Page 20 of Midnight Wedding

It hasn’t budged in weeks. I’ve walked by that door every day, and there hasn’t been a change. Now it’s standing there inviting me over.

But not this time. I’m learning from my mistakes. Even though I drift in its direction, I’m not looking inside.

I glare down at my feet and start walking past. I make it halfway to the stairs when I hear a voice.

“Lena.”

My toes go numb. My lips quiver, and I stop moving.This can’t be happening. Please, just let me off the hook for once in my life. Slowly, I turn around.

Arsen’s leaning against his doorjamb and watches me with a hard expression.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

He found me, and now I’m done.

“We need to talk,” he says and gestures with his chin. “Come inside.”

He doesn’t wait for a response. He disappears into his apartment and leaves that traitor bastard door standing wide open again.

Beckoning me.

I could run. I could take off, hop on a train, and disappear. Maybe that might even save my life.

But it wouldn’t save Mom or Dad or Vadim.

Now I know how Saro felt with those guns aimed at his head.

I shuffle after Arsen, forcing myself to take each step.

Marching to my own execution.

Chapter 7

Arsen

Everything went great.

The information we got about Saro was dead on. It didn’t take long before he made a little trip to his favorite club, and from there it was as simple as catching him in the alley out back.

He was the last loose end. With him gone, my family’s civil war would be down to only two factions: my people and Uncle Garen.

I thought we’d pulled it off until Lena showed her face.

That stupid fucking girl. I’m still angry thinking about it. What went through her head? Why would she stay around and watch when it was obvious what was going on?

Then she was dumb enough to get caught.

I’m so fucking frustrated when she walks into my safe house. The place is cleaned up and put back together, no more cash on the floor, no more ripped to shreds mattress. I even had the audacity to add some paintings on the walls. A bunch of overpriced bullshit.

I wanted to make the place feel more like a home.

In casesheever came over again.

Which is dumb, in retrospect.

Lena’s trembling as she faces me in the living room. I glare at her, trying to decide what the hell I’m going to do. “Sit down,” I tell her.

She doesn’t. “I didn’t see anything,” she blurts out.

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