Page 8 of Queen of Spades

I brought Erik home, and he showered and dressed, looking more like himself when he finally sat down at his desk and started making some calls. I brought him coffee and lunch, watching him cycle through our contacts one by one, getting the word out that we wanted eyes on Douglas Harding.

It didn’t take long. One of Sparrow’s men had heard a rumor that he was going to Dante’s tonight. With that in mind, I went upstairs, leaving Erik to plan. I pounded on Levy’s door and then strode inside, looking around the empty space. I signed impatiently, flicking the light switch on and off a couple of times for good measure. Finally, a flicker of movement and a ghostly form appeared next to the closet.

“What?” he signed, and Jesus, maybe I should take him to the ocean next. At least Erik had the excuse of scotch to explain why he looked as bad as he did. Levy… well, I hadn’t seen him like this in a long time.

“We’re going to kill Douglas tonight,” I signed, then repeated, more slowly, when I could tell he didn’t understand. His face hardened, and he nodded once before fading out of view. I felt his hand on my shoulder and I turned to leave, heading toward Anders’ room next. The hand tightened, stopping me from reaching his door. Levy flickered once, solidifying in front of me.

“Don’t, he’s not well,” was his only explanation. I grimaced but trusted his judgment, and we went downstairs to join Erik.

A few hours later, we were on our way to Dante’s. I was driving tonight, but we took the SUV because a lack of doors for a job like this felt exceedingly reckless. All of us were strapped to the teeth, and while I wasn’t hoping to get into a gunfight in a crowded club, I wasn’t sure if I could help myself once we spotted Douglas and his crew. The place was crawling with people tonight, and I parked a block away so we wouldn’t be worrying about a valet in the event that we needed to get out quickly. Levy was close behind us, staying out of sight as Erik smooth-talked his way past the bouncers and got us inside. From there, we split up, fanning out to surround the VIP section where Douglas liked to hold court. I spotted him first, that smarmy face of his gloating and laughing as he stood up to greet someone.

I imagined how it would feel to drag my knife across his throat. Debated in my head if I let him bleed out quickly, or make it slow. Slow would be better, I decided.

She would have died slowly.

I let the pain course through my limbs, fueling my rage. I watched as Douglas sat down and tried to get a headcount of how many goons we’d have to get through to reach him.

A shimmer of movement beside him had me doing a double take.Is that a flash of golden curls?I sent a text to our group chat, hoping the others had a better angle.

Jesse

Does D have a girl there?!

Erik

Where??

Jesse

Beside him, in front of the nasty guard in the suit.

Levy

Getting a better look.

I waited impatiently for Levy to text back, moving through the crowd to see if I could spot who was with that bastard. My phone buzzed once, and then several times in succession as I fumbled to unlock it.

Levy

I don’t understand.

How?

Attached photo

I clicked on the photo, and my heart nearly stopped. Beside Douglas, unmistakably and wholly alive, was Grace.

Chapter six

Erik

Shoving my way out of the back entrance of the club, I hurled the meager contents of my stomach into the alley, trying to keep my thoughts from spiraling out of control. I spat once more for good measure and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, twisting as I heard the door open and shut behind me. Jesse was standing in the dim light, looking so lost, and sad, and desperately hopeful, I couldn’t bear it.

“It can’t be her,” I signed, and he nodded, staring down at the photo on his phone. But it looked like her. I would recognize those blond curls and the gentle slope of her back anywhere. They were imprinted into my eyelids, so every time I closed my eyes I could see them as if she were right in front of me.

The door burst open a third time, and I watched Levy fade into view, his eyes wide. “It’s her. It’s fucking HER!” he shouted, and I signed for him to calm down, shaking my head.

“There’s no way. Anders said she was trapped in a utility closet. The ceiling caved in, the fire burned everything. There’s no way!” I insisted, signing for Jesse.

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