“Yes,” I said with force. “We can trust them with our lives.”
“Okay then.” He nodded to himself. “Then we can do this. Even if Silvano rips the city apart, we can take him down.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder. He tilted my chin toward him and we kissed. Gently, slowly. I wondered how this happened—when I’d crossed over the line from fascination into pure need. But now that he touched me, held my hand, calmed me, kissed me—I couldn’t imagine waking up without him by my side.
It was a sudden and intense transformation, and I was afraid of what it meant for me, but wouldn’t let that stop me from tumbling down into bliss.
We rolled into a large, packed downtown area. The buildings were tall and glass, and people wandered along the sidewalks. Sirens blared in the near distance, and Nervosa sniffed at the air. He frowned, head tilted.
“Do I smell smoke?” he asked.
The driver grunted. “Yes, sir. I smell it too.”
I took several deep breaths. “It’s got to be nearby then.”
Nervosa’s grip on my hand tightened as we rolled around a corner.
Ahead, a strip of apartments was on fire.
The blaze poured out the windows and heavy, black smoke billowed into the air. The sirens got louder. People were running, some in a panic, though most stood around and stared with their mouths hanging open.
Nervosa shoved open the door in the middle of traffic.
“Wait!” I yelled. “What are you doing?”
He caught my eye. “Griffin’s place.”
Then he began to run.
Chapter 23
Melanie
The driver cursed and tried to keep up. Nervosa wove his way through the crowd and lost himself, heading toward the fire. The guard in the front seat jumped out, and I followed him as we barreled out way through the gawkers. The smoke was thick and choking, and I hacked into my sleeve as we got closer. The apartments must’ve been nice once—I saw glass, brick, updated windows, a modern facade—but the ash stained everything dark black. Nervosa was nowhere, lost in the melee.
“You should get back!” the guard yelled, a young guy with dark eyes and a beard. He scanned the area like a soldier looking for threats. “It’s not safe.”
“There!” I pushed past him. Nervosa stood in the middle of the street, surrounded by smoke and shouting people. He stared at the buildings, his face stuck in a rigor of pure rage. The sirens got louder and louder, and soon fire engines raced toward where he stood.
Nervosa walked away, hands shoved in his pockets.
I ran to meet him. He held me tight and directed me away from the action. Police arrived and began moving the crowds away as the firefighters got to work soaking the buildings with heavy water hoses and cannons.
“Silvano,” Nervosa said roughly in my ear.
“How can you be so sure?”
“The blaze started in Griffin’s place. This was his main office. Not his home, but where he did most of his business.”
“Do you think—?” I cut the question off short, unable to finish it.
Nervosa looked serious, but shook his head. “I think Silvano would betray us, but I don’t think he has the guts to murder an Oligarch. And besides, Griffin isn’t weak. He could handle an attack.”
“I hope so,” I said, looking back at the blaze. I felt the heat, even half a block away. “What’s this mean?”
“Silvano’s moving fast. We don’t have much time.”
The bearded guard held a finger to his ear like he was listening to the radio then nodded at Nervosa. “Sir, call came in from. An update on the missing people.”
“Patch it to my phone.”
The guard relayed the order and Nervosa’s cell rang a moment later. He held it up to his ear, listening, and nodded. “Are you sure?” he asked. “All right. We’ll be there soon.” He hung up.
“What was that?”
“Erin. Her people found your uncle’s phone, or at least its signal. Seems Silvano’s men were sloppy.”
I glanced over my shoulder. “Sloppy, or they want to lead us into a trap.”
Nervosa laughed to himself. “That was my thought too.”
“Where are they?”
“Erin sent the coordinates, but it’s a warehouse in San Mateo. Not too far from here.”
“What should we do?”
He stared at me with a mixture of pure adoration and utter determination. “You should stay behind while I go kill a lot of people.”
I let that sink in and shook my head. “Absolutely not.”
“Melanie—”
“If my cousin’s in trouble, I want to be there. Are you going to tell my sister-in-law and my brother to stay behind?”
I could see he wanted to say, but they’re Oligarchs, and to his credit, he held his tongue.
“That’s what I thought,” I said, pushing him toward the Range Rover. It was parked at the end of the block, beyond the crowd. “I’m going with you.”
He looked unhappy, but he didn’t argue. We pushed our way to the Rover and got inside. The bearded guard sat up front, fidgeting slightly as Nervosa relayed the new target, and the driver pulled out. “Bring the rest of our men,” Nervosa ordered. “We’ll need the manpower.”