair and dragging me out of the room. We went down a hallway that opened into a squad room with two big jail cells. Right away, I knew the difference between the two. One was for humans and the other was for supes.
The detective opened the door to a cell that contained a vampire and tossed me in with him, locking the door behind me with the harsh clang of metal. I ignored the vampire after noticing with a shudder that he still had blood stains on his lips. Walking up to the cell bars, I watched as the cops milled around the squad room, pointedly ignoring the prisoners.
Until Reed arrived with reinforcements, I was screwed. If he arrived. The only way for me to get out of there was if he told Elliott what happened with my father, and we’d been trying to keep that little tidbit to ourselves.
Two nights ago, we called my father to meet up and exchange information on the curse that enslaved my family … the curse that could be broken with my death, but only before my twenty-sixth birthday. Several generations back, a woman in our bloodline was cursed by God for adultery against her soulmate, destined to live an immortal life without ever feeling loved again. He also cursed her bloodline with the inability to love. It was why I’d never felt any sort of emotion from anyone in my family, and also why I was the first female born into the family in hundreds of years.
According to my father, if I managed to reach my twenty-sixth birthday without being slaughtered, I would be stricken with the same curse as the woman—Magdalena—who started it all, which also meant I’d be hit with eternal life, just like she was. Basically, either way I was screwed. After meeting with the seelie Queen and begging for answers, she told me there was a way to end the curse that wouldn’t result in my death. I just had to find Magdalena, the immortal ancestor who set the curse in motion, to figure it out. I was in the middle of trying to convince my father there was another way when someone shot him dead. I wasn’t sure if the mystery sniper was protecting me or they were against me, but we needed to find out fast.
I was resting my head against the cell bars, hanging my arms out of them, when the last person I expected to see waltzed into the squad room.
Cassius, the leader of the vampire faction, stopped in front of one of the police desks closest to the cells. He was dressed in a crisp, all-black suit, his obsidian hair perfectly styled. Wearing a sly smile that didn’t reach his almond-shaped eyes, he attempted to charm the police officer.
“Jericho,” Cassius purred. “I’m so glad it’s you on duty tonight.” He grinned and leaned against the desk, reaching for the stress ball perched on the police officer’s desk and tossing it in the air.
“Cassius,” Jericho muttered nervously. “Are you here about your vampire?”
Cassius nodded. “I know it’s his fifth offense, but how about we let this slide, hmm?”
“I-I can’t do that. By law—”
“Jericho, I saw your wife at the bleeder den last weekend,” Cassius said casually as he continued to toss the stress ball into the air. “I’m sure your colleagues wouldn’t like to hear about that, would they?” he whispered.
Jericho’s hands fisted on his desk and he gritted his teeth. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Cassius stopped tossing the stress ball and looked down at the officer with a smirk. “Oh, but I would. So … about my vampire … are you going to release him?”
Jericho looked around the squad room to make sure no one was paying attention to them and then nodded. He opened his desk drawer and reached for the cell keys.
My jaw dropped at how easy it was for the vampire leader to manipulate the officer and wondered how the hell Elliott would get me out of there. He wasn’t the type to use blackmail. He operated strictly by the book.
Cassius turned to face the cell and jerked to a stop when he saw me. He pointed a finger in my direction. “Hey!” he said. “Aren’t you Elliott’s newest pup?”
I bit my lip nervously and nodded.
“Isn’t your name like, Joseph or Josiah?” He frowned as he pondered on what my name could possibly be. “All I remember is that it’s a boy’s name.” He sighed dramatically.
“Close enough,” I mumbled. Rolling my eyes, I waved him over.
Cassius came closer, his hands stuffed neatly in his pockets. He raised a brow. “Yes?”
I swallowed. “Can you get me out of here, please?”
Cassius chuckled. “Moi?” He placed a delicate hand on his chest. “You can’t possibly mean me.”
I gave a low growl. “Yes, I mean you. Do you see anybody else?”
