Chapter 39 Sera
SERA
I’m halfway to my car, keys jingling in my hand, when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out, glancing at the screen, and a smile tugs at my lips.
Liev: Be careful.
Me: Are you watching me on the security cameras?
I pause under the corner of the house, spotting the small black dome mounted high on the wall. With a grin, I flip it off, middle finger extended playfully.
Liev: That’s not very nice.
Me: Neither is stalking me.
Liev: I just don’t want you to overdo and be sore later.
A warm flutter stirs low in my belly. God, even over text, he has this effect on me.
Me: Big plans?
Liev: Naked plans.
The tingle spreads, heat blooming across my skin. I bite my lip, imagining his hands on me.
Me: In that case, I’ll take it easy on Finn and preserve my strength.
Liev: Good idea.
I shake my head, chuckling as I slide into the driver’s seat.
After our meeting with Tyler and his father, Liev went to Koval Industries to meet with Alex and figure out how his new position in the Bratva will mesh with his duties there.
We’ve been together practically every minute for almost two weeks, and it feels a little weird for him to be off doing something else.
Who knew I was the needy type? The thought makes me laugh out loud.
The Bluetooth connects as I merge onto the road, and my phone rings almost immediately.
Guess I’m not the only needy one.
I hit accept, my voice light and teasing. “Hey! Miss me already?”
“Hey.” The response is subdued, almost hesitant, and it’s not the deep, rumbling tone I was expecting.
I blink. “Hannah?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry to call, but... You haven’t answered any of my texts in days. I thought maybe you were upset with me for some reason.”
The phone. Shit.
I’d only just transferred everything to the new device yesterday after Finn removed all the malware.
“Oh crap! I’m so sorry. Something happened with my phone, and I didn’t have access to it for a few days. I just reloaded all my stuff yesterday—I didn’t see your texts.”
“Oh.”
There’s a sad, almost deflated note in her voice, one that tugs at me. Hannah’s usually so upbeat. This isn’t like her.
A faint unease prickles at the back of my mind. “Are you okay?”
“Of course. I’m just...” A heavy sigh crackles through the speakers, followed by a sniffle that sounds suspiciously like she’s holding back tears. “Actually, I’m kind of freaking out a little bit.”
Tension coils in my stomach. I know her ex, Chad, still lurks in the background. Has something happened?
“Is it Chad? Are you safe? Do you need help?”
“No, I haven’t heard from him since that night. It’s just all this wedding shit.”
I feel like smacking my forehead. This weekend is her sister’s wedding. With the family pressure and questions about her own love life, she’s been dreading it for weeks. I can’t believe I forgot.
“It’s been a nonstop love fest around here, and between that and my aunts and mom hassling me about why I broke up with Chad... I’m overwhelmed.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to tell them how he treated you? It would get them off your back,” I ask carefully.
“Maybe. But I can’t do it now and ruin my sister’s wedding.” She huffs a sad laugh. “I guess I’m just feeling sorry for myself. Everyone around me is so happy and in love, and I’m... alone.”
Guilt twists in my chest. I haven’t told her about Liev yet or about our marriage. I grimace, glad she can’t see me. Now definitely isn’t the time. The last thing she needs is me gushing about my happiness.
“God, I hate being this girl,” she mutters, her voice cracking a little.
“What girl?”
“The one who falls apart because her little sister is getting married first.”
“You’re allowed to fall apart whenever you want. You’ve seen me do it.”
“I know it’s kind of early, but... do you want to meet and have a drink? Or ten?”
I bite my lip, glancing at the clock on the dash. I don’t want to let her down, especially when she sounds like she needs a friend, but I have no interest in going out and getting drunk. I’m much more interested in Liev’s naked plans.
Still... I can’t just bail on her. Not when she’s reaching out like this.
“I’m actually on my way to spar,” I tell her, calculating the time. “Give me an hour? Maybe a little more. I can’t have a bunch of drinks, but I can definitely do a cocktail.”
“I should come with you one of these days. Punching things sounds like fun right about now.”
“It’s extremely therapeutic.” I chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. “Hey, I’ll text you the address. Why don’t you meet me there in an hour? I can introduce you to Finn.”
