Page 140 of Dirty Grovel

I unbuckle, heart pounding frantically against my chest. But before I can get out of the car, those pesky unforeseen circumstances that Oleg was so worried about come into play.

A hooded figure approaches from the left, arm raised. The figure’s walk is somewhat familiar, although I can’t quite put my finger on it.

I’m slightly preoccupied by the gun in their hand.

Drew’s smile is frozen in place for a moment. He looks like he’s about to laugh. His eyes suggest that he recognizes the person aiming the gun at his head.

I’m about to jump out of my SUV when the gun goes off.

Straight at Drew.

He crumples to the ground.

The shooter turns.

I feel all the color drain right out of my face.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

I hear someone scream and it’s a hot second before I realize that it’s me.I’mthe one who just screamed.

No wonder the shooter’s walk was so familiar to me.

I’ve spent my entire life watching it.

“Sydney!” I scream, jumping out of the car, my hands shaking badly. “What did you do?”

My sister just stands there, staring at the smoking gun in her hand as though she’s not quite sure how it got there.

I have no idea what she was thinking. I have no idea why she chose to do it this way. I have no idea why she chose to get involved at all.

The only thing I know for certain is that my sister has just fucked up everything.

Again.

44

OLEG

Chaos bleeds from the sharp left turn our plan has taken. My empire is going to hurt because of it.

But for once, I’m not concerned with my empire.

I’m concerned for my family.

Drew lies, cold and dead, in the morgue.

Sydney is sitting alone in a frigid cell, charged with his murder.

And Sutton is shaking in the back seat of my SUV, completely devastated over her sister’s arrest.

I’m in major damage control mode as I try to assess how best to contain this situation. But it’s like trying to fight a wildfire.

Problematic, dangerous, and ultimately, futile.

I can see Sutton’s fists pounding at the inside of my SUV window, but I ignore them for the moment and answer Artem’s incoming call.

“Talk to me.”

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