Page 28 of Savage

She has learned how to wield her influence. With her beauty and those pretty eyes, she can distract anyone. My chest tightens when I think about how well those bastards trained her.

“Why can’t I do it?” Rayne looks at me, her gaze pleading with me to let her go, but she knows she can’t. We need to catch her mother off guard. It’s too much of a risk to let Rayne do it.

“We are not changing the plan. I want you to wait in the car, Rayne, like we discussed.” My voice is stern. My girl needs to be safely tucked away until she finally comes face-to-face with her mother.

“Okay,” Rayne whispers with a nod before she turns and leaves via the fire exit.

I turn back to Harper. “You ready?”

“Born ready.” She winks playfully, and I take her hand before leading her back into the party.

The dinner is in full swing as we weave our way through the tables until we reach ours. It’s going to take a few more minutes before we can get out of here undetected.

I watch as Mrs. Atwood walks around the room, laughing and flirting with the people she knows will donate the most, and I want nothing more than to see how she looks when she’s bleeding. Grinding my teeth, I try to calm myself by gulping down the glass of wine that’s been placed on the table for me.

I’ve come across a few monsters that have truly made my blood run cold, and Rayne’s mother is definitely one of them.

Harper’s hand lands on my thigh, and I glance at her.

“What?”

“You’re practically vibrating in your seat,” she tells me under her breath. She leans in close, her lips brushing along my jaw, and the warmth of her sweetness calms me somewhat. “I’m going to get up and pull her aside.”

Harper scoots out of her chair, and my gaze is glued to her hips as she sways them with every step she takes. I can’t pull my stare away from her, and when she stops beside Rae Atwood and gently places her hand on our mark’s arm, I have to fight the urge to go to her.

Both women smile as they make their way toward the large doors leading out into the hallway. I’m about to push to my feet when a hand lands on my shoulder.

Bane.

“I wanted to leave my card with you, young man,” he tells me, a grin on his face.

He looks down at me, his beady eyes seem to be focused on my mask, but I don’t remove it. He won’t get to see me tonight. When he does, it will be the last face he ever sees.

He hands me the small rectangle with all his contact details printed on it. I fight the urge to smile. It’s as if fate has landed him right in my lap. The man I’ve been looking for has given me everything I need to find him again and kill him.

“Thank you,” I say, pushing to my feet. Once again, I’m towering over him, so he has to tip his head back to meet my stare. “You can be sure I’ll be in touch with you very soon.”

I don’t wait for him to reply, because the more time I spend around him, or any of these vile monsters, the more I’m tempted to gut them like fish.

By the time I reach the hallway, I have the syringe prepped in my hand. When my eyes land on Harper, I smile because she has Mrs. Atwood’s back facing me. Within seconds, the woman is out cold. Now we need to move quickly.

“Let’s go.” I throw the unconscious woman over my shoulder, and Harper and I race for the door.

It’s time to give Rayne the vengeance she needs and deserves.

11

RAYNE

Seeing my mother again is harder than I thought. Her mask is off now, and even though she’s passed out, and will be for a while, my stomach churns as I look at her in the seat beside me.

Dante, who’s at the wheel, keeps glancing in the rear-view mirror. His focus is on me, rather than the road. I know he’s worried about me, but knowing I’ll soon get closure makes me feel stronger than I expected.

I’ve waited a long time for this moment. When I first learned my mother sold me to make a name for herself among the traffickers, I wanted to kill myself. For a long time, I thought about taking my own life, but in the end, I realized there was no way I could because I had to stay alive for River. There were several botched attempts, though. Maybe, deep down, when I held those blades to my wrists and walked into harm’s way, I knew I would survive. And now I’m happy I did.

“Rayne,” Harper’s voice catches my attention as she looks at me over her shoulder from where she’s sitting in the front passenger seat. “Are you okay?”

“It’s strange seeing my mother here,” I tell her. “It’s been such a long time since I laid eyes on her. It’s almost surreal.”

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