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I release her reluctantly, cracking my neck and then fixing my suit to make sure I’m presentable for Macedon’s greatest foe. Part of cleaning up my act and my image has granted me a more serious demeanor, one that people take seriously. If all people see is a rebellious punk, then that’s how they would treat me. But this style? It invites respect.
And killing the Persian will gift me the greatest respect of all.
“We go in there and say we’re trading you,” I recite our plan while taking her hands. “I just want you to know that’s never something I would consider seriously, okay?”
She frowns. “Why would I think that?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug. “I worry about what you think of me.”
“After tonight, you won’t ever have to worry about that again. I promise.”
I raise my eyebrows, parting my lips to speak but remaining quiet when I hear the ding of the elevator. Alex and I crouch low into the darkness, waiting for a group of people to leave the elevator before rushing to it. We slide past the doors and huddle inside, slapping the button for the penthouse suite as we prepare our weapons.
“I can’t go in there armed,” Alex claims while extending her gun to me. “I’m pretty sure the hotel cameras will catch onto us soon, too. A place like this has tight security.”
“You say while you’re waving your gun.”
She smirks while shrugging. “Which is why I had Soren call in a favor to have the cameras shut off for the evening.”
Fixing her with my annoyed expression only invites her laughter. She kisses my cheek and rubs my chest as I grumble under my breath.
“Hey, don’t get mad at me,” she insists. “We’re rescuing your sister, and you’re killing the Persian. This will be a big night for all of us.”
“Yeah, I can’t fuck it up.” I cock my gun and tuck it into the back of my pants. “Neither of us can afford that, doll.”
She nods and leans into me. “That’s why I won’t.”
Her mouth clasps mine and time suspends itself for a moment, locking us into a memory of all the times we’ve kissed like this. But the way her lips seek refuge with my mouth and the desperate mewls that vibrate my lips make me wonder if she thinks this might be the last time we’re together.
Are we going to survive this?
The elevator dings before I can think about that question too hard. Alex peers around the corner, clears the hallway visually, and then leads me to the suite ahead of us, the one where Darren Park waits with my little sister. We pause for a moment, inhaling the silence around us.
“It’s too quiet,” she whispers. “Something is up.”
I nod. The door opens before we can knock and the Persian smiles smugly, drifting back to allow us entry into his suite. “I thought you were taking too long.”
A frightened Adelaide sits on the couch with her hands bound behind her back and a crimson handkerchief shoved into her mouth. Two security guards stand behind her, wearing black suits and earpieces. The way they hover over her makes me sick to my stomach, causing me to grip the butt of my gun.
“I’d be careful with that, Mr. D’Hautpoul,” the Persian warns as he gestures to Adelaide. “They’ve been ordered to strangle her if you act up.”
Addie mumbles something through her gag, inviting one of the guards to glare at her. I shake my head and try giving her a reassuring smile, keeping a hand on the small of Alex’s back as we wander into the sunken living room. Every luxury afforded to those staying at the best hotel in town is here—complimentary champagne, chocolates, brand-new fluffy robes, and an assortment of other gifts sit around the place.
It doesn’t look like he’s been here for very long.
“We agreed on a trade, didn’t we?” the Persian states with a confident tone as he observes Alex. “This will be one way to handle you, Ms. Moretti.”
“And you won’t harm her,” I say sternly while pushing Alex forward. “That’s the condition.”
The Persian shrugs. “As long as she behaves, I won’t harm her at all. She’ll be useful for…many things.”
Hearing the way he speaks about my girlfriend makes me grimace, and I fight the urge to bite back verbally. If I blow this, then I won’t be able to save my sister or kill the man who’s been making our lives a living hell.
“All right. Release Addie,” I demand while shoving Alex forward. “Come on, I don’t have all night, man.”
“Won’t you have a drink with me?” the Persian offers while gesturing to the champagne chilling in the bucket on the coffee table. “I bet Addie would have a drink with me.”
I sneer. “Don’t call her that.”
