Page 101 of City of Salvation

If I didn’t need the fucking thing, I would have thrown it, too.

“She won’t answer. Her phone’s been disabled,” said a feminine voice from behind me.

Scar stood in the entryway, arms crossed over her chest as she stared me down, her three men all flanking her, looking ready for war in their tactical vests.

Something about the way she stood there, eyeing me, had my chest heaving. She knew something the rest of us didn’t.

“What did you do?” I bit out, knowing she was involved.

Ryan started to speak, but Caleb’s voice cut in. “I’d watch the way you speak to my wife. These three are the only people I truly like, and I have no problem putting a bullet in you if you prove to be a problem,” he said matter-of-factly.

Kenji winced a bit at the statement, looking at me with an apologetic grimace. “It would probably only be like the thigh or shoulder, but yeah, he will shoot you.” He gestured toward Scar with his arm. “I mean, we drugged Scar to kidnap her when we thought she wouldn’t cooperate.” He shrugged as if it were no big deal, and Scar rolled her eyes. “If it makes you feel better, he’s lying about not liking you. He just doesn’t like youenoughnot to shoot you,” Kenji finished, patting Caleb on the shoulder as the Irishman continued to stare me down with a glare that almost made me want to break contact.

Niko had yet to say anything, but I doubted he’d step in as the voice of reason. His face was a blank slate, but his hulking mass was poised to strike quickly. Efficiently. These three were truly unhinged.

But I wasn’t as nice of a guy as I presented myself to be.

“Been shot more than once. It’s amazing what damage you can manage to inflict while adrenaline courses through you,” I replied, my hand moving my cut out of the way to show the Glock on my hip. “So now that we’ve all proven we’re ruthless fucks, tell me where the hell Nikki is.”

A shot rang out that had us all ducking and reaching for our own weapons as we turned toward the noise. Ryan, who’d been trying to get in a word, was standing on the island, her pistol out and a pissed-off look on her face.

Scar chuckled, tucking one of her guns back into her thigh holster. “Shoot first, ask questions later. Your life motto, Brujita.”

“Yeah, well, all you assholes were too busy comparing dick sizes to listen to me,” she grumbled, hopping back down.Gunner was leaning against the island, completely unfazed. His reaction made me wonder if her meetings down in Sinaloa had been similar to this one.

“Wanna explain what the fuck is happening, Scar?” Ryan’s tone held an edge to it, but if it bothered Scar, she didn’t show it.

“That’s what I was trying to do.” She turned back toward me, staring me down as she spoke. “Try not to shoot me when I tell you this.”

That comment had all my warning bells going off. I plucked my gun from my waistband, handing it over to Gunner. “My self-control isn’t great,” I bit out, stuffing my now empty hands into my front pockets. I knew I wasn’t going to like whatever it was she had to say, but I’d been in the military long enough to know I couldn’t go running in with my dick in my hand. Or in this case, my gun.

Whatever intel Scar had, I needed to know it.

“I disabled her phone this morning, just like I sent you the text that you needed to meet Gunner here.” Her voice was cold. Calculated. I could suddenly see how it was that this woman was an accomplished killer.

“Why?” The word came out as a growl, more animal than man.

No one had moved. We were all rooted in place, making the tension spike even higher since it felt like a standoff. Too bad I’d given Gunner my Glock.

The deep breath Scar took was almost imperceptible, but I noticed it nonetheless and braced for the blow I knew was about to come becausethatwas her sign of being nervous.

“Because she is meeting up with Andrei, who is taking her to Yuri,” she said.

My body was moving before my mind could register the reaction. Shouts erupted from all over, creating a chaoticsymphony, but Scar didn’t falter, not even when I wrapped my hand around her throat and squeezed. It took a second for the haze of rage to lessen, and for me to notice the gleaming blade poised at my wrist. My eyes cut over to Kenji, who still wore a friendly smile.

Caleb and Niko were being blocked by Gunner and Ryan, who both had firearms shoved to their temples.

“My man, I’m letting this slide since I’d do the same if it were my girl, but if you don’t remove your hand in point two seconds,” his facial expression shifted, turning concerningly devoid of emotion, “I’ll remove it for you and then shove it down your throat.”

I loosened my grip, and Scar took a sharp inhale, but didn’t bother rubbing at the red marks now marring her skin.

“I’ll have to use that one,” I muttered, my hands up in surrender. “Never thought about shoving their fist down their throat.” I tipped my head at Scar. “Go ahead. Finish what you were going to say.”

God, I’d thought that Ryan was scary, but Scar was another level, completely unfazed from me trying tochokeher. Caleb shocked me by letting out a dark chuckle.

“She has that effect on people. When I tried to choke her, she pressed into my hand and told me I had a small cock,” he said, then pointed to his face. “Your face was saying,‘What the fuck?’Not too hard to figure out what you were thinking.”

Scar ignored him, continuing on. “Andrei came to me after you all left the club with an alternate plan. Actually, it was probably the original plan, but he knew you three wouldn’t go for it. We’re not quite as…emotionally attached.” She moved toward the island, placing her hands on the marble surface while the rest of us followed. “There was no way we were going to be able to get close to Yuri. The bastard is notoriously paranoid. Always has been, but you can imagine how that increased after his wedding. There was no way he’d ever come out into the public, so we needed to deliver Nikki to him,” she said, locking eyes with me. “And she needed to have a believable reaction to being betrayed.”

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