Page 31 of Depths of Desire
“Right back at you.” Pippa blows me a kiss by saying “Mwah.” And then she’s gone.
I lower the phone and look around the room. Where can I hide it? It has to be somewhere they won’t think of looking. I pick up my go-bag and wedge it between the dresser and the wall. Then I step into the hallway and head for the third door on the right—the library. I noticed it on the way down earlier.
I slide inside. The walls are lined floor to ceiling with books. French doors lead to a small balcony. There’s a desk in the corner with scattered papers—nothing urgent, just leftovers. I drift toward the shelves. There are first editions, textbooks, and well-worn fiction. Nico’s a reader? That surprises me. My fingers skim the spines. Some are my old favorites.
Then I see it—The Art of Escape. Oh, the irony. I almost hide the phone there, but no. Too obvious. I keep looking. Finally, I find the perfect book,The Ladies’ Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness.Totally me. I snicker as I tuck the phone behind it and then line everything up neat and tidy, so it doesn’t stick out.
I cross to the balcony doors and glance out. Rolling hills slope down to the Mediterranean. Now all I can do is sit tight and trust that Pippa’s going to get me out of here. I want to trust her. I want to believe she’ll make this happen. But a big part of me knows—it’s a long shot. Which means I need a Plan B. And it has to be a damn good one.
Because I’m only going to get one shot at this. If I don’t make it out in the next couple of days…I’m never getting out.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Trying not to grind my teeth, I stare at the wreckage of my apartment. Broken glass glints in the low light like jagged teeth, mocking me. The fact that there were Blood Orcs in my place has me seething. That stench—metallic, burnt, and vaguely sulfuric—still clings to the air like a curse. Orc stink is notoriously hard to get rid of. It sinks into the walls. Into the bones of the place.
I think I’ll just clean the place up, have it painted, and sell it. Start somewhere new. But the fact that I even have to do that? That alone makes my hands curl into fists. I want to snap those fuckers’ necks and grind their tusks to dust. More importantly, I want to find out who they work for, and then I want to kill their employer. Yes, for destroying my place, but moreso for hurting Luna. Wrecking her place was a blow to her, and no one should be allowed to hurt Luna in any way and get away with it. I won’t let that stand.
I don’t know when I became so protective of her.Whyshe haunts me so much is a mystery. I’ve felt a connection to her from the moment we met, and now that she’s near me, I can’tcontrol my protective nature. She’s mine now. Mine. No one will ever hurt her again.
I go over the video footage again, frame by frame. They’re good—whoever they are. Professional. Coordinated. I don’t catch them on camera until after they’ve already killed my feed. That’s not amateur work. That’s surgical. They must have used jammers to kill the signal before physically severing the wires. Which means this wasn’t random. Thank fuck for the nanny cam.
I send copies of the images to both Luca and Renzo, knowing they already have feelers out. I do the same.
Then I call Esme.
“What’s going on?” she asks immediately. “I can tell something’s up. Your energy’s bouncing all over the place. You okay?”
“There were Blood Orcs in my place,” I say flatly. “They trashed it. Whoever blew up the ship I was on—they came looking for us.”
There’s a pause on the line. “Yuck. Blood Orcs.” She sniffs like she can smell them through the phone. “All right, I’ll do my best. But honestly, I think you and your brothers are better at this part.”
“Do what you can but do it safely. No big waves. As discreet as possible, please.”
“No worries,” she says and then hesitates before adding, “I’ve made a bit of progress on the other thing, but I don’t want to get into it just yet. I’ll ask around about the Blood Orcs and get back to you.” She breaks off the call.
I drop the phone and lean forward, bracing my elbows on my desk. I don’t even have time to think about my mother at the moment or what it means that she’s alive. I’ll have to deal with that later. I stare at the grain of the wood, trying to pull mythoughts together, when suddenly—something clicks. “Fuck,” I say aloud.
If they’ve already searched Luna’s place… and she’s not there… and my place…Then the next logical step is anyone else she might run to. Shit. I open a telepathic channel to Renzo and Luca. It takes a second, but they respond, our minds linking through the ether.
Luna’s parents, I say.Since the Blood Orcs already tossed her place looking for her, her parents’ house is the next logical step. We need to send someone there—keep an eye on them. Make sure they’re safe.
Shit,Luca mutters. Ididn’t even think of that. I’ll put someone on it right now.
Anywhere else you can think of? Somewhere they’d look for Luna?Renzo asks.
I have no idea. People know Pippa and Mia are her best friends…I don’t bother finishing the sentence. They already know.
Yeah, already on that,Renzo replies.I’ve beefed up security around Pippa and Mia. Luca and I discussed it. Do you want me to send more security your way?
No. I’ve already added guards at the gate. Too much security will draw attention to the fact that we’re here. As long as we can stay under the radar, we’re better off a little light on bodies. Less is more.
Agreed,Renzo says.We’ve all got feelers out into the magick realm. Hopefully, something turns up. Once we know who the Blood Orcs belong to, we’ll know who we’re dealing with.
Good.I start to break the link when another voice cuts in, sharp and layered with command.
Hold a minute,Renzo commands.
Just what I need—more conversation. I brace myself as the presence thickens like smoke in my chest. My father.
