Page 141 of Devious Knight

“Can you see her?”

She must be hallucinating again. “Who are we looking at?”

“My mother. Tell her she’s about to die.” Her whisper-soft words grip me. “I’m supposed to stay here and hide. She made me promise.”

“It’s just us in here, Lolita.”

“No, she’s right there. We drove to the warehouse. We’re in danger. There’s a man with a gun. He’s going to shoot her. Help her, please.”

She wasn’t talking like this before. Deep in my soul I know this isn’t just ramblings. She’s talking like she’s telling me something that happened. Something real.

“Isabelle—”

“Kade, he’s going to shoot her. The other man is going to tell him to kill her. Ubey etogo narushitelya spokoystviya seychas zhe,” she cries in Russian.

Kill that troublemaker now. That’s what it means.

“Save her, Kade. No one is going to believe me that someone else was there. They won’t believe me. But if we save her, then it never happens. She’ll still be alive.”

My mouth drops, and I realize she was there. She was there when her mother was killed. She saw it happen.

Tears stream down her cheeks, and all I can do is get up and pull her into my arms, holding her as she cries.

It’s morning now.

I didn't sleep last night. I held Isabelle in my arms until she fell asleep again, then the nurses came to check her vitals.

I stayed awake and watched her sleep because I couldn’t stop thinking about what she said to me about her mother.

Now that it’s morning, I’m thinking about it even more. And how I never knew what really happened to Isabelle.

It’s eight, and she’s still asleep. The doctors have just come by to check her again, so I’m going to get some fresh air and coffee. Her father will be here soon.

I haven’t seen Principal Kolyav since graduation, and since I know I was a nightmare to the man in high school, I’m not exactly looking forward to seeing him.

I’m sure he knows about the trouble Isabelle and I have had over the last few months—because of me. The man would also probably murder me before I could take my next breath if he knew I’d defiled his precious baby girl.

I get the coffee and take a walk outside while I drink it. Then I head back to the room, and my spirits lift when I see Isabelle sitting up in bed.

She looks drained but more like herself, and when she looks at me, she’s really looking at me. Those brown eyes are alive with hope, and they stare back at me with that same look of fascination she used to give me in high school.

“Kade,” she rasps.

“Lolita, you’re awake.”

“They gave me an injection, and it woke me right up.” She smiles weakly.

“I hate injections, too.” I walk toward her. “How are you feeling?”

“Like hell, but it could have been worse if not for you. Thank you. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for going to the club. And for being here.”

“It’s okay.”

“I was only with Michael because he wanted to talk to me. I wasn’t going to do anything with him. I… promise.”

A thin smile spreads across my face. “It’s funny. I never once thought you might do anything with him.”

“How did you know?”

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