Heartless (Crossbreed Series Book 9)

by Dannika Dark

  “I think I’m skipping breakfast today, amigo.”

  “What happened?”

  She sipped wine and pushed away thoughts of the vile scene that had unfolded. Niko was a sharp light reader, and he could often detect lies. “It’s tough staying up all night and sharing headspace with my falcon. Sometimes she wants to fly off, and I have to fight those urges and keep her still. It’s one thing to do it occasionally, but night after night? I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

  “Wyatt said Raven was active, but you called in a false alarm.”

  Blue took another sip of wine and then rested the glass on her leg. “I didn’t want anyone panicking and busting in on the scene. Raven got an offer that looks promising. She might be going on the job as soon as today. Is Viktor around? I want to talk to him before I go to bed.”

  “He’s in his office. He asked not to be disturbed.” Niko stared pensively at the space before him.

  What a shame that Niko couldn’t see the beautiful window to their left that depicted wolves and humans living in harmony. Did he even know it was there?

  “Something troubles you.” He shifted in her direction and studied her light. “We’re partners, are we not?”

  “Sure.”

  “Christian isn’t here. We have privacy if you want to speak freely.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about.”

  “Is it your scars?”

  It wasn’t. But in a way it was. Blue had to watch Raven from the sidelines. The Shifter in her wanted to be more involved in this particular case, and if it weren’t for her scars, she would have been Raven’s backup instead of Claude.

  “I wish I had words of comfort, but I don’t,” he admitted. “I can tell you what I think, but that won’t ease your suffering. If it makes you feel better, I haven’t noticed them at all.”

  She chuckled. “Is that so?”

  Niko smiled with his eyes. “I would never pry.”

  Blue swallowed a mouthful of the full-bodied wine and set the glass on the end table. “I know you’re looking out for me, but this isn’t a subject I want to talk about. I’m just having a bad night.”

  Niko inclined his head. “Apologies.”

  “Thank the fates for Viktor. He really changed my life. It’s a tough job, but the work I do makes me sleep like a baby.”

  “Which is more than I can say for our leader. He’s been pacing again.”

  Blue sighed, her thoughts drifting to the long nights between jobs when she’d occasionally hear Viktor playing his violin. Sometimes in the wee hours of the morning, a haunting melody crept through the halls like a distant dream. No one ever mentioned it, so she couldn’t be certain if she was the only one who had ever heard him play. She speculated that whatever tormented him reared its ugly head when things got too peaceful.

  “He’s worried about Raven,” she said. “This is her first time on a solo job, and it’s a big one.”

  “If anyone’s up for the task, it’s Raven. She’s young but brave. Fear is our worst enemy.”

  Blue slouched and closed her eyes. “I just wish my mind would quit spinning.”

  “The stillness of life makes us dizzy with regrets.”

  “What makes you think I regret anything?”

  Niko sighed. “I know something about quiet moments. When the noise of the world goes away and you’re left with your thoughts, they tend to wander in the realm of regret. Things we wish we hadn’t done, things we wish we had. Things we wish we could do. That’s the noise that keeps us awake. It makes immortality insufferable.”

  “Maybe we should live a perfect life so we’ll have no regrets.”

  Niko chuckled softly and played with the lace on his shoe. “That’s an ambitious goal. Let me know how it works for you.”

  “Will do.”

  “Ah, Blue. You’re here,” Viktor said as he entered the room.

  Blue’s eyes snapped open. She hopped off the couch to greet Viktor. “Niko said you were working, or I would have spoken with you right away. I was just having a drink. Can I get you anything?”

  “Nyet. I am good.” He rounded his favorite chair and took a seat. “Tell me about your evening.”

  She sat in the chair next to his. “Raven made contact with someone about the fighting rings. It was only an initial offer, but we should know more by this evening.”

  His eyebrows popped up, deepening the wrinkles in his brow. Viktor was by no means an old man, even in Shifter years. He was what she considered seasoned—a man with years of experience behind his pale winter eyes. She imagined he’d once had coal-black hair, but now it was mostly silver with dark undertones. The lines at the corners of his eyes revealed the laughter and tragedy in his life. His Greek nose gave him character, and his lips only spoke truth—even if she didn’t understand a word of Russian. His culture was threaded into his being after hundreds of years living there, and she couldn’t fathom how difficult it must have been for him to uproot his life, move to a new country, and learn a new language.

