Chapter 40
forty
-Set-
I promised Serena I’d behave and let her have her night out.
I trust her completely. I just don’t trust her not to get into trouble.
It’s not even about her—it’s people in general.
Still, I want to believe she can handle herself.
And since I know I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about her being out, I asked Whiro to meet me at a bar.
He’s in town on a mission. A lot of his targets end up in Vegas.
This is where money tends to lead because Vegas offers a special brand of unlimited entertainment.
I’m pretty sure I’ll end up spending the whole night with him—even if he gets on my nerves. Seeing him after all this time felt... weird, like I’d missed him.
I’ll never admit that to his face, and I’m sure he won’t either. So we’ll just call it even. Though, as always, he quickly manages to snap me back to a different mood. “So why’d you drag me out? Serena dump you?” Whiro asks, before he’s even in his seat at the bar.
“Obviously, a mistake. One I won’t repeat again. And no, she didn’t dump me. She’s just out.”
“Oh, so this is a guys’ night out. I can hook you up with that sex-on-heels across the bar, maybe she’s got a sister or something.”
“I didn’t call you here to get laid. I called you to have a drink,” I say, already starting to regret this.
Whiro shrugs, flagging down a whiskey. “I bet Serena’s hooking up…”
“No one’s fucking hooking up,” I snap, making it clear he needs to cut the shit.
Truth is, I actually called him here to talk about him.
I know he’s been cracking jokes, acting like he doesn’t give a fuck about anything, but I feel something’s off with him.
I’m trying to figure out what. And the quickest way to get there is to cut the bullshit.
“I called you here so you could tell me what’s wrong. ”
“A lot of things are wrong in this world,” he says, casually raising his shoulders again, like he’s already accepted it.
“What’s wrong with you?” I cut him off before he starts bullshitting me around.
“Why do you think there’s something wrong with me?” he asks, but I feel he’s already letting his guard down.
“You’re still chaotic as hell, but it’s not really you. Something happen?”
He looks at me like he’s about to sell me some fresh lie, but he stops, downing his drink and letting the glass fall to the bar with a loud clink.
Then signals the barman for another. “I love what I do. The chase, the thrill, occasionally taking a life or two. But ever feel like... What’s the point of all of it?
Like it’s all getting old way too fast?”
“Yeah, actually.... All the time before I met Serena.”
“And has that stopped now?” he arches a brow, looking at me as if he’s not sure whether to trust what I’m saying.
“It’s more than stopped. Now all I think about is sharing things with her, experiences, places, moments.”
“Yeah, then I’m screwed. I can’t get what you two have. I’m too messed up for a chick to own me,” he says, disappointment in his voice like he’s already accepted the loss.
“Yeah, it wasn’t something I saw coming either, or even considered. It just happened.” I pause, thinking about how it all came together. “But now that it has, I wouldn’t want any other way.”
“I mean, look at you, she’s out on the town, and you’re chillin’ at the bar with me. That level of trust, man.... I could never give someone that.” I look at him as if he just punched me in the gut. As I said, it’s not her I don’t trust—it’s people in general.
Whiro changes the subject, rambling about his latest hits, then some old memories from a thousand years ago, back when he came to visit me in Norway.
We’ve traveled the globe throughout the centuries, but no place ever felt as good as I feel next to Serena.
Still, no matter where my mind drifts, Whiro’s words about her being out keep looping in my head.
What if some guy gets his hands on her? Or what if someone slips a roofie in her drink? It’s my club, but that doesn’t mean shit if she’s not paying attention. And from there on, the list of what-ifs starts flooding in.
I last maybe another hour with Whiro, but my own thoughts are eating me alive. I can’t just sit still. I can’t do this.
I’m not trying to lose it. I’m just not built for this shit. Screw what she thinks, I’m going after her. “I have to go.”
Whiro starts laughing, “I gave you ten more minutes, tops.”
I shoot him a death glare, but he’s right. I can’t control my instincts. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
“Hey can I hook up with the chick who’s been scanning you?” he asks, knowing damn well, I couldn’t care less. He’s just doing it to remind me that he’s a free man.
Well, I don’t want to be a free man. And I don’t want to do what I’m about to, but I can’t stop myself either.
