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16
KADEN
My phone vibrates on my desk. Setting down the knife I was sharpening, I pick it up and glance at the screen. Surprise flits through me when I see Alina’s name on it.
She has never texted me before. Our entire chat history contains only three messages. All of them are from me, ordering her to be somewhere at a certain time. And since she showed up those three times, I know that it is indeed her number. But why is she texting me now?
Unlocking my phone, I open the app and read her message.
I raise my eyebrows in genuine surprise as I stare at her text for another few seconds. I’m surprised both by the contents of the message and the tone of it.
Alina Petrov: My brothers and cousins are attacking your house in the next ten minutes. Send them home to me without any permanent injuries. You owe me now.
Suspicion swirls through me. Is this a trap?
After setting down my phone, I pull up my laptop and log in to check the audio files from the bug I planted in the Petrovs’ kitchen. I normally go through it the day after, so I haven’t listened to anything from today.
Grabbing the headphones that I keep permanently connected to the laptop, I put them on as I scroll through the files.
If they’re attacking in ten minutes, they must be heading out now. Which means that the bug should at least pick up the sounds of them getting ready to leave. I start the audio from ten minutes ago since I don’t have time to listen to all of it.
My eyebrows climb higher when the file even contains the actual conversation where they decided on this attack.
So, Alina was telling the truth. But why would she warn me?
However, her motives will have to wait.
Yanking off the headphones, I slam the laptop shut and hurry over to my bedroom door before throwing it open.
“JACE!” I bellow. “Get ready, we’re about to have company. The Petrovs are attacking sometime in the next ten minutes.”
There is a clattering sound from somewhere downstairs. Then Jace is pounding up the steps.
“How many?” he calls as he jogs past my door and towards his own.
“Four,” I reply, and then pull back into my room.
After changing into better clothes, I quickly arm myself with knives and then hurry down to the front door. I reach for my boots down there on the floor right at the same time as Jace thunders down the stairs behind me. He grabs his boots and starts putting them on while I lace mine up as well.
“No permanent injuries,” I say.
Jace snorts. “Of course not. What do you think I am? An amateur? They won’t be able to touch me.”
“I know that. I meant, don’t inflict any permanent injuries on them.”
He pauses with his left boot halfway to his foot and stares at me as if I just told him that he’s not allowed to eat the treat that I had already placed before him. “Why the hell not?”
Figures move in the shadows outside.
“I’ll explain later,” I snap as I straighten and hurry away from the door. “Just do as I said.”
Jace shoves his foot into the final boot. “Fine.”
While I desperately want to break every bone in Mikhail Petrov’s fucking body for daring to attack us in our own house, I always pay my debts. And Alina is right. I do owe her for this. If she hadn’t texted me, we would’ve been caught unprepared. And with four against two, and surprise on their side, this night might have turned out very differently for us. So if she says no permanent injuries, then fine, no permanent injuries.
Casting a glance over my shoulder, I make sure that Jace has laced up both of his boots and grabbed his bat before I take up position by the back door. He gives me a nod and then moves into place by the front door.
Another minute passes.