“Where’s Saint Elliott? Isn’t he coming to spring you?” Cassius inquired.
I looked away and leaned against the cell bars. “He doesn’t know … and I’d like to keep it that way,” I said miserably.
Cassius barked out a laugh, tossing his head back. “This is absolutely rich! A werewolf is asking me for help. I need this on record!”
I rolled my eyes again. “Look, are you gonna help me out of here or not?” I turned in his direction. “I sort of want to get out of here like, now.”
The vampire inched closer to the cell and rested his arm above me, leaning against the cell bars. “And what, wolf girl, are you willing to do for me in exchange for my help?” He raised a brow and watched me intently, his fangs peeking out from behind his lips.
I stayed still, unwilling to show him his intimidating posturing had the desired effect. I peered up at him as he hovered over me with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
“Don’t make me guess,” I deadpanned. “If you have something in mind, just spit it out.”
He grinned. “You’re fearless. I like it. That either makes you incredibly strong, or extremely stupid. We’ll just have to see which one you’ll be.”
“It’s probably a mix
Cassius chuckled. “Owe me a favor, wolf girl. That’s our deal.”
I had to ask myself, How desperate am I? I’d been in police custody for ten hours already and Reed still hadn’t come to get me. Either he wasn’t aware of my situation or he didn’t know how to get me out without Elliott’s help.
I assumed I was on my own at this point. Making an open-ended deal with Cassius was dangerous; particularly because I didn’t know him well enough to know exactly how dangerous it was.
It was now or never.
I extended an arm through the cell bars and presented my hand for him to shake. “It’s a deal.”
Cassius clasped his hand in mine and grinned. “Deal.”
2
A supernatural taxi picked me up outside the police station in downtown Los Angeles and took me straight to Elliott’s house in the supe district. The minute we entered supe territory, I released the breath I’d been holding with a loud sigh. I never thought I’d feel more comfortable there than in the human territory, but there I was. I was painfully aware I was no longer human. It wasn’t like either side would let me forget it.
When the taxi pulled up to the driveway, I paid with the little bit of cash I had and stepped out of the car. As I was walking up the pathway, the front door opened and Reed hurried outside.
“Joey!” He grabbed me by my upper arms. “Where the hell have you been?”
I guess he wasn’t aware.
I sagged in his hold. “I was arrested,” I muttered in case anyone else happened to be listening, “for my father’s murder.”
His golden-brown eyes widened, and he sized me up and down for injuries. “Are you okay? How did they grab you? Did you leave the district? How did you get out? Why didn’t you call me? Are you—”
“Slow down, Reed.” I placed my pointer finger over his lips. “They didn’t give me my one phone call, so I couldn’t contact you. They entered the supe district to grab me as I was walking down the street. I asked a stranger to contact you, but I guess they never did.”
Reed growled loudly. “Son of a bitch!”
“Relax, I’m out now,” I murmured. “I really just want a shower and some sleep.”
“Of course.” He took my arm and led me toward the front door. “Why did they release you?”
The right thing to do would be to tell Reed about the deal I made with Cassius. But I was too tired and I knew it would start an argument, so I decided against it.
“They didn’t have enough evidence to keep me. I guess they still treat me slightly like a human.” I grimaced at the bitter taste of the lie on my tongue.
Reed frowned but nodded without questioning me further, then nudged me inside the house. “Lucky for you, my parents are at the Pack Den so we’re the only ones home.” We took the stairs and headed toward the bathroom we shared. “I’ll get you some clean clothes.”
When he left me in the bathroom and headed across the hall to my room, I started the water and began to undress. Once the water was hot enough, I slid the curtain back and stepped inside the shower. I stood under the water for a solid ten minutes before I started to wash, trying to scald the greasiness off my skin. I was rinsing my hair when the bathroom door opened.
Reed cleared his throat. “I, uh, brought you a pair of underwear and a sports bra, along with some sweatpants and a t-shirt. I figured you might want to be comfortable.”
