“You’re not funny,” I grumble, and she snorts before dissolving into laughter as I pull into traffic.
“Where are we going?”
“To a friend’s place. You stay outside. I’ll be in and out.”
“A guy friend?”
“Yeah.”
She snickers. “DoesMaxyknow?”
“It’s nothing like that.”
“You like him a lot, don’t you?”
I hesitate. Eight years apart, Aj and I are close, but she doesn’t get everything the way Remi does. Still, the truth pushes its way out of me in a sigh. “I do. I love him, AJ.”
There’s a long stretch of silence, just the wind and the hum of the engine, until she squeezes me tighter from behind. “I’m happy for you, Val.”
A smile cracks across my face, and I slide a hand over hers. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
“But whenPapikills you, can I have this bike?”
“You little bitch!” I laugh and gun the engine, making her jolt and scream-laugh behind me.
We roll into Casper’s lot a few minutes later. A white Camaro sits alone, eerie in the empty space. I cut the engine, swing off the bike, and shake my hair free from my helmet.
“Stay here. I’ll be out in a minute. Call me if you need anything.”
She nods and tugs off her own helmet.
The chimes above the door jingle as it swings shut behind me. The garage is dark, too dark, but a thin strip of light bleeds from beneath Casper’s office door. My voice echoes in the hollow space.
“Casper? I’m here.”
Silence.
Something coils low in my gut. Instinct. Warning. I curl my fingers around the knob, hesitating, for half a second, then shove it open.
He’s at his desk, hunched over his laptop, earbuds in like he doesn’t have a care in the world. Relief loosens my chest, just enough to take one step inside.
“Shit, for a second I thought?—”
Cold metal presses against my temple. My words crumble, and my breath stops. But it isn’t me I’m worried about. Everything inside me sharpens to a single, vicious truth. AJ outside, alone, and completely vulnerable.
“What the fuck, Casper?”
A second man emerges from the coat closet, a gun leveled at my chest. These men look different than Balterra’s typical entourage. They’re too polished. Mafia, maybe. Someone bigger.
Casper stands abruptly, ripping his earbuds out, guilt written all over his face. “Valentina…I-I’m sorry.”
His voice shakes. His hands tremble. And I know he isn’t lying, that he was coerced somehow, threatened, or even paid to lure me here. But it’s too late. The damage is already done, and I’ll never forgive him.
“What is this?” I grind out.
“They’re looking for Dom.”
My stomach drops, but my glare doesn’t waver. “What does that have to do with me?”
