Page 46 of Falling for the Devil

I stop dead.

“That’s not mine.” I say darkly as I notice the single burner phone sitting on my coffee table. I glance around the roomquickly. Nothing else seems to have been moved. I can’t tell if anything is missing but it doesn’t look like it.

“You sure? Would Alexei…?” Luca asks as he starts to check the other rooms. He pulls his gun and immediately searches the bedroom and adjoining bathroom. Everything else is an open floor plan so he makes quick work of ensuring that there isn’t anybody else here waiting for us.

“Don’t touch it.” Luca warns as he moves toward the table. Suspicion grows to the size of the room.

“Obviously it was put here for me, Luca. I have to see what it is!” I move for the phone before he can stop me. I flip open the phone and there, waiting for me on the screen, is a location with a time stamp.

Two words underneath it make my heart stop cold.

Come alone.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

LUCA

It’s rude to snatch things, but I can’t help myself.

The moment that Katya looked at the phone, the color drained from her face. Alexei walks in through the open apartment door the moment I take the phone out of Katya’s hand. She sinks slowly onto the couch and grips the edge of the fabric tightly as if she’s not quite sure what to do with herself.

“Seven?” I repeat the time out loud as I glance at the watch on my wrist. “That doesn’t give us much time.”

I hand the phone to Alexei before he tries to snatch the phone back from me as well. “Where is this?”

“One of my father’s old warehouses.” I answer automatically. I recognize the coordinates from countless manifestos that I’ve had to log. It’s not one that he uses much more. I wonder to myself if that has something to do with the fact that he doesn’t want too many of the men knowing what he’s up to. No doubt word has circulated around already that I’ve ‘gone rogue.’ With that being true, those who have always been loyal to me can’t be making things easy on my father.

“And I’m sure that it’s easily defensible from the inside?” Alexei asks.

I dip my chin in a nod. “Of course. You brought weapons?”

“In the rover.” Alexei confirms.

“Let’s get going.”

“No.” Katya protests.

Both her brother and I stop at the same moment.

“The message said to come alone.”

My eye twitches. “I don’t care what the message said. You’re not going alone. End of story.”

“For once, I agree,” Alexei states.

Katya stands with her hands balled into fists down at her side. “I said no! If he wants me to come alone, and you two show up, then there is no telling what will happen to Marci! I’m not going to let you two put your lives in danger andher lifein danger just because you don’t believe that I’m capable of handling myself!”

Alexei huffs through his nose. “And I think it’s cute that you have a say. One word from me, dear sister, and I will have you thrown into my dungeons and you won’t go at all. I don’t care if it pisses you off. I don’t care if you never want to talk to me again, your life matters more to me. I’m ending this war today, period.”

My brain immediately goes to Katya in said dungeon. Naked.

Not helpful.

“Either you agree to the group, or you don’t go at all.” Alexei said again firmly.

There’s a show down between the pair of them. Katya stands in front of her brother with her arms on her hips and I can tell that neither of them are planning on backing down.

“We are wasting time.” I mutter and turn to leave the room. I will leave them both behind if I have to.

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