Page 100 of Eternal
Vik’s jaw tightens for a split second before he shrugs. “That’s on her, Kat. I trust her instincts. She knows when to unleash it.”
Then he looks straight at me, and his voice softens just enough to be sincere. The voice of a man I know better than anyone else. The one I trust. “I don’t wantmy sisterrunning around with a body in a casino, but if it gets you what you need, then do what you have to.”
My sister. My sister. My sister.
I breathe a little easier.
“Alright, Turkish mafia it is,” I say, grinning like an idiot. “Can you help me find the next location?”
Vik picks up his phone with that usual nonchalance, clicking away.
A couple of seconds later, he’s talking to someone. “Yeah, it’s Vik. Tell me, do they have something this week? No, not for me…” A pause. “Okay, send me the address. Last one of the month, that’s perfect. Find an excuse and don’t go there that day.”
A few moments later, he slides his phone across the table and shows me that he sent me the address of their next casino event flashing on the screen with the date. “It’s packed with guards, all armed to the teeth. Be careful, alright?”
“So not tomorrow but in 3 days?”
He nods and leans back on his chair, “You’ll train back the next three days to prove to me that you feel better.”
I smile, getting up to give him a quiet hug. “Thanks, Vik. Makes my life easier.”
He hugs me back, but as soon as I start to pull away, he shoves me off. “Get off me, you’re too heavy.”
I laugh but go back to hug him tighter. “Guess I’ll see how high I can bet on myself at the end of the week.”
“And if you get into trouble?”
“I won’t,” I say, “But if I do, I’ll make sure to let you know.”
“It’s set then,kroshka.”
That’s what I wanted.
That’s what I was missing.
And now, there’s no turning back. I need to be ready. Because soon, this casino will be nothing but a bloodbath.
29
DAMIR
“Fallen Star” by The Neighbourhood
Present
The magic of technology is that I can watch my partner’s screen from this distance. When she got injured, I slipped a piece of software onto her phone, just in case.
And what a surprise when I see, in the live surveillance footage of her street, that Viktor has joined her for dinner tonight.
I sent a text to make sure it’s still working. Plus, I forgot to ask her this morning. Not forgotten, more like I did send her one, but she sent a no afterwards.
Me
Send me a picture.
Her screen appears instantly on my computer. She didn’t bother changing my name on her phone. It’s funny, almost endearing to see “My partner” on her screen.
A small smile twitches at the corner of my lips, but I catch myself.Stupid.
