Page 82 of The Stolen Dagger
He knew me too well because I was saying goodbye. There was a very real possibility something would go wrong with our plan. There was a chance they wouldn’t make it in time.
If that was the case, then I wanted Drew to know that I loved him one last time. I wanted him to know that despite the outcome, the one thing I didn’t regret was him.
Instead, I nodded, pressed my ear to his chest right over his heart, and clasped my hands around his torso.
I savored this last moment of contentment before everything changed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
KATHERINE
Surrounded by fields of dirt, I stood beside Mack’s truck behind the abandoned warehouses just outside the city, waiting for Adrian to arrive.
Except for the warehouses in front of me, the rusted shipping barrels that littered the area behind me, and the lone dirt road I had used to get here, the place was deserted.
The sun had already begun its descent behind the horizon and cast an orange hue along the west side of the building’s concrete walls, reflecting off their barred windows.
As I stood in the same spot Adrian killed Henry a year ago, I couldn’t help but think about that night and the woman I had been before.
I remembered how small and trapped and scared I’d felt. But I wasn’t scared anymore.
In the last year, I had grown stronger and more confident in myself. I was ready to stand against the one man who I swore I’d never see again. I was ready to sacrifice whatever it took to make sure Pearl was safe.
I touched the small, silver handgun that was tucked into the back waistband of my jeans, assuring myself it was still there.
I wasn’t comfortable carrying a firearm, much to my father’s insistence, but I couldn’t deny the sense of security it gave me. I felt like I could breathe properly, knowing I had a last resort of protection if something went wrong.
Parked at the back of the property, I had a clear view of the alleyway between the warehouses and easy access to the dirt path that circled the buildings leading to the main road.
All my bases were covered.
Just as the sky darkened and the lights of Vegas shone brighter than the remaining sunlight on the horizon, a pair of headlights, and then another, caught my attention.
Two black SUVs with tinted windows sped down the dirt road at an alarming rate. Clouds of dirt billowed and swirled behind them.
He’s here.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm the nerves that had my heart beating a little faster than was normal. I readjusted the strap of my bag containing the dagger as the SUVs came to a skidding halt about fifteen feet away.
There was only a few seconds of stillness before I heard the click of a car door finally opening.
I glanced at my phone.6:52PM.
My twenty minutes start now.I have to make them count.
The passenger door of the first car opened, followed by four others. One by one, men dressed in black suits stepped out of both vehicles, but my attention was solely focused on only one of them.
Adrian.
He stepped out last, and when his black eyes met mine, a sinister smirk spread across his dark features. Adjusting the sleeves of his crisp black suit, his knowing, arrogant smileonly grew as he approached, flanked by Hunter and three other men I’d never seen before.
Out of them all, one man was significantly bigger than the others. He had a shaved head and a build that rivaled Mack’s, but the one thing that made him all the more menacing was the large scar that slashed down the left side of his face from temple to chin.
When he caught me staring, he snarled.
I instantly averted my gaze to the other men. Both were similar in stature and looked like they could have been brothers with their close-cropped dark hair and similar gruff features. Both of them wore black sunglasses and stayed back beside the SUV like they were guarding it.
As my gaze traveled over all five men, there was still one person missing.
