Page 105 of Roaming Holiday

“I won’t leave you alone this time. I learned my lesson.” Arlo lowers across from me. “Are you thirsty?”

I shake my head.

He snaps his fingers for the same blond man to pour a glass of liquor. Arlo lights a fat cigar, puffing smoke around his face.

“I don’t understand why my brother didn’t kill him years ago,” he says in Maldanian.

“Too obsessed with money,” the blond one replies, leaning on the doorframe.

From the way the two of them look at me, they don’t know I understand Maldanian. I can decipher the bones of their discussion, and having to translate in my head keeps me from being reactive and giving myself away.

“Morality threatens loyalty, Pavlos. We all know that,” Arlo says, voice gravelly as he takes a long drag of the cigar. He stares at me, his gaze hungry, vengeful, and curious. “The Ghost is coming for us because we took his whore.” He flicks ashes onto the expensive carpet. “And if we don’t get her out of here, all of us are dead.”

“We can put her on a plane.”

Terror thrums through me. I want to say I’m appearing fearful so he lets his guard down, but I’m not acting.

“Call Suchko,” he says. “We can give her to him. See how fast it can happen. And get Daria on the phone.” He leans forward, elbows on his knees as he switches to English. “You’re awfully quiet. You had a lot to say back there. Cat got your tongue?”

Despite my shaking limbs, I don’t break eye contact.

I’m just watching you chase your tail.

I clamp my mouth shut, forcing the words in. He doesn’t get the satisfaction of a response.

52

WESLEY

I wasn’t fast enough.

I watched him lunge. I watched as he held a gun to Nina’s head and wrapped a hand around her throat. Arlo would have backed down if she hadn’t taken that step forward.

Now he has her and everything I’ve fought to protect is at risk.

If I wasn’t ravaged by fear and vengeance, I’d be furious at her. I run out of the building, already dialing Noah’s number, to find Jack and the royal guard pulling up.

“Do you know where he might go?” Jack asks.

I ignore the question and hold the phone to my ear. “Bring the car.”

“Now?” Noah stutters.

“Now!”

“There’s—police or something?—”

“Get as far as you can. I’ll meet you.”

Jack watches me hang up. “Who the hell was that?”

Before I can answer, someone screams, “BECK!”

I perk, scanning the sidewalk to see Nina’s sister barreling toward me with Mason in tow. I’m not surprised she was waiting on the outskirts. “Maia?”

“Where the fuck is my sister?” she asks fiercely, shoving me with enough force to send me back a few steps. “You said you’d look out for her and Mason tells me she was taken?”

Mason puts his hand on her arm. “Your High?—”

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