Page 46 of Deceptive Vows
Dimitris snorted and took a drag of his cigarette. “Not a bad play.”
It wasn’t. Which made me uneasy. What if Nazar was spinning this to gain my trust? But one look at him—those eyes locked on Lucas, unflinching—and I knew he wasn’t. Still, I didn’t like how easily I believed him.
Nazar didn’t blink. “If I’d known, we wouldn’t have been inside when it blew. I’m not going to gamble either of our lives.”
Lucas leaned back, steepling his fingers as he kept his gaze pinned on Nazar, likely playing tennis with the same thoughts I had. Was he telling the truth or actually working for Marco?
Before I could conclusively settle the debate in my head, the door swung open, and Lex burst in, hair a mess, face flushed like he’d sprinted from Edgewood. ”Got something.” He didn’t bother to catch his breath. “Wade, over at Pulse, spotted a new face. He was talking to one of Moretti’s crew. Friendly. Like maybe they’re working together.”
“Their numbers took a hit after Anna’s dad.”Dimi exhaled a billow of smoke. “They’ve had to hire a new crew.”
“Yeah,” Lex went on. “Wade followed him west to the warehouse district. Guy had a tattoo—a wolf’s head, mouth gripping a severed skull.”
Nazar straightened. “Gray Wolves.”
I froze. The Gray Wolves weren’t just muscle—they were a nightmare you couldn’t wake up from. Even Lucas talked about them like ghosts you avoided naming aloud after dark.
“You know them?” I asked, my voice tighter than I meant it to be.
“Too well.” Nazar’s jaw flexed, and his fingers dragged across his beard like he was scrubbing away the memory. “We’ve been at war with them…”
Lucas leaned forward. “You think they’re working with Marco to set you up?”
“Possible. If they’re here, it’s not just for the auction. The Gray Wolves don’t care who they sell—men, women, kids. They get their power through terror, no morals. Sergei’s worse than his father ever was.”
My pulse spiked. “The women. Maybe they’re the ones who are supplyingthem?”
“Likely.”
Lex crossed his arms. “Wade lost him in the warehouse district.”
Nazar frowned. “I’m buying the theater for Marco’s auction. Keeping the girls nearby would cut transport risks.”
Lucas’s eyes darkened. “Maybe they’re already there.”
I was halfway out of my chair before I finished the thought. “I’ll check it out.”
“Thea, he just torched your house.” Ari crossed the room to stand next to Lex. “We’re not?—”
“Lucas gave me Marco. He’s my responsibility.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “If he’s like most men, he’ll assume I’m still in the fetal position because of it.”
Dimitris crimped the end of his cigarette with his fingers, the smoke wisping as the embers died. “We’re not letting you go in there alone.”
“We’re not letting her go in there at all,” Ari growled.
Lex’s eyes closed, shaking his head. “She’ll go whether we want her to or not.”
Nazar’s hand landed on my arm, not rough, but firm. “Then we’ll go. Together.”
I shot him a look that could’ve melted steel. “We? Since when are you my babysitter, Nazar?” My voice dripped acid, but the fear in his eyes made me pause. It warmed me and terrified me, and I hated the idea that both emotions were running through me at the same time. I turned to him. “My brother gave me a job, and I’m going to do it.”
The room was silent for a moment.
Finally, Lucas sighed, sinking into his chair as if the fight had drained out of him. “Lex is right. We either send her with back up, or she’ll charge in by herself.”
At least they knew me well enough to know I wouldn’t just sit around. There was no way I was letting someone else take care of this. Not only was Marco my responsibility, but so were those women.
I looked at Lucas and smiled. “Exactly.”
