35. Serena #3
“You think I found you by chance?” Jenese laughed bitterly. “You think I didn’t recognize the King name? Victor and I—we were already here. Already scouting Lush.” She nodded toward Victor, who stood stone-faced, the fire casting demonic shadows over his sharp cheekbones.
“We realized we could get more if we worked together,” Jenese went on, sweat gleaming at her temples. “He’d shake down the businesses, I’d manipulate the people behind them. You weren’t my mentee, Serena. You were my mark.”
“You were using me?” she whispered, her voice trembling but dangerous. “From the beginning?”
Jenese smiled—feral, triumphant. “I had to wait things out. I had to set myself up for the big payout in the end, with the manuscript. I taught you how to play the game. But you were never meant to win it.”
By now I had inched my way over nearly in front of Serena.
Victor’s grip on the gun tightened. “You brought this on yourself. You both did.”
The ceiling above us groaned again. Serena’s gaze flicked between the gun pointed at her and the burning room closing in.
“Look, whatever the fuck y’all got going on we can deal with it outside.” I coughed again.
“Give me the money, Miles,” Victor repeated. I tightened my grip on the bag.
Serena’s eyes met mine—raw, blazing
“Give it to him,” she said.
I blinked at her. “What?”
“Give him the bag,” Serena pleaded. “It’s not worth dying over!”
Victor smirked, stepping closer, hand outstretched. “Smart girl.”
My jaw flexed. I looked down at the duffel.
“You want it?” I said.
Victor gave a sharp nod. “Now.”
So I tossed it—hard—straight into the burning corner of the room. Victor went for the bag. I went to grab Serena. The wall behind him gave way, flames roaring through the gap. A heavy beam cracked loose and came crashing down.
Victor tried to lunge out of the way, but it was too late.
It slammed across his back, pinning him with a heavy crunch and a scream that echoed through the burning house.
The gun went off—a deafening shot into the ceiling.
Everyone ducked. My ears rang. Smoke rushed in. I grabbed Serena’s hand, tugging her to the exit while we still had one.
“Victor!” Jenese screamed, rushing to him.
He groaned, stuck beneath the flaming wood, the gun knocked somewhere near but out of reach.
“Help me get it off him!” Jenese cried, frantic, shoving at the beam.
Serena gripped my arm. “Miles. Now.”
“We’re leaving them?”
Flames crawled up the walls, cracking paint and licking the ceiling. Victor coughed violently, smoke curling from his clothes.
Jenese looked at Serena then, eyes shining, lashes wet with sweat and fear.
She let go of my arm—and took a step back.
The front door exploded open.
Dante barreled through in a rush of smoke, his eyes wide.
“Time’s up!” he shouted. “We need to move!”
Victor’s head lolled, then snapped up. Eyes bloodshot.
“You think saving me’s gonna fix shit? I will ruin you. You and that cold bitch beside you. I’ll finish what I started!”
I froze. “You’re talking shit, and you about to die?”
A support beam gave way overhead. I turned just in time to see it fall. It slammed down onto Jenese’s legs. She screamed, the sound sharp and animalistic as fire surged up the wall behind her.
She writhed, trying to get free. “Help me!”
Serena staggered, caught between smoke and instinct, one step toward her?—
“Don’t,” Dante said, voice low, firm. “She made her choices.”
Serena looked at him, her face pale with smoke, but conflicted.
“She’s still a person,” she rasped. “Miles is right.”
“He dies in here, it all goes away,” Dante told her. “No trial. No blackmail. No tapes. No loose ends. It’s cleaner. You walk away free.”
Serena’s face was pale from the smoke, streaked with ash. But her eyes…her eyes were clear.
“Miles,” she said softly. “Come with me.”
Jenese screamed in fury. “You heartless bitch!”
Serena looked down at her, gaze unflinching. “You taught me well.”
The ceiling groaned again.
“Go!” Dante barked. “I’ll be right behind you.”
We ran. Smoke clung to our clothes, to our skin. I grabbed Serena’s hand as we darted through the hallway, dodging fire, falling ash, and creaking wood.
We burst out the back, stumbling into the night. I collapsed to my knees, chest heaving. Serena stood, her face glowing orange in the firelight. Her expression was unreadable—blank. Not cold, but done.
Dante came out last, coughing.
The roof in the center caved in. We didn’t speak. We just stood there in a jagged triangle, watching the house burn. Fire licked out of the windows, roaring like it had teeth. It was over.
Victor was gone. Jenese too.
“Well, there goes my rental property,” Dante said with a flick of ash off his shirt.
“This was your place?”
He didn’t take his eyes off the fire. “Technically. I inherited it.”
“Jesus.” I turned to Serena. “Why were you here? Why were you both here?”
“I’ll let your wife explain everything to you.”
Serena turned to me. “I’ll tell you everything, I promise.”
“I’ll get the fire department up here. Quietly,” Dante added. “I’ve got a guy. Old wiring, faulty box—standard story. You’ll have a thirty-minute head start before anyone starts asking questions.”
“This is kinda hard to hide,” I said to him.
“Don’t worry about what I can do.” He looked at Serena. “No one will know what happened here,” he said. “That’s my favor to you.”
She narrowed her eyes. “And what will you want later? For this…favor.”
“That’s for me to decide,” he said evenly.
What the fuck?
I glanced between them, confused. Serena didn’t press him. Didn’t blink. Just gave him a curt nod like…like they’d already made some kind of deal I wasn’t privy to.
“Okay,” she said simply.
“Wait,” I cut in. “What the hell is going on between you two?”
Neither answered. Of course not.
Then Serena’s phone rang. Loudly.
Serena flinched slightly and pulled out her phone. She stared at the screen for a second too long. Then answered—on speaker.
“Serena?” Erik’s voice cracked through the speaker, rushed and breathless. “Where are you? Laurene’s in labor. It’s happening. Right now.”