Page 30 of City of Salvation

He fell silent, hanging his head so his chin rested against his heaving chest. Another ear-piercing shriek, loud enough to shatter glass, echoed as I yanked out the blade.

The shouts morphed into sobs. Neither of which were helpful to me.

“I’m going to start sawing off your ball sack, Jardani.” Another sob as the metal tip brushed his family jewels. “One. Two. Thr?—”

“Because the Bratva always collects what is ours,” he rushed out, contorting his body to move his balls away from my blade. “I don’t know what the Reapers have planned. We didn’t give a shit. They were supposed to collect the girl, and then we would provide them with firearms and bodies.” Hewhimpered, his head lolling to one side. “They want Los Muertos gone too.”

“Why?” Torque was now beside me, glaring down as he asked the question I’d been about to ask.

The Russian shook his head, sending snot flying everywhere. “I don’t fucking know why. Only want the girl,” he breathed out.

Jardani’s response earned a menacing growl from me. “Wrong response.”

Metal met soft flesh and I sliced into the sensitive skin. Mother Nature had real jokes, putting all our shit on the outside, leaving it vulnerable. He shouted in protest, thrashing about from the meat hook he was suspended by. He’d been reduced to a blubbering mess.

My next move was interrupted by the insistent vibrating of my phone against the metal shelf where I’d placed it. I wanted to ignore it, but it continued to vibrate over and over again.

“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered, storming over to the cabinet. I checked my phone and saw three missed calls, all from Gunner. Before I could call him back, it vibrated in my hand, this time with a different name: La Brujita.

“What the fuck, Ryan?” I began, but she cut me off.

“What the hell did you do to Nikki? Why is she calling me saying you’re not letting her out of your room? That you locked her in there?”

I was caught off guard. “How the fuck did she get out of her restraints?” I muttered without thinking.

Ryan’s yell was so loud that I had to pull the phone away from my ear before she blew out my eardrum. “Her what?!”

CHAPTER 13

DEX

“WE FUCK, DEX. IF HE WANTS A HAND, HE CAN USE HIS OWN.” -RYAN, OUR ICONIC QUEEN

“You can’t be pissedat me. I tried to warn you, dude. Called three fucking times,” Gunner said.

I stuck my tongue out at him from where I sat in one of Ryan’s velvet office chairs.

“Oh, real mature, Dex.”

“Oh, real mature, Dex,” I mimicked, not giving a shit that I was being a child. “My balls are no longer my own. A scary short Latina now holds them,” I mocked, crossing my arms over my chest. “You let her fuck you too? Okay, that one I get, who doesn’t like a little ass play.”

Gunner glared at me from where he leaned behind Ryan’s desk.

Fuck, shit had changed from the last time we were in here together. If memory served me right, and it did, Ryan was the one leaning there and glaring at us. Now, I sat on this side of the desk, alone, and it was my own brother staring me down.

The door behind me opened, a secondary conversation floating through the space.

“You didn’t mention anything about someone trying tokidnapyou, Nikki.” There was a fierce edge to Ryan’s voice. A tone I’d heard her use before, but never on Nikki. Then again, when the four of us had been around each other, it was all drinking and partying. None of us had been really getting toknoweach other. Well, except Ryan and Gunner, that was.

Angry footfalls grew closer. “I didn’t think it was important,” Nikki bit out, plopping into the emerald chair beside me. Bare legs curled up, tucking underneath her. It pleased me way more than it should have that she was wearing my shirt. My eyes dipped to her nipples, wondering if the fabric would still show evidence of where I’d sucked on them.

“Narc,” I whispered her way when she caught me staring. I savored how her blue eyes cut over to me, irritation flaring.

“You’ve said that already, Dex. About a hundred times on the way over here. Find something new to say.” She flipped me off, facing forward once again.

When Ryan had called, they were only about thirty minutes outside of Tucson, and she’d ordered me to meet her at Lotería for this little chit-chat. I liked her, but I wasn’t fucking her, so I sure as shit didn’t take orders from her. Only reason I was here was to share what I’d learned. I had some questions for Nikki, too.

Jardani’s words played over in my mind. Everything was about to go to shit, and Nikki had managed to get herself smack dab in the middle.I rubbed my chest. There was a twinge every time I thought about something happening to her. But she’d made itcrystal clearshe didn’t want my help.

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