Page 42 of Diamond Angel

He pulls his hand from mine. “What, are you serious?

I nod. “Time for me to go back. Face my sister.”

“Did he convince you to do that?”

“It was a team effort, to be honest. Him and Mabel and you and everyone else kinda shoving me out of the door.”

That way lies happiness,they all seem to be screaming, jabbing insistent fingers in the direction of Zakharov House.That way lies your future.

Personally, I doubt it.

He walks me out of the café, then turns to me on the street. “One last request. Can I give you a hug goodbye?”

It’s such a simple request and still, I want to say no. Maybe that’s the reason my face drops, and Callan nods with resignation. “You really fell hard, huh?”

“Callan…”

“You don’t have to say anything,” he assures me with a smile. “Never mind. It’s okay.”

“No, I just—You’re—Yes. I can give you a hug goodbye.”

He opens up his arms and I step in. But before I can even make contact, a harsh voice drops between us like a guillotine.

“Back away from her. Now.”

Callan drops his hands immediately and turns to face Ilarion. The man towers over both of us on the street, his hooded eyes boring holes through Callan’s skull.

Where did he even come from?

17

ILARION

I’m watching Callan await Taylor’s arrival in the café when my phone vibrates. A three-way call from my sister and second-in-command.

Dima doesn’t bother with hellos. “Zane is dead,” he informs me.

I freeze. “The detective?”

“The creepy little fuck you hired to sniff out Archie, yes,” Mila confirms. “We found him dumped a few miles from our northern safehouse with a bullet in the back of his head. We’re pretty sure the Bellasios know about that location.”

“Fuck,” I snarl. “That means Zane had him. He found the fucker.”

“We have reason to believe that he might have found Gregor, not Benedict, but still. Same thing. You find one, you find the other.”

That deepens my frown. “Explain.”

Mila clears her throat and launches into it. “A Zakharov scout in the territory reported a sighting of Gregor last night at a local strip club. Dima and I spoke to the girls who worked the shift, and two of them confirmed seeing him there. It lines up with the timing of us finding Zane’s body. Seems like he showed up around midnight, paid two dancers for the night in a private room, then dipped out around four in the morning. He must’ve run across Zane sometime after that.”

“Fuck,” I growl, pacing in circles around the small clearing where I’m waiting while I shoot glances over at the café. Callan hasn’t moved. “Fuck! That means we were close. And now, we’re back to where we started.”

“These Bellasio fucks can’t stay ghosts forever.”

“We’ve been saying that for years, Dima!” I peel my phone away from my face to see another call coming through. I decline it immediately.

“Well, you’ve found the old man now,” Mila points out. “Has he coughed up any information?”

“Not yet, but I haven’t really broached the subject. I can’t afford to spook him now. Once he’s in my territory, on my property, it’ll be easier to get information out of him.”

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