Page 87 of Devil’s Reign

“I know what they’re saying,” she whispers.

43

MELANI

I watch through the gap in the pallets as the men file in, and I count.

Twelve. Fifteen. More are behind them, still pushing through the door. My stomach sinks with each one. We’re outnumbered… badly. Which means we can’t risk being discovered, or it could quite literally be our deaths.

At first, all I hear is the blood rushing in my ears. Then their voices start to cut through it.

“I’ve got the record for most people brought to the boss.”

“By one! And that’s only because the best man, Killian, got compromised and taken out by the boss!” another voice calls out, and someone laughs.

My skin crawls. They’re talking about it like a competition. Like kidnapping people is a sport with a leaderboard, something to brag about over drinks. And the guy their boss took out… I feel zero pity for him. But they don’t even lower their voices when they say it. They don’t feel anything about anyone.

“The boss will be here soon, so stop talking shit!” someone barks, and everyone goes quiet. He seems to have some sort of authority.

“Our next mission will put us closer to our goals,” the voice continues, sparking a low, hungry cheer through the group.

I glance at Vanya. His brows are drawn tight, a faint frown pulling at his mouth. That’s when I realize he probably doesn’t understand what they’re saying. I tug on his shirt, and he looks down at me.

“I know what they’re saying,” I whisper.

Something in his expression clears. He tilts his head towards me, so I start translating as quietly as I can.

The man in charge keeps talking. “The boss wanted me to pass this along before he arrives because he can’t stay long—you know he’s a very busy man.” The others grunt in acknowledgement. “We’re no longer going after the small fish. Thanks to Killian and Lev, we got those port workers a few nights ago. That loss hit the Petrov family hard.”

Vanya’s jaw clenches when I translate that part, and I squeeze his arm as I continue.

“We got a taste of power. Now the boss wants more. But we can’t move on to the other families until the Petrovs are out of the way.”

“Kill them all!” someone shouts from the crowd, and a wave of cheers follows.

“Hush. Listen,” the one in charge snaps, and silence drops again. “We have our next target. A member of the Petrov family.”

“That’s a death wish,” someone mutters, and the others grumble in agreement.

“The Petrovs aren’t as powerful as people make them out to be. We’ve taken over two dozen of their men, and they’re still nowhere close to finding us. We can hit them higher. The boss will protect us.” He stops talking when a round of applause breaks out.

“As we speak, the boss already has someone moving on the next target. By the time this meeting ends, we’ll have Elmira Petrov in our custody⁠—”

A gasp tears out of me before I can stop it, my entire body locking. Vanya’s hand clamps over my mouth in the same instant, but it’s too late—I’ve been heard.

The warehouse goes quiet.

Then: “Who’s there?”

And another, harder: “Show yourself.”

I glance up at Vanya, who has an unholy light in his eyes—rage, pure and lethal. He shakes his head at me slightly, a silent command to stay still. As if I had any intention of stepping out. I couldn’t move right now if I tried. Chairs scrape. Boots hit the floor. Through the slit in the pallets, I watch them approach, guns out and pointing towards us. My heart hammers so violently I’m genuinely afraid it will give us away before they even reach us.

They’re close now. Three feet. Two⁠—

The deafening sound of a gunshot fills the air. I flinch, hands flying to my ears as another shot follows. Then another. And another. Until the sharp cracks blur together, punctuated by the heavy, sickening thuds of lifeless bodies falling to the ground.

The men closest to us curse as they spin around, guns swinging towards the new threat. Dimitri.