Page 51 of High Stakes

My stomach clenches nervously and, for the first time, I’m a little unsure on my feet. That feeling of approaching the last stop before you get home after a long journey grips at my soul. What am I going to do after this is done? What am I going to do if we fail? I take a deep breath and lace my fingers through Hector’s outstretched hand. “Ready,” I confirm with a determined tilt of my chin.

I stop at the top of the front steps, looking down at the boys all leaning against a silver Aston Martin DB5, and my face splits into a wide grin. “You seriously James Bond-ed the shit out of this.” It had only been a few hours since I last saw them, but their presence is doing strange things to my insides.

“We had to,” Silas says and steps forward, offering me a hand as I descend the steps. “You look absolutely stunning.”

Declan and Hayden step forward, and Hector moves around to stand beside them. They all match in their black suits and black ties, and I cannot wait to see them with their masks in place. My core tightens at the thought. “Let’s run through it one more time,” I say to distract myself from the erotic thoughts plaguing my mind.

Declan nods and runs his fingers down my forearm, like he can’t help himself and he has to touch me. “You’ll arrive with me and enter through the back with the rest of the dancers. The three of them will enter with the rest of the party guests and mingle around the bar. No one will move more than twenty feet from the stage at all times to make sure we can get to you if something goes wrong while you’re up there.”

I nod and reach for Hayden, brushing my fingers across the dark stubble on his cheeks. “You all look so fucking hot,” I whisper breathlessly.

He smiles and places his hand over mine. “You, Angel, look like a fucking goddess. I look forward to worshiping you all night long. Are you ready?”

Am I ready?

I take a deep breath and an odd sense of melancholy grips me. I step back until all four of them are standing in front of me. “I just wanted to thank you. For trusting me. For forgiving me. For risking your lives to help me with this crippling vendetta. I don’t really have the words to express what this truly means for me.” My eyes burn with unshed tears as I realize that I’m scared.

I’m terrified of losing them.

“Easy there, Princess,” Declan says softly. “Don’t you cry for us. We can take care of ourselves. We are, after all, trained professionals. Well, some of us are. Some of us are just unhinged assassins.” He looks pointedly at Hayden, who grins deviously.

“Someone has to be the god of death,” he quips with a wink.

I inhale a shaky breath and blink away the tears, trying to avoid smearing the makeup that took me three hours to apply. “And what do we say to the god of death?” I quote the question with a smirk.

Hayden returns my smirk with a playful shrug. “You told me to fuck off this morning, so…”

The other three erupt in laughter as I roll my eyes. I did, in fact, tell him to fuck off this morning. Right before I earned a brutal punishment in the shower. My legs clench at the memory. I step forward and open my arms, and they all move in without hesitation. I grip them tightly and we all stand in a peaceful bubble for a few moments, just gripping each other tightly without a word. “Not today,” I finish the quote with a whisper and inhale the masculine scents surrounding me.

Declan helps me into the car as the other three disappear around the house, no doubt going for the faster option, bikes. “I need you to understand something,” he says as the engine roars to life and we start the quick drive into the city. “This is your war, Emelia. We’re just soldiers marching off to battle at the order of our queen. We’re here for you, and you alone.”

“Thank you, Dec,” I say, placing my hand on his thigh as he shifts gears and we rocket off down the road. I fidget in my seat until we pull up to an alley a few blocks from the venue. “You’ll have to drag me in. Treat me like one of his girls.” We climb out of the car and head toward the loud, thumping music and flashing lights. He would have fucking search lights cutting through the dark sky.

Declan’s nostrils flare and his jaw works as he grinds his teeth together. “I know.” I look over at him, taking note of how he seems fine doing it on his terms, but not when other people do it to me. Interested. I chew on my bottom lip and watch him slide on his mask, contemplating an idea.

“Let’s hop to it then. We have a murder to commit, and I have four masked men to get railed by. Clock’s ticking and with the four of you, I find that I’m not a patient woman.” I straighten his black tie with nimble fingers before dragging my nails down the outside of his shirt.

His grin is infectious as he grips my arm and drags me down the alley leading to the back door. A security guard straightens and glares at us as we approach. “Mr. Cabrera asked for this one specifically. She came with the new shipment and the girls did her up real nice.”

The guard folds his arms across his chest and looks me up and down. Of course, I planned to fit Mr. Cabrera’s taste specifically. Blonde hair, tight dress, vivacious curves. I turn my doe eyes up to him and tremble my bottom lip, playing the part of a frightened girl. “I thought we had all the entertainment.” His deep voice rumbles through the darkness.

Delcan shrugs and shoves me toward the door. “Whatever, man, it’s your funeral if she’s late for her performance.”

The man’s face visibly pales as he ushers me in. Smart man. I straighten my spine as the door closes behind me and take a step forward. I don’t bother looking back at Declan because I know I’ll see him on the other side of this.

I have to.

The music thumps loudly, vibrating through every cell in my body as I make my way through the throngs of scared women backstage. They’re all done up, some in elaborate costumes and some almost completely naked. My stomach sinks as I watch agroup of four young women huddle together in a dark corner, sobbing quietly.

When I take care of this monster, all this will come to a stop. I crouch down in front of them and touch the closest arm. “Be strong. Be brave. And when the dust settles, rise from the ashes like the women you were meant to be.” They sniffle and nod their heads weakly, and I know they’ve given up. “This ends tonight,” I promise them and stand, heading to my final destination.

“You!” A man snaps and grabs me by my wrist. I have to fight the urge to flip him over my shoulder and sink my blade into his left lung. “Get on stage. You’re late.”

“Mr. Cabrera sent for me specifically,” I mutter shyly. “Which way to his stage?”

“Useless, the lot of you.” He mutters a few things in Spanish that I know are not flattering, and I actively fight the smirk twitching on my lips. Just a little while longer. “You have three sets, each about one minute long.” He shoves me toward the curtain and then walks away.

I turn on my comm device as I walk toward the stage and get a static connection. “Hector, there are dozens of women back here. They will need to be addressed.”

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