Page 56 of King of Malice

That’s when my cell phone rings. I don’t recognize the number, and I squint down at the local number before I pick up. “Hello?”

“Miss Tantor, it’s Henry from the front desk.”

“Oh. Hi, Henry.”

“Mister Trent is here to see you.”

“Mister Trent?” My brow furrows in momentary confusion.

“He’s here often, ma’am. He works with Mr. Ivanov. He’s got a key, but he asked me to call up as a courtesy.”

My eyes widen as I make the connection. “Of course. Send him up.” I close my laptop again, nipping at my lip as I set it on the coffee table, and get up to start moving toward the kitchen.

Just as I reach it, the elevator opens.

A man dressed in all black steps out of the elevator. He’s Dimitri’s age, I think, though far grayer, but no less distinguished, his clothes finely cut, his hair perfectly coiffed. He’s handsome enough and sporting a friendly smile. “You must be Ava.” His Russian accent is laced with a tension I don’t quite understand.

“I am. Trent?” For some reason, I don’t reach out my hand. I don’t want to touch him…maybe I’m not as healed as I thought.

“Yes, that’s right.” His smile widens, revealing more of his teeth. “Dimitri actually sent me to collect you.”

“Collect me?” My brow furrows. “What does that mean?”

He runs a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair, the smile disappearing. Dropping his hand, he pulls at the lapels of his coat. “I don’t want you to be concerned, but Cadence fell this evening and she’s been brought to a local hospital.”

I gasp, my hands flying to my mouth. “You’re serious?”

“I’m afraid so. She’s asking for you and so Dimitri sent me to take you to her so that you can see each other.”

My hands drop, clasping by my chest. “Is she all right? How seriously is she hurt?”

“She’s going to be fine. Hurt her leg, but we all thought you’d want to visit. Check in on her.” I don’t need to hear any more. Spinning, I race into the other room, grabbing my sweatshirt and slipping on my sneakers. “I’ll be back, Gert. There’s been an emergency,” I call to Gertrude as I finish putting on my second shoe.

She looks up at me with concern, but I don’t give her time to ask questions as I stand back up and race back toward the kitchen.

As soon as Trent sees me, he pushes the button for the elevator.

It isn’t until we’re closed in the space that I realize, I’m going to be alone with a man who isn’t Dimitri.

It’s just one of those things I don’t do.

I breathe through the panic, knowing that I have to control it for Cadence’s sake, but my legs are wobbly as we reach the garage.

It helps that Trent’s car is parked where Dimitri’s usually is, and that, with a press of his phone, Trent is opening the garage gate.

Clearly, Trent is a man whom Dimitri trusts. I take a few cleansing breaths as I climb into the car with him.

He pulls the car out of the garage, moving through the Vegas streets to the highway.

The traffic is thick enough that for a while we don’t speak. Instead, I stare out the window, lost in thoughts of Cadence, our past, and of Dimitri.

Trent lets me sink into my own thoughts, and I relax, the silence a comfort.

But as the traffic thins, I realize, I have no idea where we’re going. “Where is the hospital? I thought it was local?”

“South,” he answers.

“The hospital that Cadence was taken to is south?” I ask, his one-word answer making me uneasy again.