“Lucky for us, torture is a game the whole family can play. And from what I hear, the cold-hearted little princeling is a real pro.” Aiden finished up his text, then waited for the return message.
After what felt like an eternity, the phone finally buzzed.
“Well?” Dorian asked.
“He says to text him when you’re close. He’ll meet you outside the Sixty-First Street Station in—”
“Woodside?” Dorian got to his feet and dusted off his hands. “That’s in Queens. Rogozin’s territory.”
“Precisely. Gabriel says Rogozin’s got some sort of chop shop in the neighborhood.”
“That’s… that’s actually a good lead.”
“No one knows how to navigate the seedy metropolitan underbellies of the world like your baby brother.” Aiden slipped the phone back into his pocket. “Right, then. You’ve got your witch, your assistant torturer, and of course—favorite among favorites—me, entrusted with looking after the lovely Ms. D’Amico, hoping like hell she doesn’t wake up and ask me where you’ve gone. How I get myself into these escapades is beyond me, but you’re welcome.”
Dorian smiled, the crushing weight on his chest lifting just a fraction. “Thank you, Aiden. Truly.”
“Just come back to me in one piece, you damned fool.”
“I shall do my best.”
“I mean it, Dori. I’m not redecorating the dining room alone. Ask anyone—I’m right terrible at blending textures and patterns.”
“Good to know,” Dorian said. Then, shocking them both, he hauled Aiden in for a hug, holding him tight. “Take care of my woman. And save me a few marshmallows—I’ll be back before you know it.”
Chapter Two
If there was one thing Charley’s years of thieving and con artistry had taught her, it was how to compartmentalize.
So when the sun dawned on a new day after the worst night of her life, Charley took a deep breath, reminded herself that Sasha was a total badass, and shoved everything else into that rusty metal box inside her.
A fear so sharp it shredded her heart.
A rage so blinding it made her tremble.
A loss so deep and dark it threatened to swallow her whole.
Noneof that shit would help Sasha. Right now, she needed to stay focused. Rudy was a demon, but he still had weaknesses. With Dorian’s help, Charley would find them, exploit them, and get her sister back.
And then?
Rudy would burn.
It was that simple.
Ignoring the headache and the dull throb of the cuts in her mouth and on her hands, Charley wrapped herself in Dorian’s sweatshirt and headed downstairs in search of strong coffee or a strong drink—either would’ve sufficed. Instead, she found Aiden, sitting alone at the table in the breakfast nook, his face smudged with soot, his gaze a million miles away.
“Aiden?” she said softly, taking a seat across from him. “Are you… Is everything okay?”
The air on the main floor was heavy with the scent of woodsmoke, and the vampire himself looked as if he’d just escaped a fire.
It took him a beat to respond, but when he finally looked up at her, a faint smile touched his lips, and he blinked away the haze from his eyes. “Ms. D’Amico. I thought for sure you’d sleep the day away. Are you feeling all right?”
“As well as can be expected. But…” She took a deep breath of smoke-scented air and narrowed her eyes, taking in his disheveled appearance. “Was there a fire?”
“In the rose garden, yes. Completely controlled, I assure you.” He ran a hand through his hair, his fingers coming away with ash. “Dorian just needed to… clear out a bit of old junk. In with the new, as they say. How’s your head?”
“Still attached to my body. I suppose that’s something, right?” Charley closed her eyes and turned toward the window, basking for a moment in the sunshine streaming through the pane. “WhereisDorian, anyway? I tried to wait up for him last night, but I guess I kept passing out. I don’t think he ever came to bed.”
