Tears blur my vision.
The tiny mail room smells like old carpet, cigarettes, and whatever the tenants of the ground floor cook often. The ghosts of my old life taunted me—those first weeks of grief, then trying to settle into a new place. On my own. Even when Sal was there, I always felt alone.
The tip of Sal’s knife pierces my sweater, and I flinch. I’m going to die here.
My baby is going to die here.
Unless I do something.
A vibration comes from my pocket, followed quickly by another—Chrissy, probably, texting again. I swallow, keeping my eyes locked on Sal’s, and tilt my head slightly.
“You’ll never get past his guards,” I say.
He laughs. “Oh, I already did, sweety. One of his guys—Lev? Big bastard? We made sure he’s out of the picture tonight. Took a few more men than we anticipated, but,” Sal shrugs, “he won’t be interrupting us tonight.”
I gasp.
That blood by the shed.
Lev had been watching the house. Watchingme.
He’d bled for me.
Sal doesn’t wait for me to process. “Let’s go.”
He waves the blade, and the other two men flank me like bookends of violence.
“I’ll scream,” I say, voice thin.
“No one’s listening,” Sal promises with a smirk.
But I knew that’s not true.
Not anymore.
Because Konstantin has made sure that someone isalwayslistening.
Chapter 24
Konstantin
The message came in as the light dipped behind the skyline.
Coming over.
From Audrey.
My little wolf.
At first glance, the words seem harmless. But something about the cadence sends a cold prickle over the back of my neck. She never just announces her arrival. She asks, or she shows up; there’s no in between.
This?
This is rushed. Clipped. Off.
I stand in my office, bathed in the last light of day, and stare at the message. There’s another reason I don’t trust this.
Only minutes ago, I received a call from the Operator at the Spire. Someone had used the emergency line asking them to contact me and tell me: “She left the house and she’s at Magnolia.”
