Page 71 of Heritage of Fire

Chapter 28

Nik

Luna is trouble. Our make-out session on the couch yesterday, which was somehow better than anything I’veeverfelt, solidified that. Damn it. My perfect little?—

Banging on my car window startles me, and my protein shake sloshes over the side of my cup.

“Igor, what the hell, man?” I fumble with some napkins, trying to soak up the sludge from my pants as the passenger door opens. Sliding inside with a smirk on his face, he slaps a file folder onto the dashboard.

“Coroner’s office was a bust. The guy who was brought in last night wasn’t killed by EV. Throat was slit, but no carvings on his chest.”

I put my drink down and turn the car back on.

“Dang.” I pull away from the building, heading back to the office.

Luka had asked us to check on a suspicious murder from last night. The thought was he might be another one murdered by EV, but it sounds like it wasn’t their handiwork.

Twenty minutes later, Igor breaks the silence, his fingers drumming on his styrofoam cup. “Did you know the two Cosa Nostra men who were killed a couple days ago?”

“Nyet. Luka said Salvatore sent them to poke around. At least we know they aren’t specifically targeting the Bratva.”

I glance at Igor, swirling the last of his smoothie around in the bottom of his cup. His face is downturned, and he looks worried.

“Always work with a brother, Igor. Dmitry won’t be the last Mafia member they try to kill.”

“Da,” he says, and nods.

We arrive back at the office where Luka is waiting with a few other men to start a meeting. We pile into the small conference room where we consume takeout from Luka’s favorite restaurant.

We find out the Cosa Nostra has a low-level worker from EV in their custody, and we’ll be transporting said worker to one of our warehouses for interrogation in a few days. Since we have larger, more secure facilities than the Cosa Nostra, plans to transfer our interrogation along with security need to be discussed. While this is my forte, my mind is wandering.

Nik: Luka is boring to listen to :)

I send the message, hoping she’ll text back. Strange moments of desperation have started to strike me when she isn’t nearby. I’ve never felt compelled to talk to a woman before, but I can’t seem to turn Luna off. Even the other day when I heard the crunch of gravel outside, and knew she was back from Kate and Luka’s, I had to watch her—had to see her coming home.

Luna: Can’t you get shot for saying stuff like that?

Nik: Maybe. Why, worried about me? ;)

Luna: Maybe :)

Nik: We should go to dinner tonight. I’ll let Frank know to bring you to the city to meet me.

Luna: Are you asking?

Nik: Luna, will you go to dinner with me tonight?

Luna: Maybe :)

I snort out loud and the entire conference room of men turns in my direction.

“Nikolai.” Luka’s voice booms from the head of the table.

I send him a wide grin while motioning for him to carry on. His eyes narrow and his nostrils flare, but I don’t miss the tiny twitch curving his mouth.

It’s only later when I’m thinking about it I realize—I asked Luna out on a date and didn’t even notice.

I booked a table at one of my favorite restaurants in the city. Every detail is high-end, from the decorations to the service to the epic culinary creations. It sits high in the sky in a prime location, offering one of the better views of the city skyline.

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