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“If the Russian pig kills me, then Spyder Security sends footage to his enemies. The LA Bratva leadership will fall.”
“Uff,” I wheezed, hand splayed on my chest. Just like that, Constantine had openly admitted his hand.
Reappearing in the doorway, Viktor grinned at the tail of our conversation. “And if the sly little ghost strikes me or mine, my insurance is blowing up Constantine’s house,” Viktor retorted, altogether too calm.
I gasped. “Those are the terms of your alliance?”
“It’s the underworld, sweetheart. Everyone looks out for their skin and those closest to them first.” Viktor winked, snatching a bar off the tray. “Sophia sent me back for the refreshments; come on.”
With that, Viktor took the tray of athletic snacks and left. We followed our hosts in silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.
By the time we reached the work office, Sophia was on her computer, Claude’s cell phone hooked in with a cord.
“It’s a burner phone, but how much can you pull from it?” I asked her, folding into a couch seat beside Constantine.
“A lot, actually,” Sophia chirped.
Handing me an electrolyte water, Constantine’s hand brushed mine. Electricity rushed through me at the connection. I couldn’t wait until we were alone. Before I could convey that to him with my eyes, his phone rang. Eyes narrowing, he slid it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. Then, holding up a finger to excuse himself, he rose from the couch and went into the hall, snapping, “What? This had better be good.”
Adrian passed him in the doorway as he entered the room. I knew Iryna’s death had hit him hard, but the strength Constantine exhibited did not run in his cousin’s veins. There were dark circles under Adrian’s eyes as he reached for a bottle of water. I was close enough to smell something sour off his breath, as if he’d been vomiting.
For a long while, there was only the click of a keyboard and the soft noises of eating, covered by the whir of the computer fans filling the space. My mind wandered back to my husband. Constantine paced before the open door. Whoever was on the other line was very a brave soul, because I swore I could see Constantine’s dark energy filtering down the cellular connection.
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” Constantine jabbed the screen, ending the call. Stalking back into the room, he stopped by Adrian. “Customs detained our shipment from Indonesia. It’s the same fucker who interfered before.” Constantine shook his head. “It isn’t the devil, either. My hunch that he was trying to distract me and lure me out proved false. Either way, this needs to be dealt with.”
“You’d better hurry. The devil will retaliate when he knows we’ve killed his son,” Adrian mused, voice hoarse as if it needed quenching and the water wasn’t cutting it.
“I still want to send those photos,” Viktor preened from the seat opposite, popping the last piece of his protein bar into his mouth.
“And I think you should, but not yet,” Constantine ground out. He shifted his gaze to me. “Stay here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Be safe,” I breathed, a sudden chill running down my spine.
Moving to stand over me, Constantine gripped my chin hard. Something dark and dangerous shifted through his gaze. “I’ll be back, princess.”
He pressed his lips against mine. The caress was reverent and ravenous in the same moment. Then he was gone.
Viktor peeled himself off his seat and followed. His booming voice carried back to us, unlike the low, menacing responses that came from Constantine. All I heard was something about an upstart customs officer that was scheming.
As I nibbled on the protein bar, I could feel Adrian’s distress. “Do you need a drink?” I finally asked him.
My cousin-in-law shook his head. “I can’t—no matter how badly I want to.”
I chewed carefully, considering his words. He was rowdy and vivacious but always had a drink in his hand. And then the horrid truth snapped into place. The food in my mouth turned into a lump, and I choked it down.
“Because of Iryna.” It wasn’t really a guess.
But he confirmed it just the same. “Yes. I was hungover and didn’t go to brunch with her.”
“Oh, Adrian!” I clutched what remained of the bar against my chest. I didn’t know if I should hug him or keep my arms to myself.
Sophia interrupted, removing the chance to choose. “I have a trail of all the locations Claude took this phone.”
My mouth nearly hit the floor. “Père—my father, he said these phones weren’t traceable.”
“They’re not.” Sophia grinned manically from around the monitor. “That’s why no one has found them yet.”
“Jakob will explode when he hears you tracked the spawn’s movement just like that,” Adrian said admiringly.
