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The server came back to the table and handed Sophie a takeout bag. “Extra cheesecake on top, Miss Sophie.” The server smiled, and I didn’t see any maliciousness behind it. “Come back anytime. It’s always on the house.”
Sophie’s smile stretched across her entire face, and a little part of me died in that moment. How could I tell her she shouldn’t come here again? That it was owned by the Mafia? Ugh, that would have to be a conversation for a different day. I reached into my wallet and pulled out a handful of twenties, handing them to the server, but he refused.
“No, no, Miss La Roux. It’s all been taken care of.” He nodded and headed over to a table filled with men in business suits.
“I don’t like this,” Valik whispered from behind me as we walked out.
“You’re not the only one. Believe me.” My footsteps quickened towards the car, and we climbed into the back of our SUV.
My nerves were frayed after that whole conversation with Kaviathin. The only thing it had accomplished was to raise my blood pressure. I eyed the bag as we drove back to the office, butterflies flying around in my stomach. He’d said I might need it again. What did he mean by that? What could be in there? I knew I had to open it, but not now. It would have to wait until I got home because whatever was in there was surely something I wasn’t going to be happy about.
On the bright side, Sophie was back to her normal self. If anything, she was more talkative now that we had bonded a little bit. My heart swelled with happiness as she talked the entire car ride, her confidence blossoming right in front of me.
“Next week we’re going to meet with R.L. Hemingway’s to discuss a collaboration. Do you want to come with me and Juliet to their headquarters in New York?” I asked Sophie when we got back to the office.
“Really?” Her eyes lit up with excitement. “Are you sure you wantmeto go?”
“Absolutely. Thora said that you’ve picked up on things very quickly, so I think it’s time you handled more of the senior administrative work. You up for it?”
“Oh, my God, of course. Thank you.” She squeezed me tightly, and I laughed.
I was relieved that she had come out of her little funk and was opening up more. I hadn’t been kidding when I’d told her she had potential. It felt good to smile, like genuinely laugh.
I had almost forgotten about all the terrible things that had been happening, but the second I thought about it, it all came crashing back, ruining my happy parade.
The red bag sat on the floor next to me for the rest of the afternoon. I was dying to open it, and by the time the workday was over with, I couldn’t get home quick enough. I placed the bag on the table and paced back and forth in front of it.
Just do it, chickenshit.
The bow unraveled easy enough, and I reached in, pulling out a heavy wooden box. There were wood carvings running along the edges of twirls and flowers. It was actually quite gorgeous, and my apprehension built as I pried the top off.
My heart sank the moment I saw them. Two beautiful knives lay nestled in velvety cushioned cloth. They were bigger than the switchblade I had been carrying around—well, the one I had buried in Ryzen’s eye. My fingers trembled as I pulled out the smaller one and examined it. The handle had a giant pink stone at the top of it encrusted with diamonds. My fingers traced over the little intricate details carved all around it, a series of swirls and flowers that matched the outside of the box. At the bottom of the handle where it met the blade, there was a tiny letter V embossed on top, and when you flipped it over, the letter B.
I picked up the other blade, presumably the one meant for Cian. That one was much bigger, and its stone was black, but it had the same little details carved over it.
With one exception.
I squinted at the tiny words etched in the metal blade, my eyes growing wide at the words.
Bound by blood.
What the actual fuck was that supposed to mean?
The elevator dinged a second later, and I didn’t try to hide the daggers as Cian walked in. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me holding them, his eyes darkening.
Kaviathin had said Cian was keeping secrets from me?
Well, now I was about to find out what they were.
Chapter Thirteen
Cian
Nova sat on the couch with two knives in her hand. I furrowed my brow as I walked over to her. “Why do you have those?”
She sighed and placed the knives on the table. I could see it all over her face. Fear. Questions. Doubt. That was the one I hated the most. I never wanted her to look at me that way again. Not after everything we had built up together.
“I thought we weren’t going to keep secrets from each other, Cian.” She gazed down at the carpet.
