Page 15 of Call of the Ride
I could hear rats skittering within the walls of the abandoned building we’d positioned ourselves near, but I refused to allow myself to think about how many were crawling around in there. Nox and I chose this location because it gave the perfect view of the service entrance across the enclosed courtyard, and I was determined to bring useful intel back to the others.
I wonder if planning revenge together would make Vasi happy?
Besides the rats and whooshing sound of the occasional passing car from the main drag, the courtyard was eerily silent. According to the files we’d gathered from the Facility, the building across the way was still where Mr. Liu conducted business, but not a soul had entered or exited the building since we’d arrived.
It would be just like Matthew to leave an entire school of red herrings for us to chase.
The only reason I hadn’t suggested we leave already was because of what I knew existed behind those doors. Mr. Liu ran an organ harvesting operation disguised as a laboratory, and it was hard not to suspect a connection between this and Matthew’s experiments on shifters. I hadn’t wanted to alarm my witch, however, so I’d only mentioned my suspicions to Tan and Nox before suggesting we start here.
Shifting uncomfortably against the wall I was leaning on, I recalled the last time we’d all been in London together. The others had been told to stay behind at the hotel while I delivered a refrigerated package to this location, with strict orders to hand it off to Liu himself. This assignment took place only one week after my mother was killed, and I’d been certain Matthew was simply finishing the job by sending me on a suicide mission.
I could still remember saying goodbye to an oblivious Tan that morning, fully believing I’d never see him again. I was so numbed by grief—barely making it through each day—that I was oddly resigned to my fate. Thinking back on how I hadn’t even cared what my death would do tohimcaused shame to flood my system.
“What is it?” Nox rumbled, eyeing me intently across the narrow expanse of the alleyway. “And don’t bother saying ‘nothing,’ since we can all feel it every time one of us gets a boner now.”
I huffed a laugh, more for his commentary than my current mental state. “Oh, you know—just beating myself up over past mistakes, per usual.”
Nox dropped his gaze to his gun. “That’s been a recent pastime of mine as well.” He released the mag to examine the oddly shaped bullets within before uncharacteristically sharing. “I fucked it up, Ace. I can’t...feelVasi like I used to. Regardless, she hates me. And she has every right to.”
Frowning, I observed my brother, debating the best way to approach this. I’d been fairly vocal about how undeserving of Vasi I thought he was, and I still didn’t approve of how he’d originally treated her. But I also knew our witch could hold her own against Nox and didn’t think her current aloofness had anything to do with first impressions.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” I haltingly began. “Vasi’s just having some difficulty adjusting to you being back from the dead…I think…”
But what the fuck do I know?
“Yeah, I can respect that,” Nox slid the mag back into place and met my gaze again. “When my—our—mother returned from the dead, I wanted nothing more than to pull the trigger and see if my father’s bullets could actually kill a god.” His words didn’t bother me in the slightest, but he suddenly furrowed his brow, as if surprised by his own dark confession.
“I believe you may have gotten the better bargain with Mokosh,” I chuckled humorlessly. “At least with you, she hadn’t pretended to be anything other than what she was—a woman more interested in creating a tidy set of superhumans than nurturing lifelong bonds.” I didn’t even attempt to hide the bitterness in my tone, knowing full well Nox would pick up on my emotions, regardless.
My brother nodded thoughtfully. “True. But don’t forget about the bonds you have with Tan and Vasi. The three of you just…fittogether.” He snorted before adding, “And I’m not just saying that because youmudaksdecided you both needed to stuff your dicks into the same fucking hole.”
Jealous much?
I smirked in reply. “Mmm, perhaps we were just getting our witch ready for you again.” Seeing him looking oddly deflated, I switched tactics. “Just give her time. She can’t resist your charms forever, you know.”
Nox sighed heavily. “I know. But this isn’t about the sex…I just want…” He winced as if what he was about to say physically pained him. “I just want toholdher. Fuck! I sound like such a fucking pussy.”
“You sound like you’re in love,” I laughed, wishing Tan was here to witness our grumpy Russian confessing his darkest secrets.
“Yes,” Nox quietly replied. “I am.”
Before I could fully absorb the enormity of that statement, a black SUV with tinted windows suddenly sped down a side street, screeching to a halt in front of our target’s loading dock. The driver and passenger side doors opened and two men who made Nox look scrawny stepped out, openly armed to the teeth.
I tensed, my finger poised on the trigger, but they didn’t even glance our way. Instead, they swiftly entered Liu's lab and the ensuing cacophony of gunfire and screaming made it clear they’d been instructed to leave no survivors.
“Perhot podzalupnaya,”Nox cursed in unintelligible Russian as the back door of the SUV swung open to reveal his father stepping out onto the cobblestones. Matthew calmly leaned against the vehicle, like he didn’t have a care in the world. In fact, the man looked positively healthy—as if he hadn’t recently had a supernatural bomb detonated against his chest while being smothered in a magical cloud of darkness. Unlike the single-minded muscle who’d exited the car first, Matthew took his time surveying his surroundings, his lips curled in a smug smile as if heknewwe were hiding here somewhere.
How does this man continue to outsmart us?
The back entrance banged open as the two hitmen appeared again. I leveled my rifle at the one not carrying a stack of dossiers, knowing I was fast enough to take down both before either could react. This would leave Matthew for questioning or torture—either worked for me. Breathing evenly, I caressed the trigger, eager for my kill, eager to please my witch.
“Wait!” Nox’s large hand landed on my arm, making me growl, but I obeyed, losing my shot as the three men got back into the SUV. “Do you hear that?”
I cocked my head, eyes widening as I registered the muffled sound of multiple footsteps approaching from the surrounding alleyways, closing in on us at an alarming rate. My blood ran cold, realizing if I’d fired, it would’ve acted as a beacon, telling Matthew’s men exactly where we were positioned.
It was a fucking trap!
“We need to pull back. I can camouflage us while we retreat,” Nox harshly whispered before looking at me with an almost pleading expression. “Just don’t let me fucking disappear again,lan.”
