The Dark Elite (The Dark Elite 1)

A small bubble of relief rises up in my chest. If Damian Novak is away from Chicago, that explains why they haven’t brought me to meet him yet. Maybe I’ll have a few more days before the hammer falls.

“A shipment has been delayed, and apparently the normal fuckers who deal with this are also being… delayed.” Hale snaps back into business mode in a second. “Zaid, Lucas, you’re coming with me. Ciro, you’re staying with Grace, because these two can’t…”

He trails off, but I don’t have to hear the words to know what he’s thinking.

Zaid and Lucas can’t be trusted with me.

I flush at the insinuation and bite my tongue, wanting to say, neither can you, Hale. I don’t know if it’s a good thing that I’ve made such an impression on my captors, but I’m not sorry it’s Ciro who’ll be left with me. My heart needs a fucking break, and I have a feeling the quiet man won’t talk to me all night if he can help it.

“The shipment arrives in an hour, so we need to head out right now.” Hale steps out of the dining room, voice echoing through the kitchen. “The rest of our team will be here in a second.”

My head spins with possibilities at the thought of being alone in this huge house with just Ciro—if I can convince my captor not to tie me up, it could be the perfect opportunity to call Brian again.

We shuffle out of the dining room, but Ciro stops me from following after Zaid, Lucas, and Hale as they head deeper into the house.

“Wait here,” he says, shaking his head slightly.

He doesn’t say anything else as a few minutes pass and we wait for the other men to come back. I want to say something to fill the silence, but I know small talk isn’t his specialty, and if I’m being honest, it’s not mine either.

A moment later, the other men return, and all five of us move toward the front of the house. Hale opens the door for three new men, guys I don’t recognize but who I’m sure belong to the Novak Syndicate. They step inside, sharing easy nods with Zaid and Lucas as they do.

“We’ll take the van,” Hale says, jerking his head in the direction of the garage.

The men all nod, and as Hale confers quietly with Zaid and Lucas about something, one of the new guys glances up, his gaze catching on me.

He grins, glancing from me to Ciro. “You got a date, man? That why you’re sittin’ this one out?”

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nbsp; “No,” Ciro says shortly.

“Okay.”

The man shrugs, obviously not thrown off by Ciro’s blunt tone. People in the syndicate must be used to it. But when the guy’s gaze shifts back to me, flirtatious interest gleams in his eyes.

He steps forward, holding out his hand. “Hey. I’m Eddie.”

The reaction in all four of my captors is instantaneous. Hale, Zaid, and Lucas break off their conversation, their backs stiffening, as Ciro takes a step forward, subtly inserting his body between me and Eddie.

“She’s not for you.”

There’s something almost dangerous in Ciro’s voice. A warning of some kind.

Eddie draws his hand back, his eyebrows shooting up as he glances from Ciro to the other men. The two newcomers look as lost as he does, but Hale, Zaid, and Lucas are still tense.

“What the fuck is goin’ on?” Eddie laughs.

“No one touches Grace,” Hale says shortly.

The man’s expression changes with the mention of my name. His gaze whips back to me, and the flirtatious charm I saw a second ago is gone. “Grace?” His features harden. “Fuck—Grace Weston?”

No one answers, not even Hale, but that seems to be all the confirmation Eddie needs. He shakes his head, shooting a look at the dark-haired man beside me.

“Don’t worry, Ciro. I’m not interested. I wouldn’t want shit to do with the daughter of the man who betrayed Landon Novak.”

I recognize the name in an instant, but I don’t understand Eddie’s words. What did my father have to do with Landon Novak? Never once in the past six years has he mentioned that man’s name.

What the hell were you up to, Dad?