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Was there anything hecoulddo for me? I couldn’t be sure. But it was possible… and he might know how to reach out to the Blood Hunter too.
I knew that Mom saw them both as her opponents. The enemies of my greatest enemy should be my friends, right? At the very least, they might be able to help me gather more evidence so I’d have enough leverage to break out of her hold for good.
Even if it was a small chance, it was better than no chance at all.
I crossed the room to the chair where I’d left the purse and groped inside it for the card. Then I sat down on my bed with the burner phone I’d picked up to communicate with my men, staring at the number printed on the smooth cardstock.
Taking a deep breath, I punched in the digits and brought the phone to my ear.
FOURTEEN
Luciana
By the end of practice,my muscles were burning in that familiar way I loved, but the sensation wasn’t quite enough to wipe away the anxious tension that’d gripped me all day. I sat down on the bench and tugged my laces loose, unable to contain a sigh.
Jasper dropped down next to me, his forehead furrowed with obvious concern. “Are you doing okay? You’ve seemed a little out of it. I mean, your skating was great, but whenever we took a breather…”
I knew what he meant. It’d taken all my will power to stay focused when we launched into the moves of our routines. Any moment when I hadn’t had that immediate goal in front of me, my thoughts had scattered.
I grimaced. “It’s just getting to me, being back in that house. Being around my mom. I never know what she’s going to ask of me next.”
I couldn’t tell him everything. I didn’t want him to think of me blasting away desperate attackers in some rundown apartment building. As far as I could tell, Rafael hadn’t mentioned anything to the other guys about the raid I’d led, and I’d rather they never knew.
I’d ratherInever had to think about it again. In the back of my head, the memories of the jerking figures, the splatters of crimson, and the feel of the blood drying on my skin kept playing, flaring up behind my eyes at random moments.
Next time, Mom might ask me to do something even worse. And I had no idea what, when, or where.
My skin crawled just thinking about it.
Niko leaned against the boards across from us, his mouth slanting into a sympathetic smile. “It’s understandable that you’d be distracted. I can’t even imagine what it’s like for you being trapped in this situation.”
I squared my shoulders. “I’ll get through it. It helps a lot that I can escape out here to the arena and see all of you. Gives me something to look forward to.”
My gaze flicked toward the one guy I wasn’t totally counting in my “all”—Quentin, still gliding around the far end of the rink as he perfected one of his step sequences. Since confronting me and demanding recognition for his efforts in tracking me down, he’d given me plenty of space. I hadn’t heard him heckle Jasper once. In fact, this morning I’d come in to see them exchanging comments that had left Jasperchuckling.
Maybe Quentin really was doing his best to shape up not just his skills but his attitude too. And he was letting me decide how I felt about his efforts rather than getting pushy about it.
As I watched, he finished the final bit of footwork and paused to swipe a few strands of his pale hair back from his forehead. His gaze caught mine. His lips twitched with a hint of a smile, like he wasn’t quite sure it’d be welcome but wanted to offer it anyway.
I wasn’t going to be a total bitch. I shot him a quick smile in return and then looked away.
Why the hell had my love life needed to get even more complicated at a time like this?
Jasper slung his arm around my shoulders in a brief but emphatic hug. “You should just focus on what you need to get through this mess. We understand that you can’t be one hundred percent on the ball with everything that’s going on.”
His supportiveness brought a lump into my throat. I yanked off my skates and reached for the rag to wipe off the blades.
A ping pealed out of my bag—the text alert sound for my burner phone, not my regular one. My pulse hiccupped, and I snatched at the pocket.
There was only one person who had that number who wasn’t here in the arena with me. What did the acting Storm have to say to me today?
I tapped through to see the full text he’d sent.It looks like one of the Deadly Rose’s people tried to gain unauthorized access to a property of mine. I’ll be dealing with the immediate response on my end, but I thought the surveillance footage might be useful to you.
Then there was a link. I clicked on it and found myself staring at a list of image and video files.
Proof. Solid proof of my mom messing with one of her Devil’s Dozen colleagues. The corners of my mouth lifted along with my spirits.
“What’s up?” Niko asked, coming into the stands. “Good news?”
