Giselle just sits back down and rolls her eyes. It hits me: she has never looked at him the way she looks at me.
Not even close.
Even when she wanted to hate me, she looked at me like I was the center of her goddamn universe.
It’s that look I can’t live without and I know she wouldn’t want to attend her dear old friend’s funeral.
Lucky motherfucker.
Arata appears in the fed’s wake, lingering in the doorway, both hands wrapped around an energy drink, eyes scanning the room like he’s looking for exits.
“Is this really happening?” he asks, like a teenager finally invited to the cool kids’ party only to find out they’re smoking pot.
Teddy and Arata have been briefed on the mission. Nothing they didn’tneedto know, but hell of a lot more thanI’dhave told them—which is nothing.
Giselle says we can trust them.
And whether she thinks she deserves it or not, I trust her.
“Afraid so,” I say. “Get in. Close the fucking door.”
He does, door shutting behind him with a click. He doesn’t belong here. HimorTeddy.
This was supposed to beours.Me and Giselle. Our war, our vengeance, our church of bones.
Dakota arrives last, banging on the door like it owes her money. She moves like she doesn’t care if she belongs here or not, which is probably true.
She sits on the bed near the window, knees drawn up, hoodie zipped to the chin, hands stuffed in the kangaroo pouch. Her eyes never stop moving.
“Why is she here?” Teddy asks, but it’s not derision I hear in his voice. It’s a knee-jerk instinct to protect. I might hate him just a little bit less.
“She’shere becauseherfather was Pavel’s chief money-man,” Dakota sneers. I bite back a laugh.
Teddy’s brow furrows, but he slowly nods.
“Fair enough,” he says. “That could come in handy.”
“So glad you’ll permit me to stay,” Dakota says, crossing her arms over her chest.
“We’reallhere for one reason,” Giselle says. “Taking out this one man will save thousands of girls, and I know we all want that.”
“We can’t just arrest him?” Arata asks, clearly less committed to violence than everyone else in the room. “Surely, if we have enough evidence?—”
“I prefer the direct approach,” I say. She made me agree to work with the system—to a point. But I’m not letting that bastard sit in some cushy prison, surrounded by guards he can buy.
I don’t want him alive in any cage.
I want him dead.
That’s the only protection that means a fucking thing.
Giselle looks at me. She fingers the earrings, and her lips twitch. She turns back to Arata and Teddy. “He’s right. If we do this, we do it his way.”
I feel a surge in my chest, like the first inhale after a long dive. I want to kiss her, or kill something, or both at the same fucking time.
I just nod.
“Let’s get to work.”
