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“Thanks,” he mutters, taking the bottle and giving it a hard swig. “You said I was familiar?” He leers. “So are you.”
Grossss.
I swallow back the bile in my throat. “Did we date?”
He keeps eyeing me. “In a manner of speaking, yes.”
I pepper him with questions about himself, his job, his friends, his travels. He has three cats, sells used cars, and enjoys long trips to the beach in his free time. Liar. He tacked that on for good measure. I almost ask him if he likes piña coladas and getting caught in the rain, but I have too much self-respect.
I ask him questions until I have his full interest because this is why I’m here, this is what I came for. He’s going fuckingdown.
His words are starting to slur. “This is a strong beer,” he says with a grunt. “Do you remember that party we went to, Harper?”
“I don’t in detail,” I tell him, tipping my head to the sky and hoping he falls for the innocent woman trick. “Refresh my memory?”
He leans in closer, and I swear I can hear Aleks growl somewhere. “You were so young,” he says. “So innocent. So beautiful.”
I’ve completely lost the fear of shedding his blood. I will shoot this motherfucker and sleepperfectly fineat night.
“Oh?”
A voice sounds in my ear. Aria.
“DNA confirmed. And babe?” Holy shit that was fast. Did Aleksandr kidnap a DNA lab expert and chain them up in the basement?
Likely.
I clear my throat to let her know I’m listening.
“It wasn’t just you,,” she says in my ear. “I started digging shit up as soon as we got his name, and this son of a bitch has a record a mile long. He’s been accused of sexual harassment, numerous accusations, and there’s even evidence he’s had a name and location change because of an allegation of sexual assault at work.”
Oh God.
I take a small sip of my drink as he drones on and on about his stupid fucking cars, his words getting more slurred by the minute.
Aria continues. “Hurt him, Harper. Do it for all of us. Don’t ever let this asshole assault another woman again.”
I nod, ostensibly because I’m listening to his boring, self-serving stories, but I’m making a promise to Aria. To Polina.
To the whole female population.
Leonardo stumbles right into me. I frown and help him stand upright. I can’t kill him if he’s passed out.
“Found you.”
Shit.
Saul and Marco come out of the dark. I look around me. The bar is vacant. Nikko’s gone. Even the bartender isn’t here anymore.
Did Saul do something?
I make a quick mental assessment of the sweet, loaded metal I have in the harness strapped to my leg.
“Shit, what happened to your hand?” Saul asks.
“Your clumsy sister broke a beer bottle and cut me,” Leonardo the Douchebag says. I open my mouth to tell them off when a deeper, darker voice comes from the shadows.
“Now, now, Saul. Leonardo. You should know better than to come to my event and speak disrespectfully to my wife.”