Hannah groans, but there’s a hint of her usual humor in it. “Promise me you aren’t trying to set me up.”
I laugh outright. “Definitely not. Finn is not a setup kind of guy.”
“Is he cute?”
“Yeah, but much more into his computers than human relationships.”
“Great. Hot and emotionally unavailable,” she mock-grumbles. “Just my type.”
At the next stoplight, I send her the address to Brady’s gym. Hannah and Finn? I shake my head at the absurdity of the thought.
The gym parking lot is mostly empty when I pull in. A few familiar cars are scattered near the entrance. But as I scan the spaces, my eyes snag on Hannah’s blue sedan, backed up against the curb by the street. She’s early.
A faint unease stirs again, like a whisper at the back of my neck. Why did she park so far away? The lot’s not full. Why not come inside to wait?
I can see the silhouette of her head through the window in the driver’s seat. She’s just sitting there, not making any move to get out.
Oh, crap! I hope she didn’t think I was being coy about it not being a setup. Finn will kill me if he thinks I’m playing matchmaker.
I park closer to the building, grabbing my gym bag from the passenger seat. Maybe she got here early and decided to wait in the car? Scroll through her phone or something. I hesitate for a second, debating whether to text her or just head inside.
But that prickling sensation won’t let up. Something feels... off.
Pocketing my keys, I make my way over to her car.
As I get closer, I see her more clearly. Her head is angled down, like she’s staring at her lap. Maybe her phone? But she’s unnaturally still.
My unease sharpens. Not wanting to startle her, I lift my hand and wave when I’m still a few feet away. “Hey!”
No response. She doesn’t look up. Doesn’t move at all.
Something is definitely wrong.
My pulse kicks up a notch. I cross the remaining distance quickly, heart thudding louder in my ears. I tap lightly on the driver’s side window, peering in. “Hannah?”
She jerks her head up with a little shriek, eyes wide and startled. I let out a startled laugh of my own, pressing a hand to my chest to steady my racing heart.
“Sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you.”
She swings the door open but doesn’t get out, instead she hunches over with a low moan. The concern floods back.
“Hannah?” I lean in, reaching for her arm. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
Wide, frantic eyes meet mine. “Help,” she gasps, the word cutting off into another moan. She pitches forward, out of the car, and I catch her instinctively, my arms wrapping around her to steady her.
“Oh my god. What’s wrong? Talk to me.”
And then her hand moves.
Too fast for me to stop it.
There’s a brief, sharp sting at the side of my neck followed by the cold pressure of liquid flooding beneath my skin, spreading like ice through my veins.
For half a heartbeat, my brain refuses to process it. Refuses to believe what’s happening. And then her hand pulls away, a syringe glinting in her grip as her “limp” body straightens, her expression shifting from pained to smug.
“What—” The word slurs before it’s fully formed, my tongue already heavy in my mouth.
Adrenaline scorches through me. I swing wildly, my fist connecting with her shoulder hard enough that she grunts and stumbles back a step. But my arm feels wrong—heavy, disconnected, like it belongs to someone else. The world tilts, edges blurring.
“Hannah,” I rasp, fury and disbelief tangling in my chest, choking me. “What did you—”
A rustle from the back seat. Someone sitting up—someone I didn’t see before. The rear door creaks open behind me.
Run, Sera. Fight. Get away.
Rough hands grab my arms from behind, yanking me backward. I drive my heel into their shin on instinct, but there’s little strength behind it. I hear a curse hissed next to my ear. Satisfaction flares briefly—good, I hurt them.
My legs buckle, knees turning to jelly as the drug races through my system.
Helpless rage burns hot enough to cut through the fog for one last desperate moment. My lips move by sheer will. “You don’t have to do this.”
They shove me into the back seat, my body crumpling awkwardly against the leather. Hannah’s familiar face swims in front of me, her lips pulling up into a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “I know.”
Sound dulls, like I’ve sunk underwater, the world muffled and distant. My breathing feels thick, labored, as I battle to stay conscious, to claw my way back to the surface.
And then a voice—the one I only hear in my nightmares now—cuts through the haze.
Low, mocking, dripping with satisfaction. “Hey, babe.”
Ice floods my veins, freezing me from the inside out.
No. No. No.
It’s not possible.
“Miss me?”