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Disappointment churns in my gut, thinking about how I had to stop volunteering there in order to pick up more hours. It was a choice I didn’t enjoy making. Nostalgia prompts me to look up his clinic on my cell phone, and I burn time by swiping through some of the photos listed with the search result.
“All right,Peanut, what did you decide for your class project?” My dad is sitting at the dinner table with me as I finish some more homework.
“Dad, I’m ten; I think I’ve outgrown the peanut nickname.”
“Nonsense, you’ll always be my little girl. So, what was the prompt again?” He is folding some of my extra notebook paper into paper planes.
“It is a presentation on what you want to do when you get older. We have to include what influenced us and detail the path we need to take to get there.” The pencil tip I’m using snaps, and I huff out in frustration before digging in my pouch for another.
“Well, are you going to say vet? You’ve talked about that forever since you were little.” Hope shines in my dad’s eyes, and I know I’m going to disappoint him.
“Actually, I was thinking about becoming a lawyer.”
His eyebrows raise. “Since when?”
“Well, Clare’s dad is a lawyer, and he always works on some pretty cool cases, so …” I taper off and give my dad a half smile.
“Huh, that’s different,” he says, and I can sense his sadness wafting between us.
“Being a vet was your dream, Dad … remember?”
His eyes meet mine and his lips thin. “I remember. I only want you to do whatever brings you joy, Kate. I don’t want you to ever stop dreaming, Peanut.”
I blink awaythe memory and glance at the door to see Luka leaning against the frame, watching me.
“Hi,” he smirks. “What were you thinking about right then?”
I tuck away the memory and hold up my phone. “Checking on Dr. Smith’s clinic, where I used to volunteer. It’s close by here.”
Luka doesn’t say anything, but he keeps staring at me, and I’m not sure what he’s trying to figure out. “Did you get all your paperwork sorted out?”
“I did. Are you ready to go?”
“Mmhmm,” I say, pressing my lips together. I stand, toss my water bottle into the recycling bin, and head toward the door. But Luka doesn’t move. He holds my eyes. Silence beats between us and he shoves his hands in his pockets before finally stepping back and turning on his heels.
Chapter33
Luka
“Both these shipments will ship tomorrow, and the next eight crates later this week.”
I continue to sign the paperwork and check the final transport information with Igor, Nik, and a few other men. By the afternoon, I’m going through the motions, but my mind is stuck in the training room with Kate. Her soft skin under my fingertips, the way she leaned into me—she trusted me. Her handling my weapon—opening her mind to my world—was something I was not prepared for. I can barely concentrate on these shipments, knowing Kate is sitting in this warehouse.
This is …
“Anya traced the number from Kate’s phone, Boss.” Nik’s voice breaks through my thoughts, and it’s getting to be a bad habit of his.
“Who?” I demand, already knowing the answer. We need confirmation.
“It was the Cosa Nostra. We don’t have the location, and I’m almost positive it was sent via one of the capos, not Antonio himself, but it’s his message all the same.”
I purse my lips, nodding. “Has he been in contact with Mrs. Castile?”
“No, sir,” Igor explains. “They haven’t had any physical contact. Records show a few phone conversations, but they didn’t last long.”
“All right, keep me apprised if anything changes,” I reply.
He nods and grabs the paperwork to move these shipments. Nik limps toward me and puts a hand on my shoulder.
