Page 153 of Lost
“I didn’t immediately believe Hollis when she said that my cousin was involved in this. Emilia almost seemed meek and quiet whenever I saw her,” Nico admits.
“Then you’ve been duped, because Hollis had to stab her when Emilia had her dragged into that alley recently,” Lars says. “Emilia knows how to play people like a fiddle.”
“I had no idea. I believe you now because my father had written correspondence with her that spanned years, and while his email was encrypted, it was just as damning,” Nico explains, his hand raking through his dark hair. “She had a large controlling interest in the Remano Auction. We found four dead people at the warehouse, one of them being the owner. I think Emilia stole the business from Taylia Rose.”
“I won’t say that I feel sorry for a sex trafficker’s death,” I say, shrugging. “I am deeply disappointed that that auction is simply going to pop up somewhere else. Floating auctions are picking up in popularity.”
“What does a little omega like you know about auctions?!” Nico yells.
“Enough,” I bite out. “I’m really not little either. You’re breaking my sister’s agreement with you. Are you coming to me because you think I’ll go easier on you?”
“I thought you would,” he says. “At the very least I didn’t think you’d carve me up for my words.”
“Once my sister draws a weapon, you’re unlikely to live through it,” I say simply, enjoying the way Nico’s tan begins to look sallow and pale. “This is going to piss her off.”
“I need some time to find her,” he says. “There’s not a hint of where Emilia or the auction has gone.”
Caleb has the phone ringing on speaker not even seconds later, and Nico swallows hard but steels his spine.
“Is everyone okay?”Hollis answers. It’s sad that our lives have her asking this.
“Hello, Hollis,” Nico says.
“I’m going to be very pissed off if I have to put on clothes to kill you,”she says. “Though, Lars and Caleb can do that just fine on their own. So why are you still alive?”
“I’m beginning to question that as well,” he says. “My family has acted in bad faith towards yours. It doesn’t matter that I was a child when Nova was kidnapped, nor that I didn’t know anything about it until you told me. I promise to continue to look for my cousin, but Emilia and the Remano Auction are both lost in the wind.”
“You figured that my sister was the lesser evil, didn’t you?”Hollis asks.“God, you’re an idiot. You’re standing in front of a retired enforcer for the Finnegan family and someone who doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. Nova is well taken care of. I’m sure Tyde could tell them the best ways to handle the disposal of your body if necessary.”
“The hospital has a furnace at the morgue,” Tyde says innocently.
I grin at Nico, knowing how unhinged it probably looks.
“I apparently miscalculated. However, I am truly sorry for everything that my father has done,” Nico says. “Smearing our name wouldn’t help my current situation, but I understand if that’s what you need to do. My father wasn’t the man I thought he was.”
“He won’t have a burial, especially because the house went up in flames, and I know your family is fairly religious. I think it’s a bit ironic, but that’s just me,”Hollis says.“I hope his ghost roams the earth and he never finds peace. In the meantime, you will continue to look for Emilia and this auction. I don’t trust you to handle this, which means you’ll call me immediately when you do and I’ll do it.”
“Yes ma’am,” he says, unable to say anything else. “Is there anything else?”
“Boys, is there?”Hollis asks of my alphas.
“Apparently,” Caleb drawls, “there’s some talk of an arranged marriage being necessary to be able to keep his inheritance.”
Smirking, I enjoy how annoyed Nico is right now. The alpha will not catch a break from us. This is a very different experience than I typically have when dealing with him and his family. Nico hasn’t ever gone out of his way to help me.
Why should I pull him out of this?
“That’s adorable,”my sister says snidely.“You will not marry someone against their own will. If I find out that you did, I will cut off your knot so not only will you not be able to procreate, I’ll make you watch as I kill your brothers as well.”
Damn. Just. Fuck.
“They are all innocent,” Nico snarls.
“Then don’t give me a reason to come for them,”she says simply.“Now, go away.”
The call disconnects as Nico fumes, and I shiver as I watch him. An alpha trapped against a wall is always dangerous. The air even feels heavier, making me deeply uncomfortable.
“Rein it in, Nico. You’re fucking with my girl’s zen,” Caleb growls. “Angry alphas don’t have a place around her.”
