Page 78 of Reckless Covenant

“Sorry… I just don’t want them to slip through the cracks. They have to pay. It’s not just about me anymore.” She sits back on the sofa, head falling against the edge as she rubs her palms over her beautiful face.

“They won’t. The Sanctum is bigger than they think. It’s bigger than you think as well. There is no chance for them now. You will certainly not marry that goddamn piece of shit, and all the children they have wronged will be avenged. You have my word on that.”

She nods, seemingly satisfied with the reassurance, but I can still see the turmoil in her eyes. “Make the arrangements, then.”

“It’s all been arranged. One text to confirm your approval, and we’re ready.”

“Then I believe it’s time for us to leave our sanctuary, Mr Sinclair.”

Indeed, it is. I nod once, rising from the armchair, offering my hand to her. And she takes it with a smile on her face.

* * *

The evening offersthe cover we need, and by the time the wheels of my Camaro hit the asphalt of Queenscove’s downtown, it’s just past nine. We’re heading straight to Midnight to meet the others, along with Loreley. Morrigan demanded to see her in a safe environment.

She’s safe at the moment. No one can see her through the tinted windows of my car, but I do worry that someone might spot us walking into Midnight. As secret as that bar is, The Sanctum is not the only one in this city with access to information. Our only advantage is the fact that as far as we know, neither O’Rourke nor Holt know that Morrigan has any involvement with us. It’s never safe to assume, though.

The chirping startles Morrigan, who seemed to be trapped in deep thought. I pick it up from the center console, but the number on the screen gives me an unsettling feeling.

I think she catches onto it, an eyebrow cocked as I slide my finger on the screen.

“Everything o…” But I’m interrupted by angry and terrified cries. “What the fuck happened?! …”

“Vincent?!” Morrigan’s eyes are wide as she clutches my thigh. Something in that gaze tells me she already knows who’s distressed on the other end of the line.

“We’re on our way! Stay away from it!” Fuck, fuck….Fuck!

“What happened, Vincent?! Was that Lulu?!” She’s turned in her chair now as I press the acceleration, weaving through traffic, ignoring the honking and red lights. I put an arm over her, pressing her onto the seat.

“Put your seatbelt on!” I rasp through the sound of the angry engine.

“Goddamnit, Serpent! What the fuck happened to Lulu?!” Oh, reckless Morrigan came to play. I can feel her fire touching me, her rage growing with every second that passes.

“Fuck.” She’s gonna hate me.

“We’ve passed Midnight.” She turns her head, seeing our turn in the taillights, and when I make the next right turn, tires screeching on the asphalt, her ass sliding in the chair, I can feel her searing gaze on me. “Lulu. The apartments. The club.”

I sigh, exhaling a breath that strains my throat, as I pull onto the street where all that she listed lies.

“The club is burning.”

A gasp. No more. No other sound. And even the sear of her gaze turns cold.

I stop the car and look at her, only I meet her profile, stern, sharp, her chest rising and falling in controlled breaths. I’m used to her lashing out, screaming, raging, beating the shit out of people, but this… this is fucking terrifying, because it’s a stage I’ve never seen her in.

We can see the lights of the fire truck coming from the back of the building where the parking lot for the club is. But I pulled in at the side of the building, since I don’t want to risk being seen at the front, or the club’s entrance. The moment the car doors open, we can smell it. Burnt wood and leather fills the air, but there are no flames out here. Maybe it’s a good sign.

We disappear in the shadows, quickly slipping through a side entrance that’s fairly concealed, and once that door opens, the thick, choking smoke hits us first, and then the heat.

“Morrigan, you can’t go in there!” I grab her forearm, pulling her back, but the woman shakes herself so hard, she escapes my grip, giving me a look of hurt that hits my soul.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” she seethes, then runs through the corridor.

I realize we walked in through the fire exit, ironically, and I follow her through the corridor that holds all the playrooms that luckily look intact.

“Nooooo!!!” Morrigan’s cry splits the air, shattering some part of me that feels too much for her. Her pain too heavy. The flames have taken over the entire bar area, the storeroom in the back of it, and most of the stage and the seating area that surrounds it. Only the former has already been extinguished, black scorched wood and leather the only ones remaining.

“Ma’am, you have to leave right now!” A fireman grabs her upper arm just as I get to her. The moment he sees me, he freezes for a split second. “Please, it’s not safe.” Others are fighting the flames that engulf the bar area, the heat so strong, the smoke making us cough as it scorches our airways.

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