Page 56 of Surrender (Angels Halo MC Next Gen)

“He’s been talking about Kovak. Mentioning stuff I didn’t know about. And at this point, I can’t tell you if any of it actually happened or if it’s a hallucination…” Her shoulders sagged. “Or if someone was filling his head with these thoughts.”

Ryan stepped closer to me, and for once, it felt like we were a united force. “Why would you think that?”

“I didn’t consider anyone using your father until today,” she admitted. “But maybe whoever targeted Samara in Budapest isn’t just out to hurt me. Maybe they are trying to get to him as well. And they’re using your sister to do it.”

“That’s a hell of a lot of ‘maybes,’ Mom,” Ryan said with a shake of his head, while my stomach sank. Becausemaybewasn’teverthe case with my mother. Maybes were the things of nightmares. Or the death of a person’s soul.

“I know. But my gut is telling me this is connected. I’ve been fighting the sensation all day. But it won’t go away.” She rested her back against the wall beside the window, touching both hands to her stomach. “My gut has kept me alive this long. I can’t ignore it now.”

CHAPTERTHIRTY

samara

Adjusting my scope,I followed my prey as he got out of his overcompensating-for-something car. Kovak was a creep, but he wasn’t exactly ugly. His hair was over-gelled. And he always wore too much cologne. He craved power, liked to pretend he was some big player in the underworld games, but really, my niece and nephew had more pull than he did.

For the last three days, I’d stalked him. He was kind of on the boring side, a creature of habit. Which was dangerous even if someone wasn’t in a syndicate. Sticking to the same schedule day after day might feel safe, but that knowledge could so easily be used against a person.

I had zero compunction about using it to my advantage.

Papa had come home two days after my arrival, and so far, he’d only had a few instances where he didn’t recognize me. Ryan, on the other hand, Papa was wary around. More than once, I’d heard my father mumbling about impostors and doppelgängers and not knowing which was which. But when I asked him about it, he didn’t seem to understand what I was talking about.

With him doing so well, I needed to get back to Creswell Springs. I missed Elias. And Daisy. On top of that, work was piling up. Even though I was caught up on all the drafts that needed to be completed, I had responsibilities. Jos was counting on me.

But my brother refused to let me leave. With the threat of war with Kovak still on the horizon, he said it would be irresponsible if I returned.

Which only left me with one option.

Eliminate the threat so I could get back to Elias and our fur baby.

Kovak didn’t seem like he was all that concerned with going to war. Which was a rare show of intelligence. Papa might no longer be in a position of power, but my brother was a hell of a lot scarier than our father.

No one wanted to fuck around and find out when it came to Ryan. He and Mom might not share DNA, but he was more like her than Papa. Everyone had seen how close to a feral savage he could become when he’d thought he’d lost Nova. A little more than a decade later and people still whispered about his ruthlessness.

With my earbuds in, keeping me focused, I added in the wind factor and followed Kovak through the scope as he took his time. Not a care in the world other than the debate over which mistress he would allow to share his bed later that night.

He had three, but I could tell he favored the newest one. She was gorgeous, with her Latin heritage features and temper. Kovak had shared her bed two of the last three nights. From what little I knew about her so far, she kind of liked him too. She didn’t even seem to care that he had a microdick. At least he wasn’t a selfish lover and knew how to use his tongue.

My finger flicked over the trigger, taking the shot. Without blinking, I watched as Kovak’s brains splattered across the hood of his white car. Five men shouted and kicked into action, and from my vantage point, I watched them scramble around like flies around a pile of shit, guns drawn, terror on their faces.

Briefly, I wondered if any of them had families. But death was a risk these men took every time they left their homes. That was the price for being a part of the darkest side of the underworld.

Five more shots and Kovak’s men were all on the ground, their blood leaking from their bodies. No one would find them until morning, when the day shift came in to start the legitimate part of the operation.

As I climbed into my car an hour later, after making sure no trace of me was left behind—and doctoring the scene to look like a rival syndicate was responsible for the ambush— I checked my phone. Seeing I had a few new texts from Elias, I felt my heart clench.

We hadn’t talked often since I’d left. But that was more for my own sanity. Missing him was hard. Even when it came to my love for my father and the need to keep him safe, my obsession with Elias was too overwhelming.

But I was done fighting my crazy. I was going home. And my brother couldn’t do shit to stop me with Kovak neutralized.

Daddy: I miss you.

Daddy: If you don’t come home soon, I’m coming to get you.

Daddy: You better not be doing anything you shouldn’t, baby girl.

Smiling, I was about to hit connect on his name, when I saw a missed alert from the encrypted app that let me see his texts from Berkeley.

She hadn’t texted him since our meeting the day I had to leave. Which was a good thing because it had kept me focused on what was going on with Papa and not on her.

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