SALVATORE"What's wrong with him?" While gesturing forward with his glass, Rune shouted over the club's booming music.Salvatore lowered his cup, followed Rune's gesture, and found Victor, the object of his attention, in a preserved space in the bar. Girls in different stages of undress surrounded him, and he absent-mindedly stamped bills on their asses."I would feel the same way if three people stood me up in a day," Salvatore answered, handing the bartender his cup for a refill.They were already in the club when Luigi and Ruslan abruptly called off the meeting via text, and from that point on, they stood by and watched Victor unravel, aggressively flirting and drinking."I know Russy and Luigi stood him up," Rune said, gently rolling his glass. "But who's the third person?"Two brunettes walked by, their hips swaying as if to the high-tempo beats that reverberated through every surface in the club."Eva. She rejected his proposal." Salvatore answered watching Rune shake his head c
RUNE Crystals, blinding lights, booze—what had happened the night before?Rune stirred, opened an eye, and, seeing the wall didn't look familiar, cursed and shut them back. He knew he had been good last night, even after he took the first spiked drink.Speeding automobile, continual screaming, obscured vision, and profanities.Of course. Relief flowed through him as his memories returned, and even in his trampled state, a smile slipped across his lips: Salvatore.Opening his eyes fully to Salvatore's wall, Rune turned his face, and his grin became a chuckle. Salvatore lay sprawled beside him, so unmoving that anyone who had no clue what happened would think him dead.Salvatore was going to have his head when he woke up.Rune yawned and sat up, putting his heavy head in his hands. After that, he sniffed, pinched his nose, and gave Salvatore a sneer. What a nasty person.His phone buzzed against him, sending him reaching for his pocket. Pulling it out and seeing her name on the screen,
"I apologize for that night." He said.With her hand on the banister, Eva turned to the foot of the steps, and there he was—the person she had tried to avoid for the past three days but somehow kept running into.She had last seen him in the kitchen, where she had gone to get a glass of water, and they had said nothing to each other. She left, but it was typical for Salvatore to follow when he wasn't needed.He appeared ready for bed, shirtless and only wearing black beach shorts, making it difficult for her to focus on his face."I wasn't myself that night," he said, climbing another step. "Rune spiked my drink which screwed with my head. That I do apologize for.""It's okay, Salvatore." She managed a small smile, to hide the disappointment that flooded her chest. "It meant nothing to me anyway."In the silence that followed, he maintained her stare. When he nodded, she could also see his clenched fist in the corner of her eyes.Eva elegantly turned, hitching her gown up so she didn'
EVAShe turned, worry strewn on her face, "I can't leave both of you, Evie."Jesus Christ, Lily, you'll be back in a flash; this is merely a spa session." Eva snorted but then smiled as she gazed down at Constance, who grinned back at her.Every day, her resemblance to her father became more obvious. The thick black hair and the soulful green eyes that seemed to be looking into her soul made her want to have hers.Constance was a peaceful baby. It was as if the universe realized Lily couldn't handle any more challenges and sent her an angel, which was a waste because Lily never stopped fusing."Even Constance is tired of your sorry ass, right, Cos?"The baby beamed again, Lily groaned playfully, and she resumed running the brush through her hair while they watched quietly."I'm just worried about both of you, and my worry isn't baseless, "she said defiantly. "Face it, Eva; you've not been yourself for a while now."If she meant since the night the mistake with Salvatore happened, then
LILY"I was six when I discovered that the convent sisters who came once a week to take children from the orphanage were anything but angels," Ruslan said, rocking my daughter's cradle. "It became clear why the boys never came back, and the girls who did barely lived."Twenty minutes ago, I had laid my sleeping daughter in her crib and rushed into the bathroom for a quick soak, despite knowing she wouldn't stir.Two seconds ago, I stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around my chest and damp hair still dripping, only to see Ruslan standing over Constance's crib and staring at her.Even though he didn't touch her, my racing pulse refused to die down.But he paid no heed to my presence and continued, "They needed us in a coal mine in this little spot in Serbia." He paused, his gaze remote. "Our starved, wiry, agile bodies were the perfect fit for narrow spaces, running errands, and sometimes checking if the explosives had completed their work."My hawk-like eyes on Constance made it
EVASince Victor came back, he had been so busy he barely found time to see her. The days seemed even more void, the future gloomy. Hiding away in the confines of this room, she listened to the sound of the chapter of her life closing.Now she climbed down the bed, went to her wardrobe, and crouching to her knees, pulled open a compartment and brought out a small wooden box. It had been months since she last looked at its contents, afraid it would bring back unwanted memories and reignite her obsession with him, but here she was.Eva looked behind her at the door, then back at the box. Taking a deep breath, she flipped open the cover, staring absently at the contents inside a little beaded necklace that held a crucifix. His crucifix.She had sunk so low as to steal a part of him while he slept. She doubted he ever searched for it. If he did, he’d know it was missing and no longer in the pretty house that smelled of him.She struggled, praying for the embarrassment to wash over her so
SALVATORE"...There's been another attack." Victor inhaled the smoke from the lit end of his cigar. "It happened at the same time as the fire yesterday. Ruslan is finally convinced of my innocence."Salvatore shared a glance with Kyra and then back at Victor. Was he actually saying the fire he had started to disrupt the engagement and that had somehow gotten out of hand was connected with an attack?Quietly wincing as the cloth grazed his partially burnt arm, Salvatore returned his gaze to Victor, who was suddenly deep in thought."I'll be gone again," Victor waved away the smoke, "but this time for a few days. Again, Salvatore will stay behind. I wish it didn't have to be so, but I need someone I can trust to keep Eva safe."He resisted the urge to share another glance with his sister. Even though he couldn't read anything on her straight countenance, he knew she was still mad at him."Can you?" Victor asked. "I can easily put her under Kyra's care. Give my father's favorite princess
SALVATORE"...What did you use this time?" Salvatore asked, slamming the booth shut. "Will they live?"Rune blinked, staring wide-eyed at him. "You wanted them to live?"Kyra's head shot up from the driver's seat. "What did you do?"Rune chuckled, raising both hands in mock surrender. "I'm kidding. The soldiers are alive. They'll feel some type of way tomorrow, but that's just Ketamine for ya."Salvatore fought the urge to pull out a pistol and aim at the fucker's right leg. This wasn't the time to be stupid; tension was high, and it was D-day.Just like Rune had promised, the compound had few goons, and they also seemed to be in panic. It would be this way until they got out of this godforsaken place."The back gate is empty," Rune whispered as he walked up to Kyra, cupping her face with both hands and kissing her full on the lips. "See you on the other side in a few minutes, Princess."But she drew him back in. Urgh, Salvatore groaned and turned away. Those two behaved like they wer