Page 19 of Heirs of Havoc

None of the guys say much as we hit the open road and when I glance back at the Clementine sign, I’m not sure if I’ll return. Vlad sits next to me, Lev in the passenger seat in the front. “The Girl from Ipanema” blares through the speakers.

Questions swirl in my mind, but there’s no use asking them. The only thing I’ve gotten out of this is a new dress and a view of Feliks’ junk. How the hell am I going to get away from these guys? They work well together. Too well. So the best plan is to divide and conquer.

“This isn’t a vacation.” Vlad’s voice startles me, his mouth right next to my ear.

Time to put that plan into action. “Was it a vacation when you and your brother had me spread in the sex dungeon?”

Feliks takes a hard turn, slamming me into Vlad’s rigid arm. “You guys took her to the church?” His voice sounds as flat as always, but the way he glares into the rearview tells me otherwise. “‘Cause that’s a fucking good idea.” Sarcasm accompanies his stoned drawl.

“I thought she set us up,” Vlad replies. I return his glare with a smug smile.

“I guess we got a little carried away.” Lev turns around with another one of his quick winks. My stomach flips.

Don’t fall for it.

“Like how Feliks got carried away when he was on top of me last night?” I ask. Lev’s head whips to him. “Or in my bath—”

“We’re here.” Feliks slams on the brakes, my head flying forward.

I’m stopped by a tight grip on my hair and a sting on my skull. “Careful, Merlo,” Vlad growls. While Lev’s more charming, Vlad’s more observant, so I don’t think he means wearing my seatbelt. That's confirmed by how long he grips my hair before he lets me go.

I’m about to keep up my game until I look out the window. The car rolls by a large old building. It’s ominous in a gothic way, a tall spire hitting the clouds with red trim. It’s like something out of a Poe tale, a long road leading to a red open gate. We’re far enough from the large front door, hidden behind a line of trees that no one would know these three men have me hostage.

“It’s time for you to do your job, M&M,” Lev turns around, a serious look on his face for once. “The one you should’ve done a hell of a long time ago.”

My eyes scan the property before they land on an old sign. “Brooks Bay Institution.” A penitentiary. A jail. One with maximum security. The same one my dad’s men end up at. “You’re getting me arrested?” For a girl who has a family in this line of business, I’ve never been in trouble with the law. The idea of handcuffs around my wrists is enough to make my palms sweat.

Lev’s eyes lower, then his shoulders bounce. His head falls back as he laughs, his deep roll filling the car. Feliks looks at me through the rearview, a high ass smile on his face as he laughs with his friend. Vlad joins in, the car shaking with all their muscles moving like I’ve ended a comedy show.

“I’m not that funny.” My eyes bounce between them, hoping for an explanation.

“You’re not getting arrested, Bunny.” Golden eyes peer back at me in the rearview. “You’re getting him out of jail.”

Chapter Eight

My heart pounds so hard my chest feels like it’s caving in.

Is this what a heart attack feels like?

“H-how do you expect me to do that?” I ask, pushing out my words.

“Well, that’s up to you,” Lev says. “We know you’re not the good girl Clementine thinks you are, so use those skills Daddy gave you and put that vindictive head to use. It’s what you do, right? Scheme and plot?” He’s coming off strong and I’m not sure if they’re trying to scare me, or if they think I can actually do this.

“He… he’s in there?”

“Right where you put him,” Vlad says, a red Gucci purse slamming on my lap. “You only have one shot at this, Merlo, so make it count.”

Lev reaches for my cheeks, turning me to him before he sticks out his tongue. “Lemme see it.” With narrow eyes, I open my mouth, my new piercing shining. “Lift it up.” And when I do, he places a small golden key under my tongue. “We know you like to swallow, but now’s not the time.”

My eyebrows raise.

They’re trying to sneak a key into the penitentiary and I’m their Trojan horse.

Even as I try to steady my breath, that’s not the thought that has my heart like a jackhammer. The thought of seeing him, especially in there, makes me lunge for the door.

“You don’t wanna do that.” Vlad catches my wrist.

“Or what?” It’s harder to speak with both my new piercing and a key in my mouth.

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