Page 30 of The Stolen Dagger

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

KATHERINE

S urrounded by fields of dirt, I stood beside Mack’s truck behind the abandoned warehouses just outside the city, waiting for Adrian to arrive.

Except for the warehouses in front of me, the rusted shipping barrels that littered the area behind me, and the lone dirt road I had used to get here, the place was deserted.

The sun had already begun its descent behind the horizon and cast an orange hue along the west side of the building’s concrete walls, reflecting off their barred windows.

As I stood in the same spot Adrian killed Henry a year ago, I couldn’t help but think about that night and the woman I had been before.

I remembered how small and trapped and scared I’d felt. But I wasn’t scared anymore.

In the last year, I had grown stronger and more confident in myself. I was ready to stand against the one man who I swore I’d never see again. I was ready to sacrifice whatever it took to make sure Pearl was safe .

I touched the small, silver handgun that was tucked into the back waistband of my jeans, assuring myself it was still there.

I wasn’t comfortable carrying a firearm, much to my father’s insistence, but I couldn’t deny the sense of security it gave me. I felt like I could breathe properly, knowing I had a last resort of protection if something went wrong.

Parked at the back of the property, I had a clear view of the alleyway between the warehouses and easy access to the dirt path that circled the buildings leading to the main road.

All my bases were covered.

Just as the sky darkened and the lights of Vegas shone brighter than the remaining sunlight on the horizon, a pair of headlights, and then another, caught my attention.

Two black SUVs with tinted windows sped down the dirt road at an alarming rate. Clouds of dirt billowed and swirled behind them.

He’s here.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm the nerves that had my heart beating a little faster than was normal. I readjusted the strap of my bag containing the dagger as the SUVs came to a skidding halt about fifteen feet away.

There was only a few seconds of stillness before I heard the click of a car door finally opening.

I glanced at my phone. 6:52PM .

My twenty minutes start now. I have to make them count.

The passenger door of the first car opened, followed by four others. One by one, men dressed in black suits stepped out of both vehicles, but my attention was solely focused on only one of them.

Adrian.

He stepped out last, and when his black eyes met mine, a sinister smirk spread across his dark features. Adjusting the sleeves of his crisp black suit, his knowing, arrogant smile only grew as he approached, flanked by Hunter and three other men I’d never seen before.

Out of them all, one man was significantly bigger than the others. He had a shaved head and a build that rivaled Mack’s, but the one thing that made him all the more menacing was the large scar that slashed down the left side of his face from temple to chin.

When he caught me staring, he snarled.

I instantly averted my gaze to the other men. Both were similar in stature and looked like they could have been brothers with their close-cropped dark hair and similar gruff features. Both of them wore black sunglasses and stayed back beside the SUV like they were guarding it.

As my gaze traveled over all five men, there was still one person missing.

Where’s Pearl?

I met Adrian halfway but kept my distance and tightened the grip on my bag as if it were my lifeline.

“Emilia.” Adrian sighed and looked me up and down, rubbing a hand across his scruff-covered square jaw. His brown, almost black, eyes glinted with amusement. “It’s been too long.”

Hunter stepped forward and scoffed. “Haven’t you heard, boss? It’s Katherine now.”

The large beast of a man stayed a few steps behind them with a permanent scowl on his impassive face and his thick arms crossed over his broad chest.

“Katherine,” Adrian chided, as if testing the name. “I like it, but you’ll always be mi princesa , won’t you?” The corner of Adrian’s mouth quirked up.

I stayed silent, not giving him the satisfaction that his words had any effect on me at all.

Thinking back all that time ago, I couldn’t believe I had thought he was charming. Now that I was face-to-face with him again, I saw him for the monster he truly was.

“Well,” Adrian continued. “I’ve heard you’ve been busy. A new name, new job, new friends. Tell me, how is your new little friend? Leah, is it?”

“Don’t,” I warned.

“Or how about her brother?” Adrian teased. “The cop?”

“Drew,” Hunter said with disgust. “What a pussy.”

Adrian scowled. “I warned you what would happen if you talked to the cops. But I heard you did a lot more than just talking, didn’t you?”

I bit the inside of my cheek, not taking his bait.

“You should have seen her in that hick town, Adrian,” Hunter reminisced.

“And the look on her face when she got your first note?” He laughed and pointed back at the beast of a man behind him.

“You were right, Nick. She was so scared. Just thinking about it makes me hard.” He grotesquely groped himself over his pants.

