Page 57 of Midnight Salvation

“That was close,” Xavier said.

“We need to pick Nicole up on the way through,” I replied. “She’s trying to escape to meet me.”

“Okay, I’ll take Uncle Lucas and head to see Lucrezia. You and Jordan go and pick up your—” He stopped and shrugged. “I don’t know who the fuck she is anymore, so just go and pick her up.”

Jordan drove across London like a maniac possessed by a demon. I texted the same message to Aaron and Oliver.

Me:999

They knew that was the message to leave wherever they were and go to the address I’d given them a few weeks back. If Oliver had any sense, he’d take his fiancée with him. They were only to text me and let me know they’d reached there safely.

“We need to take Aaron and Ollie off the grid,” I said.

“Give me a few minutes and we’ll be at a terminal and I can work it from there.” Jordan turned into the same building we left earlier, the shutter door opening to let us in.

Nicole:I’m outside. Where do you want me to meet you?

Me:Give me ten minutes and meet me around the corner beside that huge oak.

“That’s Nicole. She’s sneaked outside. I’m going to take my bike. Can you check if Dad has a tracker on her?”

“Give me a few minutes and I’ll follow you. I don’t like the way shit is playing out tonight.” Jordan’s vibes were legendary, so I let him take my brothers offline and shoved a signal scrambler into my pocket. We’d check her for trackers later.

Our bikes sped toward Dylan’s London home. Most of the Council members lived in close proximity to each other, so we passed Dad’s house on the way through. There were more lights than usual on, which meant a problem somewhere. Nicole stood under the tree, tucked in beside the trunk dressed in black.

I snapped my visor up and handed her a helmet from the back compartment of the bike. “Get on!” I shouted over the roar of the engine.

Her expression said she was torn.

I’d watched Dylan earlier tonight and he had obviously trained her for certain cues. I deliberately imitated the look he gave her earlier and she automatically responded, taking the helmet from me. There was no time to fit it safely, because right now we were out of that precious commodity. Even seconds were valued highly right now.

“We have a tail,” Jordan said into my ear. “I think we picked them up around Matteus’ house.”

“Fuck this,” I groaned. “We need to shake them fast. Nicole hasn’t been on a bike before.”

“Well she better learn to hold on tight,” Jordan snapped. “Because we need to get rid of whoever the fuck this is, or stop and fight.”

Right now, a fight sounded like the perfect end for tonight. There had been too many revelations, evil deeds that had finally found the light of day. My imagination was dark and twisted, but it could never have predicted the depths the man who sired me had delved. I had a sister, one that he would have happily let me marry just so he could destroy me.

We sped around a corner and Nicole tightened her grip on me. I remembered when Lucrezia had done the same and an ache formed in the centre of my chest. No matter how dense the smoke and the quantity of mirrors I threw up, Dad had seen the truth of my feelings. One photograph from that night at the jewellery show, and he knew that she was the only one that I could ever love.

Fuck it. I may as well stand with her at my side because at least she would be safe there.

“I say we fight,” I replied to Jordan. “They’re on bikes and if they shoot, Nicole is dead.”

“Hold on, guys.” Xavier sounded in my ear. “We’re on our way to you now. I’m tracking Jordan’s location and should intercept in two.”

I grabbed Nicole’s hand at my waist and squeezed it, trying to give her some reassurance that she would survive. She deserved better than the life she had been given. Blackwoods had a code of honour, and the top of that list was looking after our own. Dad had failed Michael when he refused to abstain his vote or vote against his execution. Now I discovered he had taken our sister and hid her to punish Mum.

My family was beyond fucked up.

Another corner and I felt the woman behind me slipping.

“I’m gonna have to stop before she falls off my bike,” I almost shouted inside my helmet.

“Next corner, park as close as you can get to the wall and I’ll cover you,” Jordan replied. “I don’t feel like running anymore. We need to take these bullies down once and for all.”

My left hand grasped Nicole’s in the hope she would understand what was about to happen. Jordan rounded the corner first. I tightened my grip on her and spun my bike with the other, only letting go at the last second to stabilise the bike. Jordan was already in position, one knee on the ground and his gun raised. I pushed Nicole behind the bike and joined him.

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