Kaiden gives me a look. "What girl?"
"Blonde. Jeans and a jacket. She should be arriving any minute."
"Boss, you want us on surveillance or babysitting?"
"Both."
He doesn't argue. He knows better.
A car pulls up to the curb. The back door opens, and she steps out.
Laney Parker.
Even from fifty feet away, I can see the tension in her shoulders, the way she scans the street before walking toward the bar's entrance. She's scared but not showing it. Chin up, spine straight, every inch of her screamingI belong hereeven though she doesn't.
Fuck, she's magnificent.
And she's about to walk into a building that Zajmi's guys use as a base.
I cross the street and slip through the side entrance just as Laney pushes open the bar's front door. The music hits first, something with too much bass and not enough melody. Then the smell: stale beer, sweat, boredom.
Laney heads straight for the bar. I hang back near the pool tables, keeping her in my peripheral vision while I scan the room.
There. Corner booth. Two Albanians I recognize from surveillance photos. They're watching Laney too.
She orders a drink, something soft in a transparent plastic cup, and waits. When the bartender sets it down, she leans in and says something. He shakes his head. She tries again, pulling out her phone, showing him something on the screen. A photo, maybe.
The bartender looks uncomfortable. Says something back. Laney's shoulders drop, just a fraction, but I see it.
One of the Albanians stands up.
My hand goes to the gun at my back.
He crosses the room, casual, like he's just going to the bathroom. But he angles toward Laney instead, sliding into the space next to her at the bar.
I can't hear what he says, but I see her body language shift. She shakes her head, starts to turn away.
He touches her arm.
She jerks back, says something sharp. The Albanian's expression darkens.
The second one is moving now too, coming up on her other side. Pinning her between them.
Laney tries to step away from the bar. The first Albanian blocks her path, says something low that makes her face go white.
That’s the moment the thing inside me decides she's mine.
But I don't move yet. Not here, not with too many witnesses and security cameras. I need to get her outside first.
Laney shoves past the first Albanian, heading for the door. Smart girl. Getting herself out. Both men follow. I count to five, then trail behind them.
The alley behind Vine and Crimson is perfect for what the Albanians do, dark, isolated, far enough from the main street that screams don't carry. By the time I round the corner, they've already backed Laney against the brick wall.
"I told you," she's saying, voice shaking but steady. "I'm just looking for my sister. That's all. I don't want any trouble. I was told to meet someone here, he had information…"
The first Albanian, I recognize him now, one of Zajmi's enforcers named Dardan, pulls a gun from his waistband. "You've been asking too many questions, pretty girl. Zajmi doesn't like questions."
Laney's eyes go wide. "Please—"
