They’re both quiet in the back of the SUV on the ride, exhausted and emotionally drained. It allows me the time to go over what we know.
Jace was shot at point-blank range.He didn’t even draw his gun.
Rory said they had Irish accents…
All signs point to betrayal. Jace knew who shot him—he trusted them. And knowing someone he trusted pulled the trigger shatters me, and my heartbreak twists into something sharp and deadly.
Liam texted that he and Aidan caught a flight out of Chicago; they should be home in two hours.Alex and Garrett are on their way back from New York, and Jerrad is helping Mac take care of Jace.
I’m not sure I can wait much longer. Remi is the only reason I’m not tracking Briar down as we speak. I can’t leave her until I know she’s going to be safe.
We pull up outside the iron gates, a few beats pass, and they open, allowing us access into the gated compound.
Nikolai Kostalov stands at the bottom of the front steps, a hard look on his face, hands in his pockets, blonde hair pulled back into a knot at the back of his head.
I get out of the car, making eye contact but not exchanging a word, as I circle around the vehicle, opening up the back door.
Rory climbs out, Remi in her arms, and I see Niko’s expression shift. His sharp blue eyes take in every detail: the look on his sister’s face, the look on mine, and the curious look Remi is giving him as she peeks out from behind Rory’s protective grip.
I don’t trust Niko.Not entirely.But there is one thing I know for certain: he would go to the ends of the Earth to protect his sister. Rory will be safe here.And I trust Rory with Remi.
Niko lifts his chin toward the house behind him, and Rory starts for the steps, but Remi twists in her arms, reaching back for me.
“No! I want to stay with Daddy!”
Niko’s eyes and mine connect for a split second before I move toward Remi, taking her from Rory. Her little arms lock tight around my neck, like her grip alone can keep me with her.
“You gotta stay with Rory, Rem,” I tell her, my tone gentle, my fingers tracing lightly down the side of her tear-stained cheeks.
“But I want to stay with you…” she whispers, her grip on my neck tightening.
Fuck, I don’t want to leave her.
I shake my head anyway. “I've gotta go—I’ve gotta go get Mommy.”
She looks up at me, her dark eyes staring into mine.
“I gotta go make the bad men pay,” I promise her, my eyes intense.
She stares at me for another half a second before she nods. “Okay,” she agrees.
I give her one more hug and a kiss before handing her back to Rory.
“I love you, Remi Rose.”
“I love you too, Daddy,” she whispers back, before Rory starts up the steps and into the Kostalov mansion.
I watch them disappear before my eyes slide back to Niko. He’s been standing silently by, watching, his arms folded across his chest.
“I owe you one,” I say, my words both a threat and a promise.
The corner of his mouth ticks up just a hair before he lets out a deep sigh, his Russian accent heavy when he says, “This one is on me, O’Rourke.”
I nod once before getting back into the car and peeling out through the gates. Itching to finally unleash the dark rage that’s threatening to consume me.
You took the devil’s rose. Don’t be surprised when he sets the whole garden on fire.
89
