Page 6 of Devil's Game

“Sophia, what’s happening?” I shouted over the chime of glass breaking and frantic footsteps.

“Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing in my apartment?” she shrieked, the high-pitched note of her voice followed by another volley of glass shattering.

“Sophia!” My gaze frantically slid between my guys, panic seizing around my throat like a noose. Kellan already had his phone up to his ear, and I could only assume he was calling Zane.

“Zane!” Merrick shouted, irritation clear in his tone.

“Merrick,” Zane grunted, his voice echoing from Merrick’s phone in my hand just before another cascade of something undoubtedly sharp smashed against a wall. “Tell her to stop throwing shit at me.”

“Sophia,” I shouted again, hoping Zane and Merrick’s exchange would help calm her enough for me to explain. “Zane is there to keep you safe.”

“Could have fooled me,” she snapped back. “Who just breaks into someone’s apartment? You should’ve knocked like a normal fucking person.”

“Yeah, throw something else at him.” Spade whooped from beside me, leaning in. This was entertaining for him? Wait. This was Spade we were talking about. Of course, it was.

“Who was that?” Sophia squeaked.

I let loose a sigh of frustration and nudged Spade back into his seat. “That was Spade.” I gave him a warning look, to which he shrugged, his violet eyes glittering with mischief. “Merrick and Kellan are here too.”

“See, I told you she was talking about us last night,” Spade said, grinning conspiratorially at Merrick and Kellan, who both pointedly ignored him.

These men.

“Can you just tell me what is going on?” Sophia huffed in irritation, yet Spade’s interruption seemed to ease some of her panic.

“I was given a drink last night while I was on the phone with you,” I explained, my shoulders slumping. I knew that I’d had no way of knowing, yet I couldn’t help the way my stomach sank at the memory. “It turned out to be laced with something strong enough to disorient me and knock me out.”

“Giana,” Sophia gasped, her voice muffled slightly, as though her hand was covering her mouth.

Murderous rage flashed in each of my guys’ stares, and I knew they would’ve taken their time with Mike if I hadn’t killed him already.

“It was one of Tommaso’s men. He took me back to Tommaso’s house, but luckily, he wasn’t there yet.” I gave each of them a reassuring smile because, although Sophia was brought into this, them luring Tommaso out of the state was probably what had saved me. “He’s in New York, though, looking for me there, and with me clearly not at his house anymore . . .”

“You think he’ll come after me?”

“Yeah, I do, Soph. I’m so sorry for bringing you into this. This is the last thing I ever wanted for you.” I wished I could read her expression.

“This isn’t your fault,” she assured me, chasing away the tendrils of doubt clawing at the edges of my mind. “You did your best to keep me out every time I tried to follow you or unknowingly inserted myself into danger.”

“So, you’ll come with Zane?” I asked, hope flickering in my chest. I hadn’t let myself feel it before, but I missed my bestfriend. And even though I wanted to keep her safe, I couldn’t help the selfish desire to have her close again.

“I guess so.” She sighed. “Or I could just come on my own.”

“No,” I said at the same time a growl sounded through the speaker.

“I said I’d keep you safe, so there’s no way you’re getting out of the apartment without me glued to your side,” Zane grumbled.

I cocked a brow at the insistence in his clipped tone but decided not to say anything.

“Fine, but you’re paying me back for that door.” She huffed in indignation.

“We’ll be back in a few hours,” Zane’s voice called over the line, not bothering to dignify Sophia’s demand with a response. “I’m going to try to track down the tail he has on her and lose them before we make our way back to town. Sebastian will have my head if I bring the Barones straight to the club.”

“I’ll see you soon,” I said, not letting any of the guys interject again. “I’m so sorry for all of this.”

“You know I can work remotely, Gi. There’s nothing holding me back from seeing my best friend and figuring out this mess by her side.”

I sighed a breath of relief at the sureness in her tone, and some of the anxiety loosened its stranglehold on my heart. “I don’t deserve you.”

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