Trey - Shandi Boyes Page 0,63

piercings as me, but no amount of body art can hide his boyishly handsome face.

“Can this wait?” I ask, still uneased by K’s nightmare. She’s been fragile since she orgasmed, and I have a feeling her nightmare is just the beginning of her downfall.

Nero shakes his head. “Not unless you want Nikolai’s kingdom to topple before it’s truly begun.” My heart rate kicks up a beat when he adds, “We let feelers out as you suggested. One caught wind about a flock set to fly.”

Fuck. This is what I’ve been worried about since Nikolai decided to storm Vladimir’s off-site compound. His decision revealed he was putting Justine above his position. To his crew, it showed strength and leadership. To his enemies, it exposed he has a weakness—one they’ll be more than happy to use against him. That’s why I fired at India all those years ago. If I had placed her above anyone, my operation would have folded even quicker than it did from Cole’s change of teams.

If I knew back then what I know now, I would have never notched back the trigger. Alas, I can’t change the past, but I sure as hell can stop the same thing happening to Nikolai.

“Who?”

I could expand on my question, but Nero isn’t my go-to guy for no reason. “Vasilievs. Eight spotted them armoring up. They’re a mile or two out from P’s.”

I swear for the second time, out loud this time. “Tell the men to suit up.” After dragging over my jeans, I stuff my feet inside the openings, yank them up my thighs, then hunt for a shirt. “Does Nikolai know?” Nero waits for me to pull a plain white T over my head and grab my boots from the door before he shakes his head. “Why the fuck not?”

“Mikhail—”

“I don’t give a fuck what Mikhail says. You don’t work for Mikhail. You work for Nikolai, so anything happening on his turf goes directly through him.”

My throat works through a hard swallow when Nero says, “Mikhail didn’t want you informed either.” When I look two seconds from ripping Mikhail’s stomach out of his body via his nostrils, Nero talks faster, “Not because he’s trying to jump over your rank. Word is Alexei knows you killed Tristan. He doesn’t want revenge, Trey. He has every intention of killing you.”

“Then it’s my right to be a part of this war, isn’t it?” I don’t wait for him to answer me. I once again direct him to get the men ready before moving to K’s side of the bed. She appears to be sleeping. Her ruse would be more convincing if her ear wasn’t squashed against the mattress, and her eyes weren’t open and unblinking. I don’t know if Nero’s unexpected arrival to my room shunted her into the dark void or her nightmare. It could be a combination of them both.

After pulling out the blanket flattened beneath her and cocooning her within it, I push her hair away from her face. “I’ll be back, alright? I know I said I wouldn’t leave you, but this is really important.”

I’d give anything for her to answer me. To say it’s okay for me to leave. But since it is unlikely she’ll ever do that, I drag my thumb over her lips that are slightly parted so she can suck in shallow breaths unnoticed before making a beeline for the door Nero’s shadow disappeared from only seconds ago.

As carnage swarms around me, I take the most direct route to Nikolai’s room in the compound. Even though I’m dressed, I feel naked without my gun. It’s usually stuffed down the back of my jeans. Tonight, I left it sitting on my bedside table. Leaving it there was the only way I could convince myself it was okay to leave K. She’ll be safe. No one knows about Clarks’ location. Nikolai kept it on the down-low for this very reason. We’ll never be ambushed here. It’s Nikolai’s safe haven, and the only place I’ve ever felt sheltered.

Hopefully, it will represent the same thing for K one day as well.

A Russian curse word breaks through the door of Nikolai’s room when I rack my knuckles against it. He tells me to leave with a heap of gravelly words and even more expletives.

“Can’t,” I reply without the slightest quiver to my voice. We’ve had days to prepare for this war, so now isn’t the time to act panicked. “Birds have word of a takeover bid.”

Another Russian curse word booms