Page 28 of To Love a Monster (Oaths & Obsessions #1)

Nikolai

L ila’s breathing is shallow but steady. Her posture is rigid, her shoulders squared like she’s bracing for impact but there’s no fear in her eyes. Not anymore. Just a quiet, burning resolve.

“I’ll bait him,” she says. My jaw flexes. Not because I doubt her but because I fucking hate that it’s come to this. That this is the only way to control the outcome. But it is.

I nod once. Not because I’m sure it’ll work or because I like any part of this. But because we don’t have the luxury of waiting anymore. The silence between us hardens into something else, something sharp and tactical.

We already know who the enemy is. Now it’s about how to make him bleed.

“We’ll start prepping tonight,” I say, voice low and calm.

“Cameras are already in place in the living area and just outside. Four angles. Two inside, two out. Motion sensors on the back porch and the front steps. I’ll monitor everything from the woods. ”

Lila’s head snaps toward me. “Wait, cameras?”

“Yeah,” I say, without flinching. “Had them up before you got here.” She blinks, her mouth opening slightly. “You bugged my cabin?”

“Surveilled,” I correct. “Big difference.” Her eyes narrow a little, but there’s no heat behind it.

More surprise than anything else. “You really set all that up before we even spoke.”

“I needed to see who was coming and going,” I say. “Who was watching you. If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t have picked up Carl casing the perimeter a few nights ago.” She exhales, running a hand through her hair, then gestures vaguely. “So where are they?”

I reach for the phone on the coffee table, tap the screen, and pull up the camera grid.

Each square comes to life, faintly glowing shots of her front door, the woods, the hallway near the kitchen, the main living room.

I hand it to her. “That’s your front porch.

There’s a pin-cam in the birdhouse and that one,” I point to the interior feed, “is behind the third air vent above the bookshelf.”

She turns toward the bookshelf, eyes scanning. “You drilled into my wall?”

“Adhesive mount. No damage, I promise. Now,” I say carefully, “you’re the one in control. You invite him in, decide how far you’re willing to go to keep him distracted. I’ll be watching every second.”

Then quietly, without looking away from the camera feed, she asks, “What should I say to him? Should I try to get anything out of him? Ask questions?”

I study her face, how carefully composed it is, even with that storm still building behind her eyes.

She’s willing and ready to help. But there's no way I’m letting her play double agent.

Not with someone like him. “No,” I say firmly.

“You don’t need to push for anything. Don’t try to outsmart him. That’s not the goal.”

Her gaze flicks to me. “Then what is?”

“Distraction,” I say. “That’s all. You keep him inside. Keep him talking and comfortable. He’s good at reading people, so don’t give him a reason to be suspicious. No sudden changes, try not to show any nerves. Just ... be who he thinks you are. Like you don’t know anything.”

She swallows hard. “I don’t know if I can pull this off.”

“You can.” My voice softens just enough to cut through her doubt. “And you’ll have me in your ear the whole way.”

She nods but there’s still a question there, I can see it rising behind her lips. “And then what? When he’s inside, when he’s comfortable, what then?”

I lean back, folding my hands. “There’s a compound called oral transmucosal etomidate, it’s both tasteless and odorless. It can be absorbed through the mouth lining and dissolves in under ten seconds if it’s stirred into something like wine or soda. It’ll knock him out.”

Her lips part slightly, eyes widening. “He’ll be unconscious?”

“Fully,” I say. “Fast onset, under six minutes if it absorbs properly and no memory of anything after it hits the bloodstream.”

“And how long will he stay under?”

“Two to three hours. Honestly, it depends on how his system processes it. But I won’t give him that long.” I pause. “You won’t have to handle the dose directly. I’ll make sure it’s powdered and sealed in a heat-stable film. All you’ll have to do is stir it into his drink.”

She swallows and nods once. “Okay.” For a second, neither of us speaks. The plan just hangs there, suspended between what we want to happen and what could go wrong if even one detail slips. Then she asks, voice quieter now. “And once he’s unconscious ... what do we do then?”

I meet her eyes. “Then I come in, restrain him, secure the house, and confirm we’re not being monitored. Once I’ve got him tied up, I’m going to get everything I can out of him. Information, contacts, orders. Anything that tells us who else is in on this and how deep it goes.”

“And then,” I lean forward, elbows on my knees, voice dropping a notch.

“Then we disappear with him. I’ll call Matteo and give him the green light to prepare our next secure location.

