“Alina, get out of here, they—” Lo tried to call out before Jeoffrey rushed to her, striking her in the temple, making her drop unconscious before he deposited her onto the couch next to Serena.
My hands clenched at my side, anger coursing through my body in waves at the sight of him laying his hands on either of the women. I wanted to call Devorare and burn him to a crisp right here and now, but I knew we needed to take him alive to get answers to the questions I so desperately needed.
It was damn hard not to let my eyes go over their shoulders as I watched the sliding glass door open.
What was Lo trying to warn us about, Drake?
Fuck.
I don’t know, but all we can do is proceed with the plan. Stay on high alert.
They were outnumbered by us—Lo had to know that Andrei and Drake came with us. So what scenario could we possibly be in that would make her want us to get out of here rather than rescuing her?
“I suppose you want to take our offer,” Jeoffrey began, putting on a sense of bravado as he clasped his hands in front of him, a smirk growing on his face. “How kind of you to come all the way to us.”
“Eat shit, motherfucker,” Lincoln responded, stepping past me. “We’re giving you one chance to hand Serena and Lo over without us killing you in retribution. This doesn’t need to get bloody.”
His voice was strong, steady, and confident. None of what he said was true, of course, but he acted his part perfectly. We would kill them a hundred times over if that’s what it took…Once I had my information, though.
“You know,” Jeoffrey murmured as he dipped his hands into his pocket, unaware that Andrei and Drake had made it into the house behind him. “You really shouldn’t underestimate me. I thought Andrei would have told you that by now, right son?”
My eyes bulged in shock as the weight of our plan's failure sunk in. My heart squeezed in terror as I watched Jeoffrey pull out two syringes and turn for Serena and Lo.
Get him, now.
We all moved at once, Lincoln homing in on Rin as the rest of us descended on Jeoffrey. He was old and fast, managing to inject Serena and Lo before we could reach him. In a blur of movement, he flashed to intercept Andrei when he was done. Jeoffrey grabbed him by the throat as Andrei landed a right hook on him—Jeoffrey grunted but refused to let go.
Drake pulled Lo to him, shaking her lightly to try to wake her up. “What the fuck did you inject them with!” he screamed, spittle flying from his mouth.
Lincoln pinned a thrashing Rin on the floor, pressing the man’s arms into the small of his back as he screamed at Andrei’s father. “That was not a part of the plan! What the fuck is wrong with you, Jeoffrey? I’m going to fucking kill you!”
Rin’s fury was palpable, and his unrelenting fury only made my fear of whatever had been injected into Serena and Lo increase tenfold.
I moved to help Andrei, but Jeoffrey snapped his gaze to me as he let go of him. “Leave with me, and I’ll tell you the location of a single vial of the antidote. Kill me, and you won’t save either of them.”
There was only one vial of the cure? He injected them both, knowing one would die anyway.
My heart clenched at the choice that would put on us. Andrei’s mom or Lo. It was an impossible one to make, and Jeoffrey fucking knew it.
Indecision plagued my heart as blood pounded in my ears, loud and fast.
“No, Alina,” Andrei murmured, shaking his head as our eyes met.
“Don’t you fucking dare,Comoara,”Drake growled.
You said we were a team, Spitfire. Don’t give up on that now.
I glared at him, fury rolling off of me in waves as a sneer took over his face. “The antidote needs to be injected soon or they’ll both be dead. So, what’ll it be, Ms. Van Helsing?”
Chapter26
ALINA
Take the emotion out of it, Alina.
Breathe.
Focus.
