Page 103 of Silent Ties

I fist Elijah’s shirt. “What the fuck did she say?”

“Don’t look at me, brother.” He slaps my hand away, slipping from behind the desk.

Roma’s opened the door, shouting down the hallway.

“What did she say to you?” I shout into his face.

“None of your business.” He types something into his phone before looking up. “But I can tell you this. Your wife just made her move.”

My uncle, the battle-weary strategist, grabs me by the shoulder, shoving me out the door. “Come on.”

There’s a rush. Roma’s already at the car, the guards loading up. Normally, nobody strikes around here without orders from my father.

This is different, though.

We know what the Zimins do with their vindictiveness. And we know about Marissa’s. But all this time it’s Russet’s we should’ve been wondering about.

CHAPTER 26

Russet

The first surprise is a girl in the corner. She slides against the wall, head in her hands, shaking like a leaf.

“Get out or get the keys,” I say over my shoulder. The bar is two stories. The second opens up into the main room, meaning I’m a sitting duck for any attack over the railings.

I don’t waste time on the girl. Either she’ll try to unlock the doors and get some of the girls out or at least try to save herself. I don’t have high hopes for her in general.

Guards stream toward me, fanning out along the metal railings as I march up the stairs.

They don’t know what to do with me. They’re expecting me to take a bullet in the head at any moment. Instead I keep walking toward them, my aim on target. A man falls over the banister and then just like I knew she would. . . Here. Comes. Gloria.

“You little conniving shit.”

Honestly, I’m surprised she doesn’t have a rocket launcher. The fury on her face implies she’d love to deploy one. Taking out Marissa’s bar isn’t her intent, though.

It’s to take me out.

She fires off a round of bullets. I dodge, fire back, and realize the key to survival is knowing you aren’t.

It’s how you become fearless.

The trigger jams and when I lower it, I see it doesn’t matter. Gloria’s eyes remain open, unseeing as blood trickles down her temple.

I step around her, throw the useless gun away, and pull out my second weapon. Spanish and English mix together. Smoke irritates my eyes but I never blink.

I’m aware of everything while not feeling a single thing.

The music dies down the farther I get from the main bar. This is the spot for VIPs, where they can look down at the playing bands or eye fuck the women when Marissa has them perform.

I enter a hallway and eye my options. Right toward Marissa’s office, where they’re mounting a response.

Or left where Marissa’s most special guests are kept in the same room.

I head toward it.

Locked, of course. The steel door jams against my shoulder.

“Daisy!” No reply comes from inside. Marissa’s bar is a hive of gunfire smoke and chaos. Standing outside the door, the air is dull. Stale. As if I didn’t already know something bad had happened here.