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For a second, I think she’s going to refuse. But then, with a sharp intake of breath, she signs her name, her movements jerky.
It’s done.
The tension in the air thickens even more. My heart races in my chest, my pulse too loud in my ears.
Something is wrong. Something is wrong. Something is?—
The sound of gunfire shatters the silence.
It happens so fast I barely have time to react. One second, everything is still. The next, the air is filled with the crack of bullets, the sound ricocheting off the buildings around us. Panic erupts, the guests scattering as the first wave of chaos hits.
But I can’t move. I’m frozen, my body locked in place as my eyes fly to Mal’s across the roof deck.
He’s staring right at me. Perfectly still. Not even flinching when another shot rings out.
Like a machine.
A boogeyman.
A monster.
His expression is unreadable. But there’s something dark in his gaze, something that makes my blood run cold.
And that’s when I realize two things:
One, I’m in danger.
And two?
It’s not from the bullets hurtling through the air.
6
FREYA
The library is too quiet.
I can still hear the gunshots in my mind, sharp and deafening, piercing the night. My hands are trembling, and I clasp them together tightly in my lap, willing them to stay still.
I lean back in the high-backed chair, trying to focus on my breathing, reminding myself that for now, at least, I’m safe.
For now.
The dim light and the crackling fireplace in Kir’s library do little to ease the tightness in my chest. Shadows flicker along the walls, gathering in the corners, heavy and dark. I glance out the window across the room. The view is nothing like the glittering skyline of Midtown. Here, in the upper outskirts of the Bronx, everything feels distant, far removed from the chaos I just escaped.
But even miles from the party, I can still feel the weight of Mal’s gaze.
“Or is it Karen Vanderschmit. I confess, I’m a little confused.”
He knows.
He fuckingknows.
My fingers twist harder around each other. He knows what I saw, and that’s more dangerous than anything else that happened tonight.
I shift in the chair, crossing my legs and tapping my foot against the floor in a futile attempt to shake off the residual adrenaline coursing through me. It doesn’t help. The memory of his voice, low and dangerous, lingers in my mind, clouding everything else.
I press my fingers to my temples, rubbing small circles into my skin, trying to dull the pounding in my skull. After the shots rang out, Kir’s men acted fast—removing me and Annika from the chaos and bringing us straight to Kir’s mansion. Isaak, Kenzo, Takeshi…and yes, Mal…chased the sniper across neighboring rooftops. But they didn’t catch him.
