Dante parks to the side of the road when we’re about a quarter mile away. The rest of the bikes come to a stop as well, forming a semicircle around us.
“Do we have to stick to the plan?” Nico asks. “Can’t we do something fun for once?”
“Nico, don’t make us put you in time-out,” Max warns.
They spent hours forming a bulletproof plan when we were on the plane. And tonight, we’re going to split up into groups and spend the night observing everything going on at the club. The main part of the plan will be carried out tomorrow.
"Can we see a photograph of your sister?" Chloe asks. “It would help us recognize her if we saw her inside.”
Dante doesn't say a word as he turns on his phone. He shows everyone the only photograph he has of his sister.
She's the female version of him. Those same honey-brown eyes, the same regal eyebrows, the same cheekbones. The sight of her makes my heart squeeze in my chest.
"She's beautiful," Chloe says, peering closer at the phone.
"And she looks so much like you," Briar says.
"What's her name?" Chloe asks.
"Ida," he replies.
There’s so much weight in that one word. So many unfulfilled dreams, so many wasted years. But that could change tonight.
I know it’s not part of the plan, but I hope we find his sister and take her home tonight.
Dante is all business as he goes over the plan once again, making sure everyone's on the same page.
We split up into groups of three. We’ll all be entering separately to avoid drawing attention to ourselves. Dante and I sit in silence as the rest of them depart for the club.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” Dante says.
"Okay?"
"Whatever happens, I want you to know that you've been the biggest blessing of my life," he says.
"Where is this coming from?" I ask.
"I want to shield you from the ugliness of this world, but I also want to be honest with you," he says. "And the truth of this life is that tomorrow is never guaranteed."
"We have security on standby," I say. "We even have remote teams monitoring the situation. None of us will be getting harmed. Right?"
"I can never promise that, Grace," he says. "The chances of anything bad happening are low, but we're always prepared for the worst. I know that's not a very comforting thing to hear, but it's something you need to know."
The things he says make me see the tarot cards again.
The Lovers. The Devil.Death.
The tarot reader said that the last card wasn't as ominous as it looked. But once again, I can't shake the feeling that something bad’s about to happen.
"But I’ll die before I let anything happen to you," Dante vows.
"Don't say that," I whisper.
"Hand me your phone," he says. When I give it to him, he pulls out what looks like a teddy bear phone charm and hooks it through my phone case. He twists the bottom of the teddy bear, making a sharp knife spring out. "I want you to use this if you ever feel like you're in trouble."
"It looks like a fruit cutter," I comment, looking at the two-inch knife. I reach for the knife, trying to feel if it's sharp. Dante pulls it away from my reach.
"It's laced with a sedative that will knock a grown man out within three seconds," he says.
