48. Laila
48
LAILA
I lunge for my phone, but Jasper is faster. He snatches it off the table, and then, suddenly, I’m staring down the barrel of a gun.
“Nuh-uh-uh,” he titters. “Another move and I’ll be forced to pull the trigger.”
I freeze, but I shift my eyes to Jasper rather than the gun. “You sent me that invitation.”
“Actually, no. That was my partner’s work.” He glances around the table, his eyes lingering over the empty seat next to me and the air above my shoulder. His fingers twitch on the gun.
“You’re high.”
“Only out of necessity.” He puts both his elbows on the table and leans towards me. The gun stays tucked in his palm. “Your husband is the one that drove me to it.”
“My husband was trying to save you.”
He snorts. “You think he’s some hero? I got news for you, baby: he’ll disappoint you just like he disappointed me.”
I consider calling for the waitress, but there’s nothing she can do. Jasper wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. He looks so strung-out that he could pull the trigger without even being aware he’s doing it.
“Arsen gave you more than your fair share of chances.”
“He fed me to the fuckin’ wolves!” Spit flies out of his mouth, speckling the table.
I cringe back, trying not to be obvious that I’m waiting for some sort of interruption. My entire guard detail is camped out front. The only reason they didn’t come in with me is because I assured them that Guilia’s security had me covered.
I should have told Arsen I was coming here. What was I thinking?
The doors slide open again, and Jasper tucks the gun under the table. As the waitress enters with two waters, I feel the cold metal pressed against my thigh.
I gasp as she turns to me with a nervous smile. “Is there anything I can get you, ma’am?”
“Yeah, is there something you want, Laila?” Jasper asks, one corner of his mouth quirked up into a smile.
I suppress the shiver running down my spine. “No, I don’t need anything,” I insist, wondering if I can alert her to what’s going on without risking losing a leg in the process. Jasper pokes the gun harder into my skin, and… no, probably not. “You were right: Guilia isn’t coming in today. I was mistaken.”
“Ah,” the waitress smiles, her gaze flitting to Jasper. “So will you two be staying for lunch?”
“No,” Jasper answers for me. “Laila and I were just leaving.”
The moment the waitress clears out of the booth, Jasper turns to me with a wolfish grin. “Time for me to get you out of here.”
“What do you want with me, Jasper?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. Come on.” He presses his gun against my back as I stand, nudging me forward. “If you try to ask for help, I’ll make a widower out of Arsen.”
Maybe he doesn’t know my security detail is out front. If I can get to the sidewalk, Vasily will see me. Someone will rescue me.
But as I make a right towards the front door, Jasper hisses in my ear. “I should shoot you for that alone. Back door, bitch.”
My chances of rescue narrow considerably as he pushes me across the narrow alley and into the muddy-brown building on the other side. The entrance has been propped open with a rock, but Jasper kicks it free once we’re inside.
The door clangs shut.
Darkness collapses over us.
As we stumble down a hallway, my eyes begin to adjust. Narrow slits of light pierce through the few windows high in the ceiling that aren’t boarded over or blackened with decades of dirt. The floor is littered with old newspapers, dust, and debris from the building literally rotting away around us.
“Why am I here?” My voice echoes in the empty space.
“To pay your dues.” The voice that answers isn’t Jasper’s. It comes from deeper in the building, and even through the rasp, I recognize it.
It can’t be.
“Where is the baby?” he snarls. “She was supposed to bring the brat.”
I thank every god I can name that I left Nina at home.
Jasper shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. She’s enough.”
Slowly, my father steps out of the gloom. He smirks as our eyes meet. “True. He’ll come for her.”