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“Excuse us, Mr. Bozovic, but we must be going,” her father announced. “We must find time to finish our conversation at a later time.”
“Oh, I think we’re done with that conversation.” Kole nodded, looking cool as could be as he offered his arm to his date.
Kole stared at her as she turned toward her father. She took his arm, and she could almost see the steam coming out of her father’s ears. His lips were pressed in a firm line as he stared Kole down.
“Let’s go, Papa,” she murmured, pulling her father in the direction of their table. She caught the sight of Nikolai and waved a hand. Tonight, they would relax and enjoy the party, and tomorrow, they could continue their pursuit of the Belotov gang. She glanced behind her and found Kole’s eyes locked on her. She sent him a wink and put a little more effort in the sway of her hips. Let him look all he wants, she thought as she flung her hair over her shoulder. She wouldn’t mind being a star in one of his fantasies because that would be closest he could get to her as long as he had blondie on his arm.
* * *
“Up next wehave a silver chalice and communion plate that belonged to Queen Anne in the early 1700’s. We are starting the bid at twenty-five thousand dollars. Do we have any bids?” the auctioneer announced as the crowd reacted in awe. Kole sipped on his drink as he sat back in his chair. His eyes wandered around the room as the bidding began, and a particular bidder caught his attention.
Mila.
She raised her numbered bidding card to place a bid of thirty thousand dollars on the set. He was actually shocked that she would bid on an old silver plate and cup. It must have some meaning to her because aside from it being old as shit, he didn’t see the reasoning for it to be priced so high. His table wasn’t far from hers, and it gave him a chance to study her. She was a woman he wanted to get to know. He scowled and took another sip of his drink as he noticed other men eyeing her. He caught the eye of some of them and sent them a deadly glare, staking his claim without even having to say a word.
Meg was engrossed in the auction, having bid and won a few of the lower-priced items. His cell phone beeped from inside his coat jacket. He pulled it out and found a text from Denis.
Keep your eyes open. Something’s off.
Kole looked around for his bodyguard but didn’t see him.
What’s going on? he texted back.
Not sure. Going to find out. Hotel security is scrambling.
Stay close, Kole replied.
He didn’t trust anyone else but Denis right now. He quickly screen shot the conversation and forwarded it to Corneal’s phone. They would need to keep their eyes out in order to keep the girls safe. He watched as Corneal reached for his phone. His captain looked up at him and nodded his head to confirm he got the message. He turned his attention back to the auction, finding the bidding reaching sixty thousand dollars. He shook his head at the amount. He could think of plenty of things he could buy for that amount of money.
The sound of glass crashing filled the air, followed by screams. Masked men dashed into the room with guns in the air. The lights in the room went out, leaving them in darkness. People in the crowd began coughing as white smoke raised from the steel cans that were thrown onto the floor. The men’s faces were covered with gas masks to protect them from the smoke filling the room.
Tear gas.
“Get on the floor!” Kole shouted to Meg and grabbed her by her arm, throwing her down to the floor. He reached up on the table and grabbed the cloth napkins and held one to Meg’s face as she coughed. She took it from him and held it on her own as her body was racked with coughing. He did the same to his face as he tried to look over their table. His lungs burned from the smoke and chemicals, leaving him to cough like everyone else.
The sounds of gunshots and screams filled the air. He couldn’t see who or what they were going after. Corneal and Cassidy crawled over next to him with napkins over their faces, and Corneal pointed to the broken windows near them. They were on the first floor of the hotel and they could easily get the women out the windows to safety.
He pulled his phone out of his jacket and sent a quick text to Denis.
Windows. Cause a distraction.
He didn’t wait for a response, knowing that Denis would take care of the request. Meg gripped his jacket as she stayed close and waited for instructions. In the dark, he could see that she was scared, and he had promised his longtime friend that she would be safe. He wouldn’t renege on his promise.
He heard shouting from the masked men as they stalked the room. They were yelling in Russian, and he picked up a few words, but the one name that he was sure he heard made a chill go down his spine.
Kollektor.
They were after Mila. Whoever organized this ambush would pay dearly. The Black Society was strict when it came to their rules. Not that they had many since it was a council for the crime organizations of the world. But this was a direct insult to the council, and Kole knew that once it was found out who the organizers were, they would be dealt with in the most painful way possible.
A loud explosion rocked the building, which must have been their distraction. Only Denis would know how to create a perfect diversion that would send everyone scrambling. The room erupted in confusion and more gunfire as the security teams took action and fought back.
“Let’s go,” Corneal shouted. Grabbing Cassidy, he stood from their crouched position.
“Take Meg with you,” Kole yelled over the noise.
“What?” Meg turned to him and shook her head frantically. “No, you’re coming too.”
“Don’t argue with me. Corneal will see you to safety. I’ll be fine,” he promised, pushing her with Corneal and Cassidy. She finally relented and nodded before turning to head toward the windows.
