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We all track her movements looking confused.
“What are you looking for?”
She stands. “The tattoo my father marks his men with. After you, my father was a little paranoid. Only his inner circle knows about the tattoo. So, if anyone showed up without the three-dot mark on their inner elbow, they met the killing end of Sean’s gun.”
She signals for Ghost and Doc to take a look. “See?”
Ghost takes a knee but doesn’t reach out to take the dead man’s arm. “It’s bad luck to touch the dead.”
“You can’t be that superstitious?”
The big man with the large sniper rifle settled in the crook of his arms turns the shade of his namesake. “Da.Ask Rage and Ares.”
Asena blinks up at him. “Well, here I’ll do it for you. See these marks. These three have them.” She points to the three closest to her. “Those two do not.”
Ghost, Rage, and I all level a look on Ares who ages about five years in seconds. We all know what this means and it is far from good. The war between the Antonov brothers just cranked to high heat.
The seething anger I felt only hours ago for Ares doesn’t burn as hot inside. All this with Asena has ripped the blinders off me and I now realize something. He’s fighting the same betrayal I feel with him, but with his own flesh and blood. Something we have in common. I will do well to remember that.
Asena pulls their wallets. “Both of the unmarked have Russian last names.”
I turn to face the Savage president. But it’s Asena who puts a voice to my thoughts as she walks between us.
“You two need to stop staring at each other. We need to talk.”
Eighteen
Asena
We are all standing in the middle of the large front living room. All around us are shot-up windows, but the bulletproof glass held up under fire.
Ares pulls his phone and in the span of three minutes, I hear him pull in the patched members of the club who are off caring for Savage business.
Rage returns just as Bear enters looking as mean as his animal’s sake. “Are we all good now, Prez?”
“For now, Bear, thank you.” Ares welcomes Nova to his side and she looks as calm and as beautiful as a queen should with her ash-white hair spilling over her shoulders. I had hoped to meet her looking a little more well-groomed. But drowned rat has been my running theme so I just roll with it at this point.
I leave Hark’s side and extend my hand to her. “Asena,” I say with a much steadier voice than I feel capable of. “I’m sorry I got your beautiful home shot up, but I promise to see it fixed once all this is settled.”
Warm arms pull me in and I don’t know what to do at first. I peer up into gray eyes for some kind of sign but all Ares does is give me a rare one-sided smile before he says something in Russian to the person on the other end of the phone.
“When all this is over, I expect a long talk about everything you can tell me on Dragon. He’s a puzzle I’m dying to figure out.”
Yeah, me too.
I give her a genuine smile when I step back and take in the glow she has about her. “You might actually be able to tell me more. He’s changed a lot in the last four years.” I turn to look back at him as he discusses something with Doc. Despite wishing this was the end of a really shitty day, I know there’s more.
“Later, okay?”
“Count on it.” I give her hands a quick squeeze and we both turn to see Rage walk into the room bringing with him the energy of tonight’s fight.
“The gate is secured but I need to get back down there. I just need some firepower first.”
Ares nods. “We’ll keep you in the loop on what plans are made. Stay off the walkies and intercoms. Cell phones only and only if it’s necessary. Ghost, while Rage mans the front gate, I need you to lock down the perimeter until Casanova and Blaze arrive.”
“And me?” Fergie comes in leading the group of club candies from the direction of the basement. I find Avery’s gaze and silently thank her for sticking to our agreement and then finally telling Hark.
All eyes are on Ares. “This isn’t over. We have an unaccounted-for armed man out there and two heads with contracts in here. No one leaves the property and no one goes anywhere alone. Fergie, you know what to do. Secure the house. Anyone and everyone who knows how to shoot a gun arm up.”
