“Oh, definitely. Arlo knows how to find him if he needs to. Why? Did you need him, or something?”
“Not necessarily. I just never got to thank him for helping me out.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure he knows you’re thankful. Besides, he’s bound to come out of his hiding place when he runs out of cash.”
“Since we’re on the topic of X,” I clear my throat. “What’s up with his scar? I’m assuming that’s why he got the nickname X.”
Jewel and Raven look at each other, silently having a conversation. Although it makes me feel left out, I don’t press for more information until they decide what to tell me. It’s not like it’sany of my business, but I am rather curious.
Jewel looks at me, then speaks in a lower tone. “He used to be a CIA spy. I’m not sure of the details, but he was caught during a mission. The scar X on his face was engraved by his captors. He was tortured for four months straight, and that was the last time X ever spoke. No one knows if they took his tongue or if he chose not to speak, but it’s been years. No one has heard him talk. That was his last mission, too. He quit the CIA afterwards.”
My heart sinks to my stomach. I can’t even begin to imagine the horror he went through and the trauma that he was left with. I shudder at the thought, looking away for a moment.
Arlo and Cove slowly move out of the line of sight and make their way inside. Immediately, all attention is on them, and with a simple motion of his head toward the big table in the kitchen, everyone gathers around.
“Alright, here’s how this will go,” Arlo starts speaking, and Cove whips out the design of the house. “Raven and Keith will go first. Just the two of them, to scout it all out. I have two of our men on the inside already, and they’ll give me the green light when to go. We’ll attach it during the shift change.”
Arlo points to the back of the house on the drawing, tapping his finger against it a couple of times. “This is our entrance. The goal is to kill all of them.”
“So, we’re going all out?”
The door swings open right as the voice rings, and my mouth drops open. Kaya casually strolls inside, and all guns are on her. Half of the people here don’t recognize her, but she merely rolls her eyes.
“What a warm welcome,” she drawls out, sarcasm dripping off her tongue. Arlo waves a dismissive hand, and all the weapons are lowered. Kaya looks like she just came straight from hell. She’s dressed to perfection, in a fitted suit and a pair of high heels, but her entire face is coated in blood.
“You good?” I ask as she takes a stand next to me.
“Yeah, I need to talk to you.”
My brows skyrocket, almost touching my hairline. “To me? Right now?”
“Obviously,” she rolls her eyes with a sigh, then walks over to the sink, washing the blood off her face. I glance at Arlo, and he nods, giving me permission to leave. Well, it’s not like I need his permission, but I don’t want to miss out on the plan for fear of causing them any issues.
“I’ll fill you in later,” Arlo smiles, and that’s all I need.
Kaya wipes her face with some kitchen towels, then grabs my wrist and pulls me into a dark, dark corner of the room, away from all the noise and any prying ears.
“What is it?”
“It’s about Daisy,” Kaya explains, her voice low.
“Go on.”
“She’s safe,” Kaya says, and relief floods through me.
“Good. Where is she?”
“She’s with my brother.”
“Which one?”
“Aleksei,” Kaya says.
I blink once, then twice.
After meeting Kaya and sending her off to find and save Daisy, I did some research on her. I found quite a lot in Noelle and Hudson’s papers, and her brother, Aleksei Kalashnikov, is the current Bratva leader, or, as they like to call, a Pakhan.
The man is terrifying. Handsome — but hella scary. He has a big scar on his face, he’s at least six feet, seven inches tall, and he isn’t known for his kindness. In fact, he’s the most brutal and ruthless one out of the Kalashnikov siblings, and that’s saying something, given how Kaya ruthlessly tortured Alexander not too long ago.
