Page 44 of Brutal Secrets

Seriously? He sends a young hoodlum with a neck tattoo to ask about me, and he wonders why no one has said anything? Is he an idiot too?

I’m going out of my head with worry.

Oh, so now he’s concerned? Well, too fucking late, Mr. Mafioso. We’re gonna be just fine without you.

The phone rings, but I toss it into my bag. Let him sweat. He doesn’t want a relationship with either of us, so what do I care if he’s out of his head with worry?

As I open the car door, a prickle climbs my spine. It’s as if someone is watching me. The phone goes silent as I pull our bags from the trunk. I shake Nona awake, then step out into the darkness. The smell of pine and dew fills my lungs as I scan the trees. Shivering slightly, I let the car door close, alert for some unseen threat.

The velvet darkness of the woods surrounds us. An owl calls as I walk up to the high iron gates and run a hand down them to ensure they’re closed. The gravel crunches underfoot, but mine are the only footsteps I hear. There is only the quiet of the trees at night. And the nagging sense that I’m not alone.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Birdsong and the cold kiss of a blade against my throat wake me.

“Don’t move if you know what’s good for you,” a low American voice says. Sunlight filters behind my eyelids as I listen to the accent. Southern. Not New York. Not an Italian hitman, then?

Slowly, I open my eyes and look at the figure in black that looms over me.

“I don’t know what you’re doing here, but you’ll find its better for your health if you put the car into reverse and leave now,” the man says.

I look up into the weathered face of a bulky guy with a military buzz cut. He’s built like a fighter—six foot four of solid muscle, but he looks light on his feet.

Kesera’s gates stand just beyond the woodland area where I parked the car last night. I search the trees for Andrei and come up empty. While resisting the temptation to stretch, I silently damn Kesera for not answering my calls as I drove up here. I also curse Andrei for leaving me so exposed.

“So, you’ll be happy if I just pull out and drive home before I’ve had a chance to talk to my woman?” I keep still and look at the man who has offered to let me leave. He keeps the knife to my skin, and the steel warms as it rests against my neck. His hand steadies the blade.

“If she was your woman, she wouldn’t have called me to drive through the night to get to her at first light. I’ve dealt with dozens of men like you on her tours. You might think you have a unique connection, but I’m telling you that you’re nothing special.”

After hearing more of his southern drawl, I’m sure he’s not one of the Italians or connected to the Night Governor. This means Kesera came up with this on her own. I almost smile at the thought that I underestimated her.

“Bit difficult to go anywhere with a knife to my throat, don’t you think?” I say carefully. Let’s not antagonize the big guy with the weapon until Andrei gets here.

“Which is why I’m going to take the knife away from your throat very slowly. And when you sit up, you’re going to remember that I’ve got a gun pointed at your back and it’s aiming at your heart. Hard to miss at this range.” He gives a soft chuckle and sounds even more like he’s from Texas. Despite the fact that he’s got a gun pointed at me, that’s good news.

We haven’t been compromised. Yet.

He steps back, keeping the gun pointed at me. After waiting a couple of beats, I sit up slowly, raising both hands in the air before I turn to face him. My shoulders loosen at the sight of Andrei creeping toward us from the other side of the gates, gun drawn.

“Put the gun down or I’ll shoot first and ask questions later,” Andrei bites out, firing a shot wide of the car to make his point.

I’ll give the big fucker facing me some credit. He doesn’t even flinch. He keeps his gun pointed at me and raises an eyebrow in question.

“Let’s see if we can avoid dead bodies before breakfast,” I say. “Kesera probably wouldn’t like it.”

“And exactly how are you an authority on what Kesera would like, my friend? If she’d been thrilled to see you, then I wouldn’t be here with your wake-up call. So do you want your sidekick to put the firearm down, or shall we play musical guns?”

I nod at Andrei, who steps from the brush so the tall man with the military build can see him. The man lowers his gun, watching us both.

“She’s not answering her phone,” I say, tilting my head to the old handset.

“We’ll see about that, shall we? If it’s not too much trouble, I’ll call her.”

I nod at him, and he pulls a phone from his pocket. She answers after only a few seconds.

“Morning, kiddo. I’m standing outside your gate with a couple of gangsters from central casting. Scar face and spider tattoo. Do you know them?” He nods. “Uh huh. Okay. I can. You want spider tattoo as well, or just the dude with the scar? Right you are. See you inside.” Shaking his head, he steps back from the car and waves his hand at me. “You can go on in. God knows why, but she’s happy to talk to you.”

I’m about to smile at that, but he quashes the emotion.

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