Page 156 of To Catch A Rogue
"She's not in here," Charlie said, the predator within him slithering through his veins as it sensed his tension. Lark could take care of herself—he knew that. But his insides were twisting themselves in knots. He had this horrible feeling he couldn't escape. "She wasn't in the cellar?"
"No. There's only one way out," Kincaid said.
"What's wrong?" Blade demanded.
"I can't find Lark."
All three of them set out in brief search, leaving Ava with Malloryn. By the time they met back in the cells, Charlie's heart was starting to hammer through his veins.
The second he saw Blade's face, he knew something was wrong.
"Found this on the stairs," Blade said, holding a knife.
Charlie snatched it, the heat draining from his face. "It's hers. She'd never drop it."
Nikolai made his way toward them, using a strip of cloth to wipe the vampire's acidic blood from his reddened knuckles. "Irina's missing?" he demanded, having clearly overheard them.
"I can't find her. She wouldn't just wander off. Not now. Not here." Charlie scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Did anyone see her go?"
"No." Nikolai turned around slowly. "But I'm one Wolf short."
* * *
They foundthe missing Wolf stashed beneath the sweeping staircase in the house above, with his throat slit.
Nikolai knelt at his side, blood staining his fingertips as Charlie paced.
"Someone's taken her," he said.
It was the only conclusion he could draw.
"They killed Ivan," Nikolai murmured in a chilling voice as he straightened, "and took his cloak and mask. They must have grabbed her in the mayhem."
"But why?" Charlie blurted. "And who?"
"Who else knew who she was?" Nikolai demanded.
"Only the Company of Rogues," he replied.
"Nobody else?" the man pressed.
"Someone in the 'ouse mighta seen her back," Blade murmured. "One o' the servants, mebbe."
Charlie stared through the dead Wolf as a horrible thought occurred. "Luther picked the servants by hand. Gemma suspected the information he was giving us was false, but.... She thought one of his spy network was compromised."
He met Nikolai's eyes.
Luther had been commissioned in Russia for years, according to Gemma. He was Malloryn's trusted source here, but what if someone else had bought his loyalty? It was a long way from England, after all.
And the servants would report to him.
"Son o' a bitch," Blade cursed. "The fuckin' bastard was right in front o' us, all along."
"Where would he take her?" he whispered.
"There's two options," Blade said.
"But only one of them would want her dead." Nikolai's knuckles tightened around his cane. "If your friends have Balfour cornered in front of the court, then this Luther will know he can gain no value there. It will be Sergey. Luther will take her to Sergey."
