Page 50 of Our Vicious Descent
Nicoletta turned to Elise and Layla, her eyes flicking to Jamie and Sterling briefly before returning to Layla. “I see you have a thing for hands.”
Layla tilted her head to the side. “Not all of them.”
While Elise remained baffled by that statement, she did not question either woman’s history. “Why do you claim this stolen training compound as yours? Did you kill Saints to take it over?”
Nicoletta turned a bored look onto Elise. “Are you the Saint representative? As far as I’m concerned, you are mostly gone. Worthless now. Your name is already spreading abroad like a cautionary tale.Never do business with Saints. Only take what is left of their empire to build your own.It’s so pathetic, I almost feel bad for you. Almost.” She dropped one hand onto the handle of the gun at her hip and regarded all of them. “This property is mine now. As is everything within and all information surrounding it.”
Layla ground her teeth. Her fangs had retracted once more, but Elise noticed a smudge of blood staining her lower lip from her earlier threat. “At least tell us who and what you are capturing reapers for and why you are distributing karma,” Layla demanded.
The gang leader let out a low whistle and shook her head. “So you can steal my business? Absolutely not. I imagine we could havegotten along, you and me. If you had worked with Julius. He was so easy to work with.”
“Because he was a traitor to his own kind,” Layla spat.
Nicoletta ignored her and turned to Jamie. “As are you. Choosing the wrong side of this conflict for what? Are they your lovers?”
While Sterling choked at her words and Elise recoiled in disgust at the idea of seeing Sterling or Jamie in any way that was not platonic, Layla only curled her lip and rolled her eyes.
Jamie glared back at Nicoletta. “You hardly know how to do business in Harlem. It’s not like Sicily. This place will eat you alive if you don’t have the right allies.”
Nicoletta gestured toward them. “And these are the right allies? A barely alive girl and a girl who looks like the sight of blood would kill her?”
Elise blinked at the insult.
“You’re close to making enemies out of every reaper in Harlem,” Layla hissed.
Laughter burst from Nicoletta. “If you’re trying to threaten me, you should try much harder. I am the one with the weapons that can stop your immortal hearts.”
Layla smiled coldly. “And I still beat you. And your men.”
A calculating light filled Nicoletta’s eyes as she considered Layla’s words. She opened the door behind her and pointed to the WANTED poster that had all of their faces on it. Beneath the renderings, a new incentive had been added:$1,000 REWARD. “Harlem no longer belongs to just you. I could use some extra cash. I’m surethe mayor would appreciate me telling him of your whereabouts. It helps to be a little selfish sometimes. I only really want Layla. Perhaps I would take mercy on you if you handed her over to me. Make that decision and I have a ship that can take the rest of you anywhere you’d like if you need the escape.”
Layla bristled by Elise’s side. Her eyes could have lit fires with the burning rage illuminating them. While Elise never for one second considered agreeing to give Layla over to this strange gangster, she wondered if the gangster had considered what it would be like to have a reaper in her possession. Especially one as angry and volatile as Layla.
“If you want her, you’ll have to catch her yourself,” Elise bit out. She nodded to the others, gesturing for them to follow her as she walked back to the vehicle.
“Your sister is not long for this world, Elise. That Saint girl has a larger target on her back than anyone else in Harlem. Consider what you’re willing to give up to save her,” Nicoletta called out.
Elise stopped in her tracks. The glare she shot Nicoletta was lethal in its entirety, even before she began to speak. “What did you just—”
A song, its painfully familiar notes faint on the evening breeze, drifted out from the nearby sea. Elise’s chest tightened with realization, and all blood drained from her face, rendering her stricken expression ashen and slack. She turned in the direction of the music and almost felt the notes envelop her.
Josi’s face appeared in her mind, rippling with the movements ofthe song Elise had composed for her. Wicked happenings had been haunting Harlem for the past few months, but this was something she had to believe in. There were only two people who would have known that song and how to play it, two people who knew what it meant to Elise, and one of them stood by her side.
She took off running toward the music.
Elise did not wait to ensure her companions followed her. She tore through the streets of Harlem, her feet hitting the ground so hard, her bones rattled. The music grew louder and clearer as she passed building after building. Each step brought her closer to the dock, where ships came and went, passing like whispers side by side.
Her run came to a halt only when she made it to the dock. She stepped onto the sea-slick wood, her eyes watering as she moved through the mist. For a few feet, all she saw was the thick cloud of fog overtaking the long wooden walkway, save for a distant blinking light in the far distance. The current sucked below the dock, and the wood shifted beneath her feet. Elise squinted as the mist finally began to part, her song cresting with its crescendo of a finale.
In the middle, a small form became visible. The violent breeze crashing over the surrounding water stirred her long curls and the two pink ribbons that tied them back. Her skirt pressed around her legs with the wind, billowing out behind her as she trailed her delicate fingers over the edge of the phonograph sitting in the middle of the dock. The music faded out, and the spinning record slowed to a stop. She turned, her gaze widening as it settled on Elise.
Elise’s eyes filled with tears at the sight of her sister. “Josi.” Hervoice broke as she came forward and pulled the little girl into her arms.
Josi was hesitant at first. Her body stiffened in Elise’s hold, but soon after, as Elise’s hands smoothed over her back and her hair, she melted into her touch. The wetness of her own tears dripped onto Elise’s shirtfront, and her arms gripped Elise hard, like how she used to when she was little and still figuring out her strength. This time, Elise felt the intention behind her force and the possibility of even more. She pulled back a bit to study her sister’s face. While her cheeks seemed a bit hollower and shadows caved in the space beneath her eyes, they were still the same soft brown they always had been.
“Elise?” Josi sniffed. Her hand came up to wipe at her eyes, and Elise noticed the scars lining her wrists and fingers. “Is this real?”
Elise’s heart broke at those words. She cupped Josi’s face and nodded, allowing her tears to fall freely now. “Of course. It’s me. I’m here.”
