Page 34 of Clash of Sin and Secret

“Holy cow, look at these cars.” Tucker whistles long and low as he passes me to admire the high-end cars lined up like sleek soldiers ready for battle.

“You’ve never been in this part of the garage?”

“Nope.”

“Well, this is Francesco’s prized collection.”

From his Ford Model T to the Bentley to the Ferraris, Francesco’s girls glisten under the fluorescent lights, here to stand silent witnesses to whatever chaos Zane has stepped into this time.

And despite how annoyed I am at him for leaving, when the armored SUV with blackout windows comes down the ramp and parks next to the limited-edition Bugatti, I’m relieved, too.

Not that I’ll tell him that. He’s going to get my full wrath. I’ll make sure he never thinks about?—

Zane opens the door to the back seat and the moment I see him, my stomach drops—he’s bleeding and covered in soot, his expensive suit hanging in tattered rags off his blistered skin.

“Ohmygod, Z.” I rush forward and catch myself before flinging myself into his arms. “Shit. You smell like a bonfire.”

“You say the sweetest things.”

I step back to give him room to get out of the truck, but with his injuries, he isn’t in any rush.

Huntley exits the driver’s side of the vehicle, and he looks even worse. His clothes are melted into the oozing blisters of his flesh, his normally icy blue gaze haunted and hollowed out.

It’s a look I know too well. It’s how everyone has looked at me since the night of the attack. I press my hand against my throat. “Who did we lose?”

“Dante.”

I want to hug him, but he’s in no condition to be touched. I realize it would be the only contact I’ve had with him since I’ve been back—well, other than snapping his neck and him saving my life last night.

How did we get here?

His left cheek isn’t injured, so I place my palm against his soot-covered face. “I’m sorry, H. I’m sorry for all of it. You deserved so much better from me. I’ll do better, I swear.”

My words come from a place of new beginnings, and I realize I truly have released the pain and anger I shielded myself with for too long.

Huntley’s eyes shimmer with something that twists deep within me—pain? Guilt? He brushes it aside as he places a gentle hand on my cheek. “I’m sorry, too, princess.”

Link passes us, barely tracking. My heart goes out to him. Link and Dante have been friends for centuries. “I’ll break the news to Angelo.”

Zane frowns down at the state of himself. “I’ll come with you. I should?—”

“—It’s fine. You look like hell, sire. Tend to your injuries. I’ll explain to Angelo. You can speak to him once you’ve healed.”

Zane begins to protest and I touch his arm and shake my head. “Angelo’s world is about to be blown apart. It won’t help to see you bleeding and torn apart. Tomorrow is soon enough.”

When he’s through the double doors, I ease back and look them over. “What went wrong?”

Huntley closes his eyes and shrugs. “We tracked the address of where the funds were being drained from Vasari Industries. It was a run-down garage. We were looking around and Zane smelled something weird. Dante recognized it as some form of explosive and then kaboom.”

Zane grunts and slides out of the truck and onto his feet. “Dante was standing at the detonation point.”

My chest constricts painfully as the image forms in my head. Dante was a good man and one hell of a royal guard. He will be mourned and missed.

I press my hand against the ache in my chest. “We have to stop losing people we love.”

Zane lays his arm heavily across my shoulder and turns us away from the cars. “I know. And we need to make Lazarus Kaza pay for taking them from us.”

“True fucking story.” Huntley slides in on my other side and presses his cheek to the top of my head.

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