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Niko
“Listen to me! It’s a trap!
Ava’s wordsecho in my head as I walk quietly around the back entrance of Seven. I don’t want to let her in my head, but something about what she said is bothering me. I heard her voice at Seven. I heard my mother’s voice. Sergei couldn’t fake either one. Still, I’m a trained assassin, not some idiot who’s going to run into a burning building just because someone yelled fire. It’s late, and the club is going to be packed. He won’t risk having my mother anywhere near the front. Plus, since he probably plans on killing Ava himself, he sure as hell won’t want anyone seeing her face. He’ll expect me to come around back.
“Do I have moron written across my forehead? I worked for the man for five years, Ava. I know how he operates. Once I bring you to him, he’ll kill us all.”
My own words haunt me.I do know the man. I know what he’s capable of when people get in his way. My father got in his way, and before the smoke even cleared after I pulled the trigger, he was there offering a trade. My mother’s freedom in exchange for mine. Just like now.
Fuck. I need eyes on the inside. As much as Blade stuck his neck out to tell me the truth, he’s still on the Chernov payroll. I can’t trust him. That only leaves one person. I hate like hell to do this, but I’m not about to walk into a trap. Pulling Ava’s smashed phone out of my pocket, I enter the passcode and scroll the contact list until I find the name I want. Pressing the button, I wait.
“Ava! Thank God, I’ve been so worried—”
“Rose, it’s Nick. I need your help.”
“Nick.” She says my name slowly, and I can imagine her frantically scanning for security. “What have you done with Ava?”
The last few hours come crashing down on me, and my temper blazes out of control. “Rose, listen to me!” I yell. “Ava’s in trouble! Stop asking me stupid questions and tell me what part of the club Sergei’s in.”
“Sergei’s not here.”
My blood turns to ice. “What?”
“I haven’t seen him in days.” Her voice trails off, as if she’s turned away from the phone. “Oh, but if you want to talk to Dmitry, he’s in his office. Let me get him for you. I’m right here.”
“No! Wait!”
I never get the last word out. Her scream interrupts it, tearing through the phone like shattering shards of glass.
“I am at Seven with your mother, Nikolai. Bring me my daughter, and I will free her. Fuck with me, and she will never make it off this plastic.”
She’ll never makeit off this plastic.
Seven doesn’t have plastic.
The Chernov basement does.
The phone dropsfrom my hand as a blast fires in the darkness. A searing pain tears through my side, and I stagger backward, slamming against the concrete wall. As dark figure makes its way over to me, I realize Ava was right.
Nothing was waiting for me here but a trap.
A man’s tall frame moves toward me, almost glowing under the crimson light. “Ready to dance with the devil, Gaheris?”
