Page 89 of Silent Heart

The pakhan’s voice was strangled. “Yes.”

“And we think she’s just lovely. She’ll be damn good for our Cami Joe. Oh! And it’s smart to have little Cami change living arrangements. We can better control the risk of any bad guys preying on her. Thisnnneeewwwwroommate won’t be dating anyone. Serious student, that woman. Hope you’re okay with it, Kolya. It’s a big change. But you don’t need to be involved if you don’t want to be.”

“Luka.” I spoke very slowly, enunciating each fucking syllable. “What is the name of Camilla’s new roommate?”

“It’s some motorcycle name. Very cute and small town, but I think it’s a nickname. Dimi? You ran the background check on her, itwwaassssa nickname, wasn’t it?”

Ice stabbed my gut. “Luka,” I warned.

While Dimitri could grumble and growl, and my brother didn’t pay him any heed, it took one change of tone for me to sober my little brother.

“Okay, it’s the girl you were seeing in Wisconsin. We didn’t plan it—I swear! It just was one of those flukes. They lived across the hall but took the same classes and hit it off.” Luka was breathless by the time he finished speaking.

Only the sound of the engine, the wheels on the highway, and our breathing filled the cab for the next mile. They waited for my reaction, but the funny thing was, so did I. I couldn’t believe what luck—good or bad, I was undecided—that they happened to be so close. I knew when Camilla went to that school that Harley was also going there. But never in a million years would I have thought events would unfold that way.

“I can’t see her.”But I can watch her…again.There had been precious few glimpses of the beautiful water sprite since our parting last fall. Any excuse to come north, any reason to drop in and reassure myself she was okay—I took them.

Now it seemed I had a reason to watch over her from the shadows.

My declaration sent Luka into a tizzy of protests. I ignored him the rest of the drive to our family’s house. The thought of working so close to Harley was stronger than any shot of caffeine. The need to drift into sleep’s pull vanished.

Chapter 35 – Kolya

Of all the places to conduct an illicit meeting that was set up on the dark web, this was aesthetically far from what would be typically imagined. The chain coffee shop bustled with activity. Suburban moms with tots sat around in groups, sipping sugary drinks and complaining about their lack of sex lives. A few hipsters conducted important business on their WIFI connections. And one or two old ladies muttered about a senior center social. Jazz played in the background, and the grinders and frothers kept an irregular time, whistling with excitement!

I took a long sip of my plain black French roast. The caffeine did nothing for the weary ache that seemed to have permanently settled in my bones.

I was the darkest thing in this place, besides the cold brew. Not that they could see my blackened heart, but I was sure the aura I gave off meant the good people of the normal world could feel it. That had to be why no one sat at the table next to me, despite how packed the place was.

It was nearly the appointed time for the meeting. I’d been here an hour early, scoping the place out. When the hoodie man cameand sat down thirty minutes ago, I anticipated him doing the same.

He looked…capable.

I sighed.

The idea of a partnership grew more and more favorable with each passing week. For the last month, I’d mulled over the idea of joining forces with the Cyber Ops. The trafficking victims could use the help. As a numbers game, the more of us fought, the more we could save. Plus there was the reality that I wouldn’t be able to do this forever. When I was gone, even if that was decades from now, what then? Wouldn’t it be better to train a few younger souls so my legacy could continue? While there were many other reasons, these two took primacy.

Now, as I looked at the vigilante, headphones crowning his head and focus glued to his computer screen, I felt a wash of hopelessness push through me. The kid has muscles, but so what? At best, he was an amateur fighter.

He won’t last a day against the demons.

I rose and walked to the exit. The thick overcast sky proclaimed the rush of cold. Winter was coming. Already the wind off the lake howled with the promise of violence coming from the north.

Immune to the cold, I walked to my truck, only sweeping the parking lot for signs of trouble. Even in suburbia, with all the amenities built around a superstore and shopping strip, evil lurked in the shadows.

“Excuse me, sir!” a high-pitched voice called after me.

Careful to put my back to the tailgate so there could be no surprises, I turned. A petite barista, with regal cheekbones and lush brown skin, ran after me. The glint in her eye was nothing short of arresting. I knew how I must seem to her, intimidating and grumpy. But she didn’t even blink as she stopped in front of me, dark braids bouncing against her back.

“You forgot your drink.” Her smile was warm and friendly.

“I didn’t order anything else,” I countered, sweeping a look over her head at the parking lot. SUVs, mini-vans, and sedans crawled to the drive through in a steady stream. They were busy, and yet here she was, coming out to mistakenly hand me—

Wait.

“Yes, you did,” she chuckled. “You ordered a venti cookie crumble with an extra shot, extra pump, and extra cream.”

I stared at her. She was maybe five foot. With shoes. If she stood straight. And yet….Impossible.

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