Page 77 of Thorns of Love

“If you’re ever in trouble or need anything,” I said softly, holding her emerald gaze. A protective streak flared inside me. “And I seriously meananything, I’m always here. No matter what.”

She disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her, but not before I noticed her hands trembling.

“Tatiana?” Her muffled voice came through the closed door.

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

The corners of my lips tipped up. “I’ll burn the world down for you, Sestra.”

“Ditto.”

We were in this for life.

* * *

“This is his house?” I asked. Isla nodded. “Jesus.”

The massive house in the city of Paris with a fence surrounding it had to be worth a fortune. It was like a mini-castle in the heart of the city.

“Who did it belong to?” I muttered under my breath. “Marie Antoinette?”

History wasn’t my strength, but there was no way in hell this place didn’t belong to royalty over the last ten centuries.

“No fucking clue,” Isla answered, her tone tense. The two of us stood around the corner, keeping out of sight until we were ready for our three-act play. It was best to think of it as a theater drama.

Act one - The discovery of conflict. Act two - The obstacle or complication. I could go without this one. Act three - The resolution.

In fact, I’d prefer it to be a one-act play.Just get it over with so we could all move on.

I needed to get rid of the tension in my body. Shaking my hands and loosening my legs, I looked like I was getting ready to run a marathon. Or be in a fight. Fuck, I was nervous. I didn’t know why. Something in the back of my head kept nagging at me but I couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

“Nervous?” Isla’s voice was a tad bit breathy. If I had to guess, she was nervous for an entirely different reason than me. She wore a pair of skinny jeans and a cropped green sweater top that revealed a sliver of her midriff. She paired it with a pair of heels and she looked gorgeous.

“Yeah.” Deep breath in. Release. Deep breath in. Release. “Let’s do this.”

She nodded and I reached inside my purse for the empty weapon. God, I hope this didn’t backfire. I needed Isla to come out of this unharmed. If she got laid in the process, it was a bonus.

Her words, not mine.

And who was I to argue? If Marchetti was a good lay, she should get it.

“Okay, I’m gonna put it against your lower back,” I murmured low. “Hopefully, his guards don’t notice anything until we’re inside.”

“He doesn’t have any guards,” she mumbled under her breath.

I tensed, confusion pouring into me. Everyone had guards in the underworld. It was unheard of to be completely unprotected. “Are you sure?

She nodded. “Yeah, I was here before. There were no guards.”

Bizarre.

“Okay, then. This should be easy.”

The two of us came around the corner we were hiding behind, strode across the empty street and towards the iron gate. Sure as shit, there were no guards waiting for us. I still couldn’t shake off the feeling of a trap. Pushing the iron gates open with a soft creak, Isla kept marching forward with me at her back.

I hated the idea of having her in front of me. It made her an easier target. But she insisted. In her words, ‘If I’m your captive, I can’t be behind you,’ so we finally settled on the position.