Jarek cranked open his door. “Let’s go.”
Logan’s phone rang, and he rushed to shut it off.
That unsettled feeling only intensified when he saw it was Nathan. The second he rejected the call it started ringing again. Agitation crawled through his being, a feeling coming on strong that Aster and Nathan had been right.
He never should have come here.
Because evilness clouded the air.
Dense and dark and unrelenting.
“Are you already going to puss out? I can’t say I’m shocked,” Jarek sneered. “You shouldn’t be here. You don’t belong.”
Guilt clawing at his chest, he silenced his phone and tucked it into his pocket. “I’m coming,” he grunted.
With a harsh shake of his head, Jarek climbed out of the car and strode through the torrent that poured from the sky. Logan rushed to follow, his shoes splashing through the dirty puddles that had gathered.
Jarek came to what appeared a small metal garage door, and he pushed a button at the side as he peered into a camera.
It buzzed and began to roll up.
Inside stood a man who appeared close to the same age as Aster’s father, his hair the same color, his eyes the same shade.
They were less trusting, though, darting around as he held a box to his chest. “My brother should have come himself rather than to trust two boys who know not what they possess.”
“I am perfectly aware of the importance of this delivery, Antonio,” Jarek shot back. “You act as if he shouldn’t trust me when soon I will be married to Aster. I am every bit as much a part of this family as you.”
Antonio scoffed. “You have a long way to go before you take the seat at the head of this family.”
Bile climbed Logan’s throat. Once Aster’s father and Antonio both passed, Jarek would be next in line.
Darkness swirled behind them as the rain pelted the ground. Dread filled him full. Logan suddenly realized he wasn’t sure if this was a test that could be passed.
Antonio stepped forward into the murky light. He tossed a glare at Jarek as he went to pass the box to him. “Be careful, mutt.”
Jarek’s nostrils flared.
Anxiety raced through Logan’s veins, and he swore he could feel it, the bolt of depravity that struck with a flash of lightning.
A figure emerged from behind, dressed in black and covered in shadow. A mask concealed his face.
Jarek whirled around, and Antonio’s eyes went wide as the man lifted an arm, cocking a gun as he edged forward.
“Give it to me,” the man snarled.
Antonio tightened his hold on the box. “That would be a very unwise mistake on your part.”
“Do you think I give a fuck what you say?”
A shot was fired.
Antonio howled when he was struck in the leg, and he dropped to the ground as the box crashed against the pavement.
The lid busted open, and two necklaces flew out, clattering and rolling across the ground, their giant stones glinting in the bare light.
The man went for them, leaning down to grab one, and Logan took the opportunity to dive onto his back.
He hit him with a thud. They fell to the unforgiving ground, and the attacker scrambled around in the dirty puddle, trying to turn so he could angle his gun.