Page 100 of Barinov

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to get it off without it igniting,” he whispers. “I’m out of my league here, Lex.”

“Sabine?” I ask, knowing she’s still listening next to Knox. “Any insight?”

“Without any knowledge of what that boy laced it with, chéri, I’m afraid I won’t be much help either.” She sighs. “Best I can do is help counteract any chemicals or poisons once they’re released into your system, l’ombre.”

“Fan-fucking-tastic,” I groan. My fingers graze the black-and-white device.

“Babe, please.” Cade’s grip tightens around my arm. “Don’t do this.”

“I have to,” I whisper, placing a hand over his.

I lift the collar and press it to my throat. It locks in place with a mechanical click. A quiet hum coils through the metal as cold steel kisses my skin.

“Knox,” Roman says into his comm. “It’s on. Get to work.”

Ring. Ring.

Ring. Ring.

All of our gazes shift in a flash to the landline phone blinking on the desk. Marisol reaches around me and leans down, her black and pink waves spilling onto the desk as she picks it up.

“Hello,” she says. Her eyes widen at whoever is on the other end. She nods once, sets the phone down, and hits the speaker button.

“Lexie?” his familiar and smug voice crackles through the old phone. “Lexie, you there?”

None of us answer.

The sadistic bastard laughs. “I know you are, because your leash just activated.”

“What do you want, Jac—Luca?” I growl.

“So,” he scoffs. “You know the truth then. Tell me then, was it the little pink crow who spoiled my surprise?”

Marisol gasps and retreats back a step, nearly crashing into Cade. He grips her by the waist to steady her.

“No,” Roman pipes up in a fury. “It was your shitty aim. Now where’s my daughter you—”

“Ahh,” Luca’s voice cuts him off, laughing again in pure glee. “Roman, my old friend, you made it! How wonderful.”

“Quit the shit, Luca,” I snap. “I did what you wanted. The collar is on. Now what?”

“Now it’s time, of course,” he chuckles.

“For what?” I ask.

He hums. “You boys really aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed are you?”

“Hey guys,” Tex’s voice rings in. “We’ve got movement up here. Black SUV pulling in… Five men getting out. Looks like two of them are armed. The others—shit.”

“What is it?” I ask.

“The other three have on collars.”

My fingers graze the metal around my throat. “Of course they do.”

“You’re going to want to tell him to stand down,” Luca says.

“How do you?”