Page 14 of Torn Souls

“Thank you, Erik,” Kirill’s voice is professional bordering on boredom. He tilts his head to the side with the way Erik shifts from foot to foot, something he normally doesn’t do. “Is there anything else?”

“I thought you should know that your party is already here. A Mr. Chambers and a young woman I believe to be his daughter,” Erik’s voice is tense and a little thready which showcases his nervousness.

The tension between us ramps up, not surprising considering we now know Kirill is about to be ambushed. It might not be with guns, but Chambers bringing his daughter is like wielding a weapon, nonetheless.

Kirill’s eyes go glacial, and I have to bite back my smirk. He’s not going to let Chambers get away with this, but now there’s another layer to deal with when it comes to this dinner meeting.

I almost growl out my annoyance at the whole thing but swallow it down as Erik leads us to the private room where Chambers is already waiting. The frustration coming from us increases with every step.

At least the food will be delicious. The chef here knows what we like, and I know there won’t be a menu in sight because there is no need. We’ll be served a five-course meal with the best of what White Stone has to offer.

No matter what else happens, at least we won’t go home hungry. I’ll take the little victory where I can find it.

The moment we step inside the private room, Richard Chambers stands and buttons his suit jacket. I barely look at him, taking him in with a dismissive glance. He tries to look aloof, but there’s a tightness in his face that shows his anxiety and more than a little panic.

I almost scoff at the way he’s trying to show himself as a strong man as he stands before us. We know the truth. It’s all a show, one he’s not very good at carrying off.

When my eyes slide to the woman still sitting at the table, everything inside of me stills. My past, the demons I’m still fighting because of it, all the thoughts constantly spiraling through my consciousness, and the concern about what Chambers wants from us…it all disappears.

The woman is gorgeous. She’s clearly younger than us, probably early 20s, and there’s an innocence about her which stops me from looking away. Her dark brown hair is styled with soft curls that frame her face and flows down around her shoulders. She’s wearing a gorgeous red dress which is fitted but classic instead of being over the top and showing far too much skin.

Her brown eyes come up and meet mine for a moment before she looks back down at her lap, her eyelashes fan over her cheeks before they turn a delicate pink color. We only lock eyes for amoment, but there’s something in her gaze that has me wanting to close the distance between us and pull her into my arms.

“Mr. Volkov,” Chambers greets and steps toward us even though we have all frozen at the entrance of the room.

Maxim clears his throat, but I can’t tear my eyes away from the woman sitting at the table. Something is off, I don’t know what, but I’m going to find out.

Fuck.

I should have dug into her more. I’m kicking myself now. It’s not like I don’t know better; I do. Having all the information always works out better than being in the dark.

“Mr. Chambers,” Kirill’s words are clipped as he steps forward with Baker right at his back.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me,” there’s a tightness in his voice. “I’d like to introduce my daughter, Oaklynn, to you.”

Kirill’s back ripples with tension and barely contained fury. Thinking he was going to bring his daughter and being presented with her are two different things. What kind of man does this?

Chambers doesn’t look anywhere near as worried as he should be. If he makes it through the night while still breathing, he’ll be lucky.

Oaklynn.

She’s gorgeous and I can barely tear my eyes away from her. She glances around furtively as we all take our seats around the table. Erik still stands at the edge of the room, but the moment we’re all seated, he materializes from the shadows.

The silence surrounding us is thick as Erik pours us wine. When Chambers notices me watching Oaklynn, he looks far too pleased. It’s the only thing which has me tearing my eyes away from her.

My gut is screaming at me that this is going to be a shit show. Maxim is smirking and I have no doubt he’s looking forward to being entertained. Baker has his head on a swivel as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. He’s probably not far off, but I think the threat is going to come from whatever ulterior motive Chambers has.

The men who have become my brothers are all wearing masks of neutrality and even I’m not sure what they think about Oaklynn.

The only thing I know for sure is that if I get the chance, I’m going to make her mine.

CHAPTER 5

OAKLYNN

I’ve been sitting next to my father for almost thirty minutes. The longer we wait, even though I’m sure we were far too early and whoever we’re waiting for isn’t being intentionally rude, the more my father becomes frustrated and annoyed. I want to shrink away from him and make myself smaller, but I force myself to sit still.

Calling attention to myself would be a mistake. His threats from earlier, especially in the words not spoken, are already going round and round in my head. I don’t want to pull the spotlight toward me right now.

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