Page 78 of Hiding Desire

I dialled her number immediately. We weren’t the kind of friends who talked on the phone, but sometimes, we texted each other between shifts. I had told her the family emergency excuse, too.

“Mystique?” I asked without even saying hi.

“What other club do we work at?” Michelle’s voice trembled with tears.

“It’s on fire now?”

“The flames are so high that I can see them from my window.”

I forgot she lived around the corner in a high-rise block of flats.

“Shit!”

“What the fuck can we do? I know it’s selfish, and someone could be hurt, but without those tips, I won’t be able to make rent.”

Michelle had a younger sister who was in college, whom she supported.

“I’ll find out what’s going on,” I promised her.

I hung up and raced out of the library, crashing directly into Sean, who had Loch and Rada behind him.

“Mystique!” I gasped as he righted me from our collision.

“I know.” His jaw worked. “How did you find out?”

“Michelle texted me. She can see the fire. She’s scared about what’s going to happen,” I rambled.

“We’re going there now.”

“Okay.”

“No, you’ll stay here with Rada.”

“But…”

“Do you have experience fighting fires?” Sean raised a brow, and I scowled at him.

“No, but I should come with you.”

“It’s not safe, a chuisle. This is Boyan. I own plenty of clubs, but this is where you worked. It’s a message. We’ve delayed too long.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, this ends. I’m taking this to Boyan. We know where he’s been holed up since he got out on Monday.”

“Wait…” I gripped his arms as fear crawled through my chest, stealing my words.

“Don’t worry. This is a long time coming. I’ll bring you back his head for your collection.”

I swallowed the bile that raced up my throat. “Just come back to me.”

He pressed a fierce kiss to my lips. “The hounds of hell couldn’t keep me away.”

I held him tightly, hating the idea of him leaving when he was injured. He’d regained some of his arm movement over the last few days as a physio had visited, but he was far from one hundred per cent. Loch and Rada appeared to be arguing.

“Don’t make me lock you in the holding cells again,” Loch murmured.

“If you do, I will stab you in the leg,” Rada hissed, looking incensed.

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