Page 3 of Victorious: Part I

I need to get to her.

I don’t give a fuck that she’s my fiancée’s ex-wife.

Livvy sounded terrified.

And I can help her—I have to.

For Alpha.

For their daughter, Poppy, and for me.

Because despite it all, Livvy’s my friend, and I wouldneverforgive myself if something happened to her on my watch. So, whoever the fuck this guy is holding Livvy hostage right now, he’s messed with the wrong lady. He might be doing this to get to Alpha, but I see straight through his plan—grab his ex-wife and his future wife to lure Alpha to him. The problem is, this asshole fucked up because heclearlydidn’t do his background check on me.

I might be Alpha’s Old Lady, but before that, I was an assassin at The Nest.

You can take the bird out of The Nest, but she willnevertruly fly away.

Hold on to your ass, motherfucker, this Blue Jay is coming out to play!

Chapter Two

HAVEN

My heart races uncontrollably, my eyes darting to my cell, debating whether or not to follow instructions.

I’veneverbeen the type of woman to do as she’s told.

I’m a lone wolf.

Free as a bird.

But in this case, hearing Livvy’s distressed voice on the other end of that phone line and this jackass telling me not to involve the club, I think this is theone timeI need to play by the rules.

Generally, it’s my life in the balance—but this is Livvy—so I can’t go rogue on this one.

She means too much.

To so many people.

This responsibility is too big for me to fuck this up.

So, if this cocksucker wants me to come alone, alone it shall be.

Well, me and my damn chicken.

The abandoned Vernon Meat Packing Facility looms ahead of me like some rejected set piece from a horror movie. Rusted metal and broken windows catch the dim streetlights, creating dancing shadows that would probably creep normal people the hell out.

But I’m far from normal.

I park my truck a block away, grabbing one of the buckets of chicken. If I’m walking into a trap, I’m at least going to be well-fed doing it. Plus, nothing says‘I don’t take your threats seriously’quite like showing up to a hostage situation with dinner. Though my stomach is in knots thinking about what condition I might find Livvy in, I force myself to maintain the façade.

The facility’s chain-link fence has a convenient person-size hole cut into it.How thoughtful of them to prep for my arrival.As I slip through, juggling my bucket of chicken, my boots crunch on broken glass and gravel. The sound echoes off the corroded walls of what used to be a thriving facility.

Real subtle, Haven.

The three-story concrete structure looms ahead. Its shattered windows, with nothing but darkness behind them, stare down at me like an ominous warning. One telling my training that shit is about to getveryreal. Sheets of rusty metal hang loose in places, creaking softly in the breeze, only adding to the impending sense of doom invading my body.

The heavy steel door ahead is propped open with a rusted pipe, revealing a pitch-black entrance. I pause at the threshold, taking one last deep breath of fresh air. I roll my shoulders, letting out any anxiety I have as Haven, then flick my internal switch, stepping inside as Blue Jay—a smart-mouthed yet lethal assassin.

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