“You’ve become friends with the queen regent. She appeared at the café tonight on your request to see your brother.”
“It’s true,” I say. My earrings are off, and I’m placing them in the small drawer. My muscles are tense. If only I could manage to kill him…
“Tomorrow I’ll text
you the location of a pickup point. Get her there, and we’ll take her from you.”
I’m only half listening. I’m feeling the slick wooden base of the drawer, sliding my fingers under my bras and panties. Blix is back at my side, jerking my upper arm away from my mission.
“Looking for this?” He spins me around, holding me secure. The blade of the knife I was seeking is cold against my cheekbone. Its razor-sharp tip touches the soft skin under my eye, and I cower away. “Stop being a fucking amateur, Kass. I trained you better than this.”
He shoves me back, and I lose my balance. I fall all the way to the floor, and my back hits the wall so hard, an Oof! flies from my lips.
“Tomorrow. I’ll tell you where to bring her. Alone.”
“But—” I start to argue it’s too soon. I have no way of guaranteeing I can get Ava away from the guards. Logan will never go for this.
“Logan can make the choice—Ava or you.”
“He’d never choose me over her. He’s sworn to protect her.”
Blix’s laugh is curt. “For the first time, I realize how blind you truly are.”
Desperation has me by the throat. I don’t know how to get out of this. “No,” is all I can say.
“You’ll do it, or you’ll be collecting pieces of your brother from the Mediterranean.”
I turn my head and press my eyes against the backs of my hands. My stomach is a ball of thorns, and I can’t stop crying. The door slams, and all I can say is “No no no…” Not Cameron!
I hear every step Blix takes down those stairs, and when the metal outside door slams, I slide all the way down, resting my cheek against the cold hardwood.
I have no way out this time.
The First Move
Logan
I’m not aware Kass is gone until Ava finds me in the back of the bar. “We should leave,” she says, and I go to where she’s standing.
“Did you meet Cameron?”
She sighs and shakes her head. “He left. Kass left. Nobody knows what’s happening.”
My instincts hit red alert. “What do you mean nobody knows? Where are Rex and Stefano?” I push through the crowd in the direction of the table with Ava right behind me.
“Kass went to the bathroom and took forever to come back.” She gives my lips a suspicious glance. “When she got back, her skin was red and blotchy.”
I clear my throat. “What did she say?”
“She said she was having an allergy attack and left.”
My brow knits. “That’s it?”
“Well…” Ava is studying me, and I know she’s smart. If I give anything away, she’ll demand answers. Rowan will have my head. “Her brother disappeared mysteriously. Then she got a text.”
“From who?” I’m headed to where Cameron’s guards were stationed earlier with Ava right behind me. Rex is there alone, and I signal for him to come to me.
“I’m sorry, sir.” He looks down. “Stefano had gone to the loo, and I… I was…”