Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 52455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 262(@200wpm)___ 210(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 262(@200wpm)___ 210(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
My breath is rattling in and out of me. My throat was lined with poisoned knives, but they’re gone now. My chest still aches, like nothing will soothe it, but. . .
I push up to tiptoe, pulling his head down so I can reach his lips. He grips the lapels of the coat I’m wearing, drawing me up so his mouth can dominate mine.
We kiss until I’m surging against him; the ache in me spreads through my core to my limbs.
He takes my shoulders and pushes us slightly apart, keeping a bare millimeter between us. “Death or belonging to me. Those are your options.”
“Your death or mine?” I raise my head to murmur against his lips.
“I don’t want to live in this world alone. Without you, Lula, I might as well be dead.”
I draw back. The nick at his throat really is making a mess. I curse and find a paper towel to clean it up. He holds still and lets me, watching me with a tenderness that makes me ache.
Fates preserve us. There might be a small part of me that loves him. And that is enough.
But first things first.
I straighten and toss the bloody paper towel into the trash. Then I pick up the knife, testing its weight in my palm. “Where’s Stephanos?”
“Hiding like the rat he is. Do you want me to take you to him?”
“Yes.”
He smiles and takes my hand. The one without the knife. “Then let’s go.”
16
Lula
The drive leaving Cavalli’s is very different from the one a mere hour before.
This time, I relax in the backseat with Victor, holding his hand. No blindfold. I returned his knife, and he gave me back my Sig Sauer. Its weight feels weird but familiar.
Two of the guys ride in the front. Joe and Spiro. Joe is driving again, keeping to back roads.
We’re rolling down an alleyway when I recognize the silver siding of the building up ahead.
“Stop here a moment,” I say. “Please.”
Joe looks into the rearview mirror, and Victor nods. The car slows to a stop.
The back door of Three Diner opens before I step out of the car. Two of the owners greet me. The tall young woman with dark glasses and the tiny white-haired one with weathered hands. The shadow of a third woman, round and matronly, haunts the door.
“You’ve returned,” the young woman says, with a hint of a smile. Her head angles like she’s looking into the sky or hearing music playing far away. “And you’re not alone.”
“Yes.” I don’t know what I want to say to them, so I wait through an awkward pause.
“You’re ready, daughter of Vera,” the white-haired lady pronounces.
My throat clogs up, but I nod.
“Then go, and fate will bless you.”
I slide into the back seat, and Joe takes his foot off the brake a second later. Victor tips his head to the two women and gives them a cocky wave.
As soon as they’re out of view, he leans forward to study my face. “Did you get what you needed?”
“Yes,” I say, but then I amend, “but not from them. I already have what I need.”
“Almost,” he says and holds up a silver chain, the sword charm dangling from his palm.
I’d cuss him out, but I’m too happy to see my old necklace. I lift my hair and let him put it on me. He takes his sweet time and fiddles with it so the sword settles on my sternum.
And all too soon, we’re at an ancient brick warehouse a few blocks away from the docks. I recognize the area. “This is Vesuvi territory.”
“Yes. Stephanos has bolt holes like this all over the city. It’s how he’s survived.” He’s patting his clothes, presumably checking his hidden knives. “He’s inside.”
This is it. The moment I’ve prepared for all my life.
I press the sword into my skin for a second before shrugging out of Victor’s long coat. I take a moment to check my Glock. In the front seat, Joe and Spiro are doing the same.
“Here.” Victor holds up a black vest. I shrug it on, and he makes sure it’s fastened up the front.
“We disabled those cameras,” Spiro tells me, pointing to the surrounding buildings and the silver or black equipment nestled in the eaves. “But he’ll have more inside.”
“Thank you.”
A heaviness settles over me, more than the weight of the vest. Reality descending. I open the car door, and the sky above is so blue, I could cry. The shadows at my feet are dark and deep, and I can see every speck of dust floating in the air between me and the warehouse door.
When I step out of the car, Victor appears at my side. “I’m coming with you.”
“Of course.” He’s made it clear he wants to keep me close. Whether because he loves me or thinks I’m his property, it doesn’t matter.