Page 94 of Barinov

“J-just them. Just two,” she stammers. “They’re my brothers.” She gazes back to her sister. “We just wanted her back.”

Security begins escorting the girl off the stage. Callie flinches like she might try to make a run for her.

“Don’t even think about it,” I hiss. “Call your brothers off.”

“What?” Her blue eyes snap to mine. “I-I can’t.”

“Call them off,” I repeat. “I won’t fucking ask again, Callie.”

She sniffles as she pulls out her phone, hands shaking so hard it nearly topples onto the bar. She hits a contact and lifts it to her ear. “Hey, don’t move yet… No, we can’t.”

I snatch the phone from her hand. “Listen here, fucker.”

“Who the hell is this?”

“The man who now owns that sexy thing in pink up there.”

“You son of a—put Callie back on. Now!”

“Not happening,” I bite back.

“Laing,” Nate’s voice chirps through the comms. “What are you doing?”

I yank my earpiece out and shove it in Kenji’s hands.

“Whatever you have planned for extraction,” I continue. “Shut it down. Right now.”

Callie’s brother scoffs on the line. “You have no idea who the hell you’re messing with.”

“I don’t give a flying fuck who you are!” I let the venom pour into my voice. “You’re not the only one here with a missing sister. And if I lose mine because of you two assholes?”

I pound my fist on the bar causing the glasses to rattle. I glance over and make eye contact with Callie. “I’ll make damn sure you lose both of yours.”

“No. Please,” the voice shakes on the other end. “Just let me talk to her.”

I slam the phone on the bar. “He wants to talk to you.” I slide it over, my chest heaving.

Callie picks it up, her lips quivering. “Yeah, I’m here. I’m okay.” She looks at me, calculating. “NO!” she yells. “I think we can… no he’s not…”

I can hear him yelling something at her, but I can’t tell what the hell he’s saying over the announcer hyping up another sale.

Her eyes meet mine, tears streaking down her face. “We don’t have a choice, Leith.”

There’s a beat of silence before she hangs up.

“They stopped,” she whispers, sitting down her phone on the bar. “What do we do now?”

“Put this back in,” Kenji rasps, handing me my earpiece. “Before he storms the place.”

I shove it back in my ear just in time to hear the end of Nate’s rant, “…and I swear to God if you don’t get Laing—”

“Pipe down, Nate,” I mutter into the comm. “Everything’s under control.”

“Under control?” he barks. “You just threatened not one, but two innocent girls, Laing!”

“Got the point across, didn’t I?”

“We had a plan.”