Page 46 of Relentless Knight

“Not if?—”

“Quinn. We aren’t abandoning the Sokolovs. You know Killian better than that. You know me better than that. And it’s no longer safe to assume I’m enough to protect you. Look atme,” I insist, spreading our hands so she can look at the bandage covering my ribs, the freshly healed scar on my chest.

Quinn’s eyes drop, her chin wobbling slightly when she looks at me, and it makes my chest ache to know she’s upset. I get it that she doesn’t like me being in danger. Because it drives me insane to picture her getting hurt. But I can handle it. She wasn’t built for this world like I am.

“They got far too close to taking you this time, and that was without knowing I’m alive. Once Lucian finds out—and I’m sure he will when his men don’t come back—he’s sure to increase the men he sends to get the job done. So unless you’re willing to stay home from school indefinitely, this has to happen. Now.”

“I’ll do it,” she says as soon as I’m done.

My head jerks back at her unfaltering determination. “Do what?” I so completely didn’t expect her to say that, I’m momentarily confused by her response.

“I’ll stay home if that’s what it takes to keep you safe,” she says vehemently, her grip tightening around my hands as she peers sincerely up into my eyes.

And there’s so much genuine hope and love in her jade gaze that it rips my heart open. I’m deeply touched by her demonstration of concern—that she would put her life on hold to protect me. It speaks volumes.

I don’t know that I’ve ever had someone who would do that for me before.

Maybe Killian. But he and I tend to egg each other on in reckless situations. I can’t picture him concerning himself with my safety any more than he worries about his own.

And as that realization hits home, I feel my love for Quinn growing, my appreciation for the woman who gives herself so openheartedly to me.

Releasing her hands, I gently cradle her sweet, beautiful, innocent face in my palms. And I peer down into her striking,color-changing eyes. “You are the most precious woman I’ve ever met,” I murmur. “But I can’t let you do that. It’s important that you graduate,” I insist. Then my lips curl into a soft smile. “I’ll need a full nurse ready to patch me up again at some point, right?”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” she breathes. “What if that point is tonight? And what if I can’t put you back together?”

Tears shine in her magnificent eyes, and I would give anything to take the pain away. But I can’t just stand by and allow Lucian to come after Quinn again. Not when I have the power and the skills to stop it.

“I’ll be careful,” I promise. “I’ll sneak in, find a way to take Lucian down, and be out of there before anyone’s the wiser. It’s not like I’m going in to take him down tonight, right? This is about reconnaissance. Getting a lay of the land so there won’t be any surprises when wedotake Lucian down.”

Quinn sniffles, the tip of her button nose turning pink with her effort not to cry. Then finally, she nods. “Okay,” she agrees, the reluctance plain in her voice. “But you better come back alive.”

Smiling, I brush a soft kiss across the adorable freckled tip of her nose. “I will.”

“Andwithout needing stitches,” she insists, that usual undercurrent of bossiness filtering into her tone.

That makes me chuckle, and my heart swells as I pull her in for a hug. Tucking her head beneath my chin, I breathe in her subtle rose and strawberry scent and savor this moment. Because this is the one I want to lock in my memory when all the rest have faded.

My meetingwith Killian took hours—just enough time for me to be slipping out of the King house around midnight. And rather than take my car or any of the familiar King vehicles, I stroll toward the busier side of Brooklyn and flag a taxi.

I give the driver an address just a few blocks away from the Agosti compound in Queens. It takes over an hour to get there from Killian’s house, but I appreciate the extra time to think through my plan. And wrap my mind around everything that’s happening in my life these days.

I’m still trying to sort out my conflicted feelings about keeping secrets from Killian. But the more time I spend with Quinn, the more confident I am that I would give anything to be with her. I only hope that doesn’t come down to losing my best friend.

Shoving that dark thought to the back of my mind, I peer out the dark window of the taxi’s cramped back seat. The Bayside neighborhood is full of massive estates that look across the Long Island Sound. Grand, picturesque, and looming, each mansion could house multiple families—just like Killian’s. But these seem far more pretentious. Well-suited to the Italian don’s style, whereas Killian’s home is chic and modern but nicely understated.

It doesn’t surprise me that Lucian would own a house built for the Joneses on steroids. With his oily demeanor and perfectly tailored fine Italian suits, he looks like the poster boy for old money. And when it comes down to it, he’s as old money as it gets.

I like that the Kings have built their empire with the sweat off their backs. The Agostis, on the other hand, have ties back toSicily, with deep pockets and international power. When I really stop to think about it, I’m not surprised Lucian’s held up against our troops and the Sokolovs. He has immeasurable resources at his disposal.

But tonight isn’t about who has more men, more guns, or more money. Tonight’s about me finding the cracks in his defenses. And everyone has them—even Lucian Agosti.

Leaving the taxi driver a generous tip as he pulls to the curb, I slip out into the dark cover of night. He pulls away, seeming perfectly unassuming about my intent as he leaves me on the sidewalk in front of a random house.

And on my soft rubber-soled boots, I tread toward the Agosti estate. Dressed in black pants and a black henley, it’s easier to blend in with the dark. Still, as I near his property, I shrink closer to the shadows, crouching near the bushes so I won’t be spotted.

The wall is high surrounding the property—nearly twenty feet of thick stone cemented together in a beautifully natural way. The only opening is the tall wrought iron gate at the entrance to his driveway. A key code box sits to the left for a driver to punch a number in and open the two wings that come to an elegant point at the center of the barricade.

Pausing near the entrance, I search for any way to slip inside without detection. It looks like there might be a narrow blind spot right beneath the security cameras mounted to each stone gatepost.Now if I could just find a way to open the gate…

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