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I use two fingers pressed together and point them forward, signaling Viktor behind me to follow. We’re crouched low to the ground, rounding Adrian’s building to the ladder that leads up to the roof.

Before we move forward, Viktor holds my arm back. I look at him, anger swirling through my veins. He’s looking at his phone, eyes wide and full of fear. Why the fuck is he on his phone? In the middle of a damn mission to put it at that. “What,” I growl, my voice as low as it can go.

“It’s Penelope.” My heart skips a beat, feeling fear flood my already overworked system. “She was in a wreck on her way back to the Manor. It’s bad,” He whispers, voice cracking slightly.

All emotions leave my mind. All but one, fear. She was in a wreck. Right after I yelled at her. Right after she told me to keep her or leave her. Why the FUCK didn’t I grab her before she left?

Guilt floods me, tears pricking my eyes as I stare at him. My mind is racing, every possible image of her sprawled out, lifeless on the interstate pavement, blood pouring from her wounds.

I push the thoughts out of my head the best I can, trying to will my way back in the mission, resuming the hunt for this stupid fucking ladder.

Once we find it, we holster the guns we both hold, climbing up the ladder slowly and as quietly as we can. I press a button on my phone midway through, signaling to Jacob to start splicing the cameras. Once I feel my phone buzz in its pocket, I continue up.

The second my head peeks from over the lip of the building, pain rings out from the top of my ear. I look up to see someone crouched at the lip. Fuck. How the fuck did they know we were coming? Nobody was showing on the cameras, or else Jacob would be calling me. I hear the clang of metal under me, telling me Viktor is climbing down and retreating. Fuck him, but also smart for him to get away. Won’t do any good if we’re both down for the count.

Speaking of the devil, my phone buzzes in my pocket before everything goes black.

I come back for a second, feeling my body being hauled up the ladder. A shot hits the concrete next to me, and I hear my brother’s muffled shout from under me, no doubt his shot.

Once I’m flat on the ground, my vision is still swarming. I feel a warm sticky liquid running down my face.

A face hovers above mine, seeing my eyes open and close slowly before I feel a prick in my neck, my vision going black again. I see her face. My Moss. My last thought before I’m plunged into this feel-like coma for God knows how long.

Pain radiates through my body, my head throbbing, and my throat drier than the Sahara Desert. Slowly opening my eyes, I’m met with more blackness.

I move my hands around, feeling them tied together. I do the same with my feet, also tied.

My fingers fumble with the knots, trying to loosen them as my head rolls back and forth with the droopiness from the sedative. A loud noise halted my attempts to loosen my binds.

“Dmitri! So lovely to see you! Sorry, it’s in these circumstances.” Adrian Diaz walks out from the shadows. He has a knife on his hip, a gun in his hand.

I scream out in agony when he aims it at my thigh and shoots. My arms fight against my restraints. “Here’s how this works. Tell me what I want to know, and that pretty little blonde you seem fond of will go unharmed.” My blood runs cold at his mention of Penelope.

“You’re a dead fucking man, Adrian.” I spit on his shoe, followed by a pistol whip to my head, knocking me out cold. I hear his laugh ring through my head, sounding like a broken record that’s ready to be burned.

Soon.

*This book is an advance reader copy and is to not be distributed anywhere. [email protected]*

29

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Doin’ Time - Lana Del Rey

Penelope

My body is on fire, pain licking at every inch of my skin. My throat cries for help from how dry it is. I try opening my eyes, but fail when they feel crusted shut and like they weigh a thousand pounds.

“She’s awake!” A melodic voice says before I faintly hear footsteps disappear. They return a few more times, multiple pairs following this time.

“Penelope, can you open your eyes for me?” A male questions. I try to shake my head no, not knowing if I was successful or not.

“Penelope?” I see bright light flashes in front of my eyes, and I try to squeeze them shut.

“Is she okay? What the fuck is going on?” A deep Russian voice growls. Is that Riot?