Somewhere he won’t be found. Somewhere we can question him for longer without risk of being discovered when the syndicate realizes he’s been captured. ”

She nods slowly, absorbing every word. I see the fear there, but I see the resolve too. She’s all in.

Lila exhales and nods, “How do we get him here?”

“You invite him,” I say simply. “Nothing that sounds desperate. Just enough warmth to keep him interested. Later on, you’ll go by and ask him to swing by tomorrow for a drink. Real casual.” She frowns slightly, biting the inside of her cheek. “And if he doesn’t take the bait?”

“He will,” I say. “He’s already invested. They’ve put too much time into this to abandon it now. If he senses any opening, any chance to isolate you, he’ll take it.”

She swallows hard. “And what if something goes wrong?”

I lean forward, dragging a small case from the gear bag at my feet. Inside there’s an earpiece, I hold it up between us. “You’ll wear this, it’s a secure line. If anything feels off, anything at all, you say the code word.”

Her eyes flick to the device, then back to me. “Okay. What’s the code word?”

“Gallery,” I say. “It’s easy enough to slide into conversation without raising flags.”

“Gallery,” she echoes. “Got it.”

“If you say it once, I know to start moving. Twice, I’m busting through the door, no questions asked. If I hear or see anything that doesn’t sound right, changes in your tone, weird pauses, I’ll act.”

She nods. “And if I can’t speak?”

I look her dead in the eye. “I’ll know.”

The silence after that hangs heavy. “Okay,” she says finally, steady now. “What else?”

“You’re going to stay in the cabin during the whole interaction,” I say. “Don’t leave and don’t let him take you for a walk or ask you to step outside. The second he tries to change locations, I intervene.”

“What if it doesn’t work?” she asks. “The sedative, I mean. What if it doesn’t hit him fast enough?”

“It’ll work,” I say, calm but firm. “It’s not just some back-alley blend. It’s a pharmaceutical-grade compound.”

Her jaw tightens. “Okay, I get that but what if he doesn’t drink it all...”

“Then we pivot.” I meet her eyes, steady and unyielding. “We play it longer, wait for another opening to add more to his drink. Or I make a new plan on the fly. Either way, there’s no reason to worry, little lamb. I’ve got you.”

She exhales slowly, dragging a hand through her hair. The fear is still there, buried under the surface, but she’s holding her ground. “Okay,” she whispers. “Let’s do it.”

I lean forward and press a kiss to her head before speaking again, “I need to head back to my place for a bit,” I say.

“Pick up the sedative and some of the gear I left behind. I’ll only be gone an hour, two at most. While I’m gone, try to keep yourself busy.

Carl won’t strike today, so we’ve got a bit of time to work with. ”

She hesitates. “Shouldn’t I come with you?”

My answer is immediate. “No.” I soften it.

“If they’re watching every move you make, and at this point, I’d be shocked if they weren’t, seeing you glued to my side might make them dig.

Right now, Carl thinks he’s got you isolated.

That you’re alone. The second they connect you to someone who isn’t part of your original life, they’ll start wondering who I am.

Right now, I can slip in and out unnoticed, but with you beside me it’ll be harder to stay in the shadows. ”

I reach for her hands. “If they dig too deep, we lose our edge. They still don’t know who I am or what I was sent to do. That’s the only reason this plan will work.”

I reach out and brush a thumb across her cheek. “This is the last time I leave you by yourself,” I say. “After tonight, we’re not splitting up again. Not until this is all over. I promise.”

She nods again, firmer now. “All right.”

“I’ll be back soon,” I promise as I grab the tablet and slip it back into the backpack. But when I move toward the door, she shifts a little. Barely noticeable, but I catch it. A flicker of tension in her shoulders. A twitch in her fingers like she’s reaching for something invisible.

“Lila. I know you said you’re okay with this,” I say, voice low, “but are you absolutely sure you want to go through with the plan?”

Her lips part like she wants to say something but then decides against it. She just swallows, then nods. Her voice quiet. “I’m fine. Just ... don’t be long.”

“I won’t.” I step back once, just enough to lean in and press my lips to hers. Then I turn and leave.

****

T he door clicks shut behind me with a soft echo.

The cabin’s quiet in that way that makes your instincts crawl.

I move fast and methodically, starting in the back room.

It’s barely lit, everything stored in steel cabinets and locked crates like a bunker dressed in wood paneling.

I reach for the largest duffel bag tucked under the utility bench, unzip it, and start laying out what we’ll need.