“Thanks,” I called out. “Just leave them on the sink.”
“Okay … I’ll wait for you in your room,” he said, followed by the click of the door as it closed.
I took my time in the shower, standing under the spray until the water turned cold. After drying and dressing in the clothes Reed brought, I stepped across the hall into my bedroom, drying my hair with a towel. Reed was sitting on the edge of my bed, running a hand through his brown hair and tugging at the roots, making it stand up at odd angles.
“Are you okay?”
He shot to his feet. “Yeah … just … we should probably tell my dad you got arrested. We can’t keep this a secret.”
I nodded. “I understand. How’s Kit?”
Reed rolled his eyes. “You need to stop worrying so much about that human and start worrying more about yourself.”
I flung my wet towel at him and hit him in the face. “He’s my best friend. Of course I’m going to worry about him. He’s a human hiding out in the supe district!”
Reed sighed. “Emilio is taking care of him. Trust me – the muggle will be fine. Or do you not trust Emilio?” He raised a brow.
“I didn’t say that.” I pushed past him and went to lay on my bed, my body sagging in exhaustion as soon as it hit the mattress. “Don’t go around making stuff up.”
“Right …” Reed looked down at me. “I’ll be sure to pass that on to Emilio.”
“If you do, I’ll smother you in your sleep,” I threatened.
He snorted. “You just want in my bed.”
I sighed dramatically. “Reed, I’m too tired to go back and forth with you. Let me nap a few hours and I’ll be back at a hundred percent, ready for another sparring match.”
“Fine,” he said reluctantly. “Get some rest.” He pulled the covers over me and tucked in the corners.
I felt a feather-light touch on my forehead, but before I could flutter my eyes open to see what it was, I was fast asleep.
The next morning, I felt like the dead. As exhausted as I was, I’d tossed and turned all night, barely sleeping a wink. It felt like I hadn’t gotten an ounce of sleep. As the sun cheerily beamed into the room, I could practically feel the bags under my eyes getting larger. Exhaustion threatened to pull me back under, but I knew I couldn’t stay in bed much longer. After another quick shower to wake me up, I threw on a pair of jeans and a flannel and headed downstairs. I found Elliott in the kitchen watching the news.
“The death of another human at the hands of a supe has the city on edge. Representative Marissa Beauchamp is putting pressure on the LAPD to find the culprit responsible for the murder of—”
I cleared my throat and Elliott flicked off the television and turned in my direction. “Joey!” he greeted. “You’re up. As long as you slept, I almost thought you’d been sedated!” He chuckled and motioned to the empty chair in front of him.
I didn’t return the laugh.
“Is everything okay?” He frowned when he saw my serious expression. “I haven’t seen you in a while. I know I’ve been giving you the cold shoulder since your impromptu press conference, but I’ve just been handling things in the background,” he assured me.
I winced as I thought about how I’d just managed to get back in his good graces and now I was about to fuck it all up again. He was furious when Reed and I went to the media to clear his name after Humans United outed him for biting me and accused him of attacking me the night of my birthday. While it was true that he did bite me, he only did it because my father had stabbed me and I was bleeding out on the ground in the alley behind the restaurant where I worked. If it weren’t for the Alpha, I would be dead.
“Elliott, I need to talk to you.” I clasped my hands in front of me, wishing I had something to keep them busy.
His expression tightened as if he knew something bad was coming. “What’s wrong?”
I motioned to the TV. “The human murder they’re talking about on the news is my father. He was killed.”
Elliott’s hazel eyes widened slightly.
“I was arrested yesterday and accused of his murder,” I said quickly.
Elliott sagged in his seat and exhaled quietly, as if he hated to hear the answer to what he was about to ask. “Joey … how did you get released?” He rubbed his forehead.
Unfortunately with Elliott, I wouldn’t be able to trick him like I did Reed. He knew better.