I drive straight to The Inferna and park my car at the end of an alley, right next to the club. It's a little farther out, but still close enough. I don’t want her to see it if she’s going out for some air or something.
I then make my way to the club and straight to my office, going right to the cameras.
I’ve got cameras everywhere, but the place is so crowded that I can’t get a clear view of her VIP table.
I catch glimpses of her dancing from time to time, but people keep blocking the view, so I don’t have total control over it.
And I don’t do not having total control. So I risk it and head downstairs into the club, while still keeping a fair distance from her. I don’t want her thinking I’m stalking her, though that’s exactly what I’m doing. But I only do it for her own safety.
I take a table in a corner, out of the spotlights, but close enough to keep her in sight.
She’s dancing, those sexy hips swinging with such a divine rythm that I swear every man in this club wants to fuck her.
A wave of heat descends on me, and I barely fight my instinct to get up from the table.
But for her sake, I stay put. I watch her for over an hour—along with the two dirtbags eyeing her and Monica like vultures.
I’ll remove their spines through their throats if either one lays a hand on Serena.
My hands clench on the table, and I’m seconds away from getting up when I see her talking to one of them.
Monica’s already extra-friendly with the other, but the guy heading toward Serena turns around and walks away even before he gets a chance to come near her.
Judging by her face, she shut him down fast. Good girl.
Tragedy averted.
I force myself to stay put, especially when she drops onto her VIP couch like she needs a break.
I’m almost relieved, and with the crowd thinning out, I decide to go back to my office and watch her on camera. I should have a clear shot now, without risking her knowing I’m here.
I get up from the table, but I only make it a few steps before the guy posted for security spots me—then the waiters start fussing, rushing over like I just walked in with a crown.
The last thing I want now is attention.
I wave them off, but when I turn to check on Serena again, her eyes are pointed at me.
Fuck!
She looks like a damn lioness right now, and as much as I like to tame her, I know I’m in deep fucking trouble.
I’m never hearing the end of this.
Still, her next move surprises me. Instead of coming over, she shoots me the sharpest look she owns, then heads straight to one of the exits. And I’ve got no other choice than to follow, cursing the whole damn way.
I spot her in the alley, a few feet from the door, standing near some other couples, probably out for air—or making out. She looks like the female version of the Terminator, arms crossed and a look on her face telling me I’m not getting laid for at least a week.
Yeah, keep on dreaming, Serena.
I stop in front of her, but she doesn’t say a word, just waits for me to blurt out some explanation—which I don’t. Don’t want to explain myself to anyone, mostly because I have no idea what to say.
Since she realizes she’s getting nothing out of me, her voice cuts through the air. “What are you doing here?”
“Just in the neighbourhood,” I say with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. I’ve been around Whiro for too long, it seems.
“I’m not in the mood for jokes. We had an agreement.” There she goes with that death stare again, and I’m thinking diamonds to solve this.
“Well, our agreement is for me to keep you safe. And I can’t fucking do that from across the city.”
“You can’t control every aspect of my life.”
“The hell I can’t. I’d control the whole fucking world from the worms in the dirt to the sun in the sky if that’s what it takes to keep you safe.” My gaze peers through her as I end my statement. Nothing will ever keep me from being her protector. Her included.
Her mouth opens to speak, but I don’t register what she’s saying—because something else gets my attention.
Tires screech on pavement, and I know instantly—something’s wrong.
That same protective instinct kicks in, and before I even turn to check what’s going on, my body makes a shield to cover hers.
I reach for my gun, and as my eyes scan the area, I can see the other weapon aimed right at me. I fire, but so does the man holding the other gun.
Bullets rip through the air. People start screaming and scattering. Chaos instantly erupts, and through the madness, I can see the bastard drop.
I breathe with relief, but there’s a pain ripping through me, unlike anything I've ever felt. My chest feels like it’s detonating. My feet just don’t support my weight anymore.
“Set,” Serena screams the second I hit the ground, raw panic in her voice. She drops over me, tearing open my shirt. “You’ll be okay,” she says, checking my wound, waiting for it to start to heal. But my chest is still burning, like the bullet’s burrowing deeper instead of fading.
My vision blurs. I can barely fight for air, let alone manage to form a coherent sentence. “Something’s wrong.”