Page 73 of Clash of Sin and Secret

My stomach twists as my need to escape shifts into something much more primal—my need to end Lazarus Kaza. In the weeks since he ordered the death of my father and Francesco, he’s remained well and truly hidden.

If they’re taking me to him…

I sit back and shift my plans from how I’ll escape to how I’ll handle a face-to-face with Lazarus Kaza.

Sensory deprivation was one of my favorite lessons. With a bag over my head, the world outside feels foreign at first. Muffled sounds blend into a chaotic symphony—a car alarm set off somewhere in the distance, the sound of stop and go traffic, the warbled echo of music as we pass a nightclub.

But when you boil it all down, it paints a picture in the mind.

City streets, a residential neighborhood, the financial district, the fashion district, the docks…they all have their own feel to them.

“The poor little orphan girl, Scotland McCullough.” Daeva’s voice is saccharine sweet as it drifts back from the front seat and interrupts my focus. “I fail to see what the fuss is about.”

I don’t respond. The longer she rambles to fill the empty silence, the more she might let slip. Like why would there be any fuss about me? Isn’t their entire plan to seize the Vasari seat of power?

There’s still so much we don’t know.

The car slows to a stop and I take a deep breath. My heart is racing. Whether it’s panic or anticipation, it’s hard to tell. I know my best chance of escape is before they take me inside the home or building of my enemy.

But is escaping my goal?

If I allow them to take me inside, there’s a real possibility I may never leave here alive. But if I don’t, I might miss out on the chance to meet the man behind the madness.

‘Think strategically, lass,’Da’s voice says in my head.‘Weigh the outcomes. Is it worth it to take the risk?’

To find the man who killed you and possibly bring him down and keep Zane from suffering the same fate?

Yes, that’s worth anything.

In New York, I’d learned how quickly things turn lethal when I don’t keep my wits about me. I was new to the city, didn’t understand the corrupt powers at play, and was used to being sheltered and protected by the biggest shark in Toronto.

I was hurt and naïve and unprepared.

I’m none of those things anymore.

This time is different—I’m not the same girl I was back then. I am smarter, have squire powers surging within me, and am driven by the strongest motivation a warrior could have—my duty to those I love.

My duty to safeguard Zane.

My duty to avenge Da and Francesco.

My duty to weed out the danger threatening the Vasari clan and Toronto as a whole.

The backseat doors open on both sides of me and then rough hands grab my arm and I’m yanked to one side and dragged across the bench seat. I get my feet under me as I drop out of the car, but the jostling doesn’t do my bound wrists any favors.

“I hope your mutts are in control of their baby fanger bloodlust because my wrists are bleeding and I’ve been told my blood is like an aphrodisiac.”

“Shut up, bitch!” the guy yanking me by the elbow barks.

The early morning chill is cut off as we move inside and the sounds of the city are replaced by the hissing of what I’m fairly sure is a milk frother on a coffee machine. The inviting scents ofbaked goods and dark roast penetrate the canvas of the bag over my head and now I’m thoroughly confused.

Did I get kidnapped and taken to a Starbucks?

That’s nice of them.

“Sit down,” Daeva commands sharply.

There’s a scraping of chair legs across a hard floor and then hands shove me sideways and down. My butt connects against the hard seat and protests with a burst of pain.

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