Page 147 of Sinful Lord

It wasn’t willingly, I snap at myself. Love at first sight is never a consensual act.

But everything after that was.

Shaking my head, I try to appease my begrudging partner.

“Nothing over here,” I huff, kicking at a wall stained with filth. “Not over here either. How about—”

When I punch the wall at the far corner of the room, something shifts.

I freeze.

“What was that?” Maksim asks.

“No fucking way,” I mumble. “I think I just dislodged a hidden door.”

A cold stale wind seeps through the thin black cracks that have just appeared before me.

At my back, I hear Maksim re-arm himself. I do the same.

“Be careful,” he warns.

To my surprise, it almost sounds like he’s more worried about my safety than anything else.

Is the old man actually coming around to me?

Or can he just smell how close we are to finally getting some answers?

Lifting my gun, I press the sole of my foot against the wall and push. With a groan, the hidden door creaks open.

“Stairs,” I observe. “… And light.”

At the bottom of a short, dark staircase is a rectangle of light. I lift my hand, stopping Maksim’s approach. Together, we hold our breaths and listen.

“I don’t hear anything,” Maksim finally whispers.

“That’s because you’re old,” I can’t help but taunt.

“You hear something?”

“No.”

“Asshole.”

With Maksim at my back, I take my first step down toward the light. It grows larger as we approach it. But even as the light fills the darkness, the cold stays put.

In fact, the air becomes more frigid with every step. It’s like we’re walking into an ice fridge. By the time I hit the last step, I can see my own breath. It temporarily shrouds my view.

“Shit…” Maksim gasps.

I swipe the smoke from my face.

“Shit is right,” I grumble.

It’s clear from the get-go that there’s no one in this tiny room except for us.

But that doesn’t mean we aren’t in the right place.

“What the fuck is this,” I mumble, looking around.