Page 44 of Dance with the Devil

It doesn’t matter. Luca did it. He brought a new prisoner down to the cells.

But it’s not another gun runner’s girlfriend.

Nope.

It’s my murderous sister-in-law.

Cross can tell right awaythat something’s different. He gives me a curious look, but I just shake my head.

I don’t have enough details yet. Whether they changed their mind and snagged Savannah instead, or if she’s here to… what? Infiltrate the place where I’ve been held captive these last three weeks? I could see that happening. If Luca confirmed that Cross and I were trapped in here before telling my brother where to find me, I could totally see Damien trusting Savannah to find some way to break us out of here.

If there’s a flaw in my logic—that it should be impossible for her to free me when she’s trapped herself—I pointedly ignore that, too.

I do finally tell him the identity of the newest prisoner later that night. And if I encouraged to lay next to me on the cot so we could whisper beneath the blanket instead of stubbornly offering to sleep on the floor like I’m sure he wanted to, I don’t give a shit. He’s the one who told me that he can’t sleep unless he’s holding me.

I’m stubborn, too. I absolutely refuse to let one night change anything. If he wants to go back to being friends, if he never wants to fuck me again,fine. But after all we’ve been through, I think the one thing that will break me is losing Cross because of something Winter made us do.

So I cuddled up next to him and admitted that my sister-in-law, Damien’s new wife who is also a Dragonfly enforcer, is the newest prisoner. Doesn’t matter that she seems to have gone through a transformation before she came here. That’sher.

He agrees with me that, between Luca and Savannah, our respective families have put the first stages of an escape plot into motion. Until they make they’re move, all we can do is wait.

It takes two days. If Winter suspects anything, he doesn’t make it obvious that he knows. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he caught on to the sense of anticipation in the air and chalked it up to the obvious chasm that exists between me and Cross after the other night.

But two days after Savannah gets led to a cell, I’m curled up on the cot when the glass door slides open and both she and Luca rush in.

Cross was pacing again. He meets Luca in the middle of the room, clasping his hand, pulling him into a sideways hug. “Fucking finally,” he says. “It’s time, yeah?”

“Finally,” Luca agrees. “Sorry, Cross. I would’ve tried to get you out of here my first night at this place but that wasn’t the plan. Damien wanted one of his people on the inside to make sure that his sister was safe, and then as soon as we had the opportunity, the two of us would work to get you out.”

“Savannah,” I breathe out, rushing forward and giving my brother’s wife my own much tighter hug. A giddy laugh escapes me as I squeeze. “Took you long enough to make your move. What happened? Finally missed my brother?” Relief has me a touch reckless as I pull back add, “Or was it just his cock?”

Luca chokes on his breath in front of me while I catch Cross shaking his head out of the corner of my eye, a hint of the first smile in days tugging on his lips.

Savannah doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, a hint of relief touches the corner of her mouth as she flashes me a quick grin. “Good to see that being kidnapped and held against your will hasn’t changed you one bit, Gen.”

Oh. It has. I’m sure I’m going to be traumatized for a fuckingwhileafter we get out of here. But when I have hope that we will? I’m giddy with relief.

I just wish I had the chance for it to last.

I’ve never forgotten the cameras for a moment. From the moment Luca let Savannah out of her cell before plugging in the digits on the keypad to ours, the clock’s been ticking. Either Winter knows we’re breaking out, or he will shortly. I’m listening for the speaker to crackle and for his voice to fill the room, so when it doesn’t, I think we’re golden.

And then Luca cocks his head. His dark green eyes seem even darker as concern fills his expression. “Did you hear that?”

No. No, no, no. I don’t want to hear anything except my feet on the stairs as we make a break for it. I listen anyway, and I nearly wail when I know exactly what caught Luca’s attention: footsteps over our head.

Cross’s dark eyes seem to turn black. “What the hell, Luca? I thought you just said this place was empty except the four of us.”

“It was supposed to be. Shit. That’s why I went and got Savannah. No one else was coming in until later tonight, but Winter must’ve sent another guy over for backup.” Luca scowls. “I knew he didn’t completely trust me.”

Well, yeah. To be fair, I’m kind of surprised he lasted this long. With Winter’s ability to learn details about those he’s screwing with, it wouldn’t have taken a lot to figure out that he’s a Sinner now.

Did he have his own reasons to let Luca in? A plot to get his paws on Savannah pretending to be Falco’s girlfriend? I don’t know, but she turns to Luca.

“Should I go back in my cell?”

Luca gives his head a rough shake. “No point. We knew we only had one shot at this.”

Savannah curses under her breath. “The cameras. Fuck. I forgot.”

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