Page 44 of Blood, Bones, and the Bratva Bogeyman

“They will.”

“Not before I shove the blade in your gut,” I sing-song.

Sunniva hops down and shoves the bottle at me. “You’re getting meaner,” she says cheerfully. “I like it.”

I unscrew the cap and gulp. “It’s the reminders on the calendars.”

“Oh, naughty bird. Lying like that. We both know it’s the fact that your monster man is vibrating through that bond like a beehive, reminding you who you’re about to tie yourself to.” She makes a buzzing sound as she moves her hand through the air. “He’s either planning a massacre or thinking about giving you a hand necklace.”

“That man is doing both, obviously,” I say.

Lucetta’s chaos altar is wilder now. New photos are slotted under pushpins at crooked angles and threads connect names to places with grim, red-circled words.

“Tell me again why your dress won’t be white?” Lucetta asks. “Although, I can’t deny how fun it’ll be to see Kingston seize in public.”

“Because I’m not some altar lamb,” I reply. “And because Halloween is for the witching hour, babe. Plus, I don’t owe anyone purity optics.”

“The combat boots are my favorite part,” Sunniva says with a snicker.

“You’ve told The Firm tailor?” Lucetta asks.

“I told him not to faint when I asked for black. He tried to sell me a compromise with an eggshell color.” I shiver in disgust. “I threatened to call Konstantin, and he gave me a custom seamstress instead.”

“Power,” Sunni crows. “Use it, babe.”

My mobile buzzes across the table and a message from the seamstress pops up.

SEAMSTRESS:

Fitting confirmed for tonight. Delivering to your location. Veil options sewn and boots sized.

Sunniva leans over my shoulder. “Oh, tell her I need a black veil too.”

“You’re not getting married.”

“Duh. But I’m going to a funeral.”

I bring my elbow back into her gut, snickering when she lets out a sharp cry.

Lucetta slides a new printout under a magnet. “The nurse from the clinic finally responded.” She points at a tiny red dot on the map. “She said Giselda used to come alone for supplies. Morphine vials went missing the same months that bodies spiked in that neighborhood. She said she’d meet if it’s women only.”

“We won’t go alone,” I say automatically.

“I didn’t say we would.”

“Do we tell Konstantin?” Sunni asks.

“He’ll move the city to find her if we tell him before we have a time and place.”

Luce shrugs. “So, we get the details and then we tell him.”

“Asset, not liability,” I murmur, more to myself than to them.

Sunniva sets her mobile down and squeezes my knee. “Youarean asset, doll face. He knows that. He just doesn’t like that he needs you.”

Lucetta pulls a length of cloth from her pocket. “The seamstress gave me a piece of the veil to use as a test strip. It won’t snag on the blade hilts if we tack the edge and we’ll stitch a comb you can rip free if you can’t see out of it.”

“Wedding prep as survival training,” I say. “It’s very on brand for my life now.”