“Shut the fuck up!” Adrian snapped. “Don’t talk about her like that. She’s mine. Not yours. Not that cop’s. Mine!” Adrian growled out that last word and ran a hand through his close-cropped black hair. His dark eyes were blown, crazed.

I was familiar with Adrian’s temper when we dated, but this was something else. He was volatile. Unstable. And he thought I was his.

“Sorry, boss,” Hunter mumbled, stepping back.

Adrian blew out a breath, righted his suit, and turned to me as if that little outburst never happened. “Now. Let’s get back to business. Did you bring the dagger?”

“I’m not giving you anything until I see that Pearl’s okay,” I countered. The fact that I still hadn’t seen Pearl left me on edge.

Adrian’s jaw clenched, and his lip curled up in a snarl. “ Fine. Nick!” He addressed the large man behind him. “Bring out the old lady.”

Upon Adrian’s command, one man still beside the SUV opened the back door as Nick approached and reached inside.

A second later, Pearl stepped out of the car. Her white-blonde hair was messy and pulled back into a low bun. She wore a long, pale blue sleeping gown. Her eyebrows creased, and she ripped her arm out of the large man’s grip.

“Let go of me, young man,” Pearl said like she was talking to a child. “I may be old, but I know how to walk.”

Relief flooded through me at seeing she was alive and unharmed. For the first time since I got Adrian’s note a little more than a week ago, I finally felt like I could breathe again.

Nick jerked her forward by the arm as he led her to us. She stumbled but righted her footing and searched her surroundings. When her gaze landed on me, her aged blue-gray eyes widened.

“Emilia?” Pearl looked between Adrian and his men then to me. “Oh, no.”

“I’m so sorry, Pearl, for all of this.” I couldn’t help but feel responsible for everything.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, sweetie,” Pearl said, then turned her chin up at the goon who held onto her. “It’s these brain-dead imbeciles.”

“Watch it, old lady,” Nick growled, handing her off to Hunter, who came up beside Adrian.

Pearl just huffed and looked at me.

“You did the right thing when you left,” Pearl said. “You shouldn’t have come back here. You can’t trust him.”

Hunter, her new handler, dug his fingers into her thin arm as he leaned down to her height and snarled in her face. “One more word, and you’ll regret it, old lady.”

Pearl whimpered in pain .

“Stop!” I pleaded. “You’re hurting her!”

“That’s enough, Hunter.” Adrian placed his hands in his suit pocket and addressed me. “She won’t be harmed as long as you give me what I want. The dagger. Now.”

I tightened my grip on the bag and shifted my gaze between Adrian and Pearl, still bothered by the murderous look in Hunter’s eyes.

“Emilia,” Pearl begged. “I’ve loved you like you were my own, but I won’t let that horrible man get away with this. Don’t give it to him.”

“Will you shut that hag up already?” Adrian pointed at Pearl, his temper rising.

Nick stepped forward with a roll of duct tape, tore off a strip, and placed it over Pearl’s mouth harshly.

She struggled and screamed through the tape, but it was no use. These men were so much bigger than she was, but that didn’t stop her from fighting against them.

Hunter gripped Pearl’s arm harshly and jerked her sideways. “Stop it, lady, or I’ll make you stop.”

“Don’t hurt her!” I shouted. “Here!” I took the jewelry box out of my bag and extended it to Adrian. “The dagger’s in here. Just let her go, and it’s yours.”

Everyone stopped.

Giving Adrian exactly what he wanted was the last thing I wanted to do. But I had to remind myself this was all a part of the plan. I only had about ten minutes on my own before my father and Drew showed up. The quicker I traded this dagger for Pearl, the better.

“Open it,” Adrian instructed.

I hesitated and glanced at Pearl. She shook her head slightly, but I ignored her.

I retrieved the ring from my pocket and placed the ten-pointed diamond key into the latch. Turning it clockwise, the lid popped open and revealed the sparkling dagger inside .

“The box and the ring were ingenious, right?” Adrian boasted.

He took two steps closer. “No one would have expected it to be there, especially after I gave it to you. It was the perfect cover. And the engagement? Well, that was just another way to keep you by my side, and you were all too willing and compliant to do so.”

As I closed my hand over the dagger’s hilt, my grip tightened as his words filled me with rage.

How could I have been so stupid, so blinded by a man like him? Knowing it was all a game to him, a cover to get the dagger for himself, almost had me contemplating lifting the dagger and shoving it right into his chest.

But then what would happen to Pearl?