Page 14 of Dark Embers

“I can get rid of him for you.”

“No.” I pause. “I think Oleksi Mirochin might be our better option.”

Sam frowns but doesn’t push. “Tell me about Tara.”

“She called me. From an out-of-state number. She was frantic. Said the PI isn’t who he says he is and that Mom has to stop looking for her and call him off. Said Tom is working for dangerous people. Then I heard gunshots. A man shouted for her to run but Tara called back that he’s been shot.”

Sam’s face turns pale. “You said you recognized his voice?”

“Yes, it was one of Nikolas’s men, Clyde Smythe.” I hand him my phone, showing him the number. “Tara called me from this number.”

Sam takes the phone and, without hesitation, dials it, putting the phone on speaker.

It rings for quite a while before someone picks it up.

“What are you calling my phone box for?” a voice demands. “I’m trying to get changed, you know. This is very rude—interrupting me like this.”

Oh great. A whack-a-doo and it’s a phone booth.

“Who is this?” Sam asks.

“Superman. Who the fuck is this?”

“Is that… is this a phone box?”

“Isn’t that what I just said?”

Sam hangs up and stares at me. “She called you from a fucking phone booth.”

I nod.

“You said you heard gunshots.”

“Yes, right before the line went dead and she confirmed that Clyde had been shot.”

“Fuck.” Sam’s voice is tight. Controlled. The way it gets when he’s about to do something reckless. “I’m going to New York. I’ll leave right away.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“No.” He shakes his head. “You’ll slow me down. And you’ve got a daughter to take care of.”

I sigh, deflating. “Fine. But you’ll keep me posted. Every step.”

“I will.” Sam grabs his coat. “Stay out of trouble. And for the love of God, stay away from the Mirochins.”

I nod, watching him go.

But when I close the door behind him, all I can see are Oleksi’s blue eyes tracking every inch of me earlier like he was marking me for possession.

Nope.

That’s never happening.

I stomp off to bed only to spend the whole damn night dreaming about the Giant Bratva Prince driving me crazy with desire.

CHAPTER 7

Sabrina

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