Page 151 of Barinov

The same darkness I pray never swallows Bella whole.

A heavy thud of a glass hitting the counter breaks the silence.

“Someone better start talking,” Lex says, pouring himself a shot and shooting it back. “Right fucking now.”

“Briggs,” Tex says. He nods at Caleb who’s lounging in a booth with my sister perched on his lap. “You’re up.”

Ellie shifts as Caleb slides her off of him and stands. He steps forward, tie half-loosened and hands a white envelope addressed to Knox.

“The hell’s that?” Lex asks, pushing off the bar and striding toward Knox.

“Zeke gave it to El,” Caleb says. “When he had her pass him the necklace.”

Knox opens it and frowns. “Blank sheets of paper?”

“That’s Zeke’s big pretty please secret? Fucking blank paper?” Lex scoffs, rubbing his neck. “Should’ve shot the—”

“Lex!” I cut in, rising from the booth next to Khoza. “Knock it off, babe.”

Lex shoots me a glare. He scrapes the chair next to Knox out and plops down in it.

“Does the twenty-two mission mean anything to you?” Caleb looks to Knox. “‘Cause he said that he hadn’t seen me since the twenty-two, and I ain’t got a clue what that means. Last time I saw Zeke was Memphis.”

“Twenty-two?” Knox squints while rubbing his temples. “Twenty-two,” he repeats before leaning back and shaking his head. “No. I have no idea what he—”

“I do,” Nate cuts in. He reaches over the table and yanks the papers out of Knox’s hands. “This is about Krolek.”

Lex’s breath hitches at the name of the trafficker who got Bella put in Miami. I grip his shoulders and force him back into the seat, thumbs pressing into the tension there.

“Care to share?” Lex huffs.

“It was a long time ago,” Nate starts, lifting the paper to the light. “When Bella was what? Seventeen?”

“Sixteen,” Tex corrects. “Intel came in on her birthday.”

“Right.” Nate nods, setting the blank sheets down. “Anyway, long story short, we saved twenty-two minors from one of Krolek’s men that night. The bastard never showed and shit got bloody, but none of the kids were harmed.”

My fingers halt on Lex’s shoulders. “How’s that about Bella?”

Nate shrugs. “No clue. Bella didn’t even go on that mission. Zeke had her side-lined so Krolek wouldn’t see her.”

Tex snorts. “She was not happy about getting benched.”

Footsteps pound behind us. The table darkens as Khoza’s shadow engulfs Nate.

“Eish! You’re forgetting one very important part of that night,” he says, his deep voice vibrating against my chest.

“What’s that?” Nate asks.

Khoza leans down and picks up one of the sheets. He flicks a lighter and drags the flame beneath the paper. For a second—nothing.

Then, ink bleeds into existence. I suck in a breath as he lays the sheet down in front of a very wide-eyed Nate.

“How that Polish bastard sent word to his men,” Khoza adds.

“Holy hell,” Lex mutters.

“What does it say?” I ask, peering over Lex’s shoulder.