AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I can’t. My body moves on its own as I reach for his gun, and Luca catches me by the wrist.
“I think not.”
That gets my attention. I glare daggers at him. He’s not going to bench me when my best friend’s life is on the line.
Luca nods, and accepts the car keys from Nora’s shaking hand.
Marci can’t be dead. She can’t be.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
LUCA
En route to Marci’s place. Will keep you updated.
I glance once at the text message from Dario on my phone before dropping it onto the center console of Alexei’s SUV. Any other time than this I would be remarking on all of the stylistic differences between his car and my own. It would have been amusing to see his face turn that shade of angry red when I tell him about the tint to my windows as opposed to his own.
Another time. There would be time later.
That’s what I’ve been telling myself for years. Be patient. Do not make rash decisions. I have lived my life these last handful of years because I have been playing the long game. I have a goal in mind and I’m so close to reaching that goal I can taste it. Myfather’s days are numbered. Granted, I never thought that Katya would be a part of my plans, but now that she’s here riding shotgun I can’t imagine that I ever pictured it any other way.
She just… fits. She fits into everything. I have never gotten along with somebody so easily before in my life. Except for maybe Dario, but even he flinches at my temper. Katya? She knows me.
It is impossible to be so close to a person in such a short time… yet I told her about my mother. I’ve never spoken about that out loud. Not ever.
“Dario is checking her house for evidence, we’ll head to the club.” I inform Katya who is otherwise catatonically focused in the passenger seat. I reach over and place my hand on her thigh. I half expect her to shake it off. Instead, she puts her hand on top of mine and grips it so tightly that I swear my bones shift.
“If anything happens to her… to her baby…” Katya whispers.
“It won’t.” I say with absolute confidence. There’s no other option.
I know her brother has a tracker in his car so I don’t feel the need to update him on our actions as I speed toward his club. Alexei chose to stay home with Nora to ensure her protection himself. I can only imagine the sort of stress that must be sitting on his shoulders given that his territory has been invaded twice now. Marci works for him, at his club. I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if he was systematically going through each and every one of his current men to ensure that he didn’t have a ratsomewhere. My father would have paid handsomely to get what he wanted - and that was access to Alexei and everything that he cares about.
“When we get there, let me do the talking.” I say.
“They don’t know you and they may recognize you. I’ve known the whole staff for years. They trust me. They will talk to me.” She cuts a glance to me from the corner of her eye. “Even if they don’t recognize you, you’re an outsider.”
Logically, it makes sense.
Irrationally, I still don’t want her anywhere near this.
“If they got to Marci, you know that is a direct attack to you. If my father’s behind this, he will be expecting you to react… to look for her.” I reason.
“If?! Who else would it be?”
“The father of her child didn’t seem too pleased that he was going to be, in fact, a father.” I offer. Not that I really think a scumbag like him would actually be capable of doing anything like this, but it’s always best to look at the whole picture before making a choice.
“No. And besides, it’s my brother’s club. If anybody is going to deny somebody access or tell somebody what to do in there,it’s going to be me.” Katya speaks flatly, her voice bordering on hollow in a way that has me speeding up ever so slightly.
We take the rest of the ride predominantly in silence as she worries what could have happened to Marci. My mind is already running over the various scenarios. We’re only a couple of streets away from the club when I see them. Motorcycles have been weaving in and out of traffic for the last couple of blocks but until now they had been keeping their distance enough to not seem too out of the ordinary.
Now that the street is emptier, I can see just how many of them they are. They weave through the sparse traffic in a very particular formation.
“Open the glovebox.” I order Katya. I have another gun in the center console, and one tucked into the back of my pants like I always do. It’s a gamble that her brother would leave a loaded weapon in the car, but thankfully he did.
“What is it?” Katya whips her head around about the time that one of the men pulls out a silenced gun and aims directly for the back window.
“Hold on tight,” I bark and swerve the car to lessen the damage. Already cars around us are laying on their horns. The men behind me don’t know that I’m in this car, and that’s for the best. All the more reason that I can’t allow them to capture me. I have to put an end to this as quickly as possible. Some pissed off civilian calling the cops would only complicate everything so much further.
