Page 65 of Sadistic

The warmth from the night evaporates instantly. "Since when?"

"His apartment's empty. Looks like he left in a hurry. Vadim found his cut on the bed."

A biker leaving his cut means he's either dead or running.

Either way, it's a problem.

"Find him," I order. "Quietly. And Mikhail? Double the security on Revna."

"Already done."

I hang up and look back at Everly’s house.

In twelve days, she'll be my wife.

If we make it that far.

Because Njal missing changes everything.

A desperate man with nothing to lose is the most dangerous kind.

And he just became my problem to solve.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Revna

The key sticks in the lock like it always does, requiring that special jiggle-turn-jiggle combination that's become second nature after two years in this apartment.

My backpack weighs a ton—law textbooks aren't getting any lighter—and my shoulders scream as I finally manage to get inside.

I call out, dropping everything by the door. "Dal?"

"Kitchen!" comes the response, followed by the sound of cabinets slamming.

I find my sister glaring at our empty refrigerator like it's personally offended her.

She's still in her scrubs from her hospital rotation, hair pulled back in a messy bun that's seen better days.

There's a stain on her shoulder—blood or iodine, I can't tell—and dark circles under her eyes that match my own.

"Let me guess," I say, leaning against the doorframe. "We have nothing to eat."

"We have..." she peers inside again, "half a container of questionable Chinese food, three beers, and something that might have been yogurt in a past life."

"Want me to order pizza?"

"Gods yes."

I pull out my phone, already dialing our usual place.

Three rings, like always. "Hey, Tony. Yeah, it's Revna. The usual?" I pause, listening to his familiar grumbling about us needing to try something new. "Extra cheese on half for Dalla. And garlic knots. Yeah, the big order."

After placing the order, I grab a bottle of wine from our "emergency stash" above the refrigerator.

It's the good stuff—well, good for broke college students.

A Pinot Grigio we've been saving for either celebrations or disasters.

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