He blew out a sigh. “It’s just me, Kali, Wren, and Ripp.”
My stomach dropped—this was obviously a serious situation. “What happened?”
“Wren’s brother, Parker, was murdered in her hotel room last night. We think it was Nikolai and he was coming after her. Do you know where he is?”
Dread made my pulse race. The thought of Nikolai starting his revenge vendetta again infuriated me greatly. I strode over to the wall of windows in my living room and gazed out at the glimmering skyline far in the distance.
“I haven’t talked to Nikolai in months,” I said truthfully.
“So, he could easily be in Vegas?”
“He could,” I agreed.
Valentin huffed with frustration. “He’s probably going to go after Wren again soon. She needs your help, brother; you’re the only one she’ll be safe around.”
I didn’t know Wren like her other friends, but I couldn’t stomach the thought of Nikolai harming her nonetheless—yet being around me would put her in even more danger.
“Not exactly,” I claimed. I moved away from the windows and poured myself a glass of whiskey from the bar, filling it to the brim. “Nik’s going to come after me, too. My father told me yesterday that he wants to step down and hand everything over to me.”
The line went silent as I downed the whole glass, loving the burn that followed. Finally, Valentin came back on the line.
“Hewillcome after you. He won’t sit back and let you take over the family without a fight.”
I stared into the empty bottom of my glass, wishing I could drink more. “I know. I’m prepared for that. So, with that being said, if you want Wren safe, having her here with me might not be the best choice. She’ll be in more danger.”
The silence on the phone was heavy before Wren spoke up, her voice angry and full of fire.
“I would rather be in danger around you than with my friends and family.”
“I see,” I said, wanting to hear her speak again. “So, you don’t care what happens to me?”
“I don’t know you,” she fired back. “But I do know that I don’t want anything happening to those I love. If being around you draws Nikolai out, it gives me a chance to make him pay for taking my brother from me. I want him to suffer like he’s never suffered before.”
I could hear the truth in her voice.
“Are you sure you’re ready for that?”
Wren scoffed. “I’ve killed before, Michelson. I can sure as hell do it again.”
The sound of rustling echoed through the phone and then I heard a door slam in the background.
“Okay, we’re off speaker now,” Valentin said.
“Where are you right now?”
His voice lowered. “We’re still at the hotel. I have two guys with me inside and two more out in the parking lot. And it was my idea for Wren to come to you.”
“Do you really think Nikolai wants to kill her?”
Valentin blew out a huff. “I do. Three girls she fought with when he recruited her for the movie have turned up dead. And now, this happened to her brother. It can’t be a coincidence. We both know Nikolai doesn’t like to leave any witnesses to anything. I’m honestly surprised he waited this long to go after Wren.”
Wren was a spitfire, and she’s fascinated the hell out of me ever since that night I watched her fight at the Labyrinth.
“There’s some pretty heavy shit going down with your brother, Seth. The FBI are all over him. He could easily take you down with him if you’re not careful.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I promised. “Besides, the feds aren’t going to get their hands on him. He’ll be dealt with before they even get close to him.”
If Nikolai went to prison, he’d still be able to wreak havoc on the outside. To stop him, he had to be put down.