  “I filled Claude in,” Blue continued. “And Wyatt needs to keep an eye on her tracker.”

  “This is excellent news.” Viktor heaved a sigh, and with that, his spirit seemed lighter. “I may enjoy a celebratory drink after all.”

  He made a motion to get up, but Blue was already halfway across the room, pouring a small glass of vodka. He worked tirelessly to keep this organization running, so it was the least she could do.

  She handed Viktor the glass.

  “Spasibo.”

  Blue returned to her chair and leaned on the armrest. “Wyatt can disregard what he saw last night. That was just a rendezvous point to meet her contact.”

  While Viktor sipped his drink, Shepherd entered the room with Hunter on his shoulders. His snug white T-shirt had a small red stain on the front. Hunter gobbled down the rest of his strawberry before wiping his fingers on Shepherd’s shirt. His pant leg was riding up on one side.

  “Nice socks,” Blue said, noticing the hot-pink knee-highs.

  Hunter smiled proudly as Shepherd lifted him up and set him down on the sofa. His shoes began blinking the moment they made contact with the cushion.

  “Isn’t it a little early for drinks?” Shepherd asked, noticing the two glasses in the room.

  “We’re celebrating,” Viktor informed him. “Raven made progress on her mission.”

  Shepherd crossed the room toward the liquor cabinet and opened a drawer where he kept his cigarettes. After striking a match and lighting one up, he ambled toward the divider wall and rested against one of the open archways. “So you don’t need me in the club anymore?”

  “There is no need,” Viktor replied, putting relief on Shepherd’s face. “But keep yourself available. I do not know what comes next. I presume Raven will meet with her contact, but she must have enough evidence that we can move in and capture. I want everyone close to home.”

  Shepherd made a donut ring with his smoke and blew the rest toward the ceiling. “Are you sending in Regulators, or will we do this the old-fashioned way?”

  Viktor tapped his fingers against his glass. “We shall see. I need her to identify as many people as she can who are involved. Witnesses will strengthen our case.”

  “So will video cameras,” Blue noted. “How much do you want to bet they film these little events and have private viewings to get new clients interested?”

  Viktor sipped his vodka. “That would be even better.”

  Shepherd gazed up at the windows, the cigarette wedged between his scarred fingers. “I love a good raid.”

  Hunter got up from the couch and wandered around. His schooling would start after breakfast, so Shepherd liked to spend time with him before then. Things were finally amicable between Shepherd and Switch. At first she’d thought the two might beat the hell out of each other, but they’d worked out a routine. Fathering was a new gig for Shepherd, one he didn’t take lightly. Blue could see him struggling with his affections, and he looked wistful whenever
someone else gave Hunter a hug or kiss. But he had no problem calling anyone out who went against his rules or overstepped boundaries. Blue still didn’t know if Switch would last as a permanent addition since he was still in a trial period, but she guessed that decision lay with Shepherd. Switch didn’t seem like a bad guy. Headstrong, yes, but as a wolf, he’d protect Hunter when they were away, as he’d recently proved during their last mission.

  Blue stood up. “I need to get some shut-eye. Did you eat breakfast?” she asked Viktor. “I can make you some scrambled eggs before I go to bed. It won’t take but a minute.”

  He patted his stomach. “I am saving room. Kira will delight us with a casserole fit for kings. Or perhaps grechka the way my mother used to make.”

  Blue tried not to let her disappointment show. She appreciated how Kira took care of the house, but Blue had always been the one who looked out for Viktor. The others didn’t notice or care when he didn’t eat enough or rest.

  “Don’t you miss my eggs?” she said, hoping he’d take the bait. “I can make them just the way you like. A dash of salt, a little butter—”

  “Nyet. I want you rested. If Raven moves to a second location and you see people going in, you can identify them. I do not want a sleepy bird on duty. Is this clear?”

  “You bet.”

  “Just don’t shit on anyone,” Shepherd quipped. “Remember that one time we were tailing that Packmaster and your bird blew our cover?”

  She folded her arms, annoyed that they always brought that up for a few chuckles. “That was a fluke.”

  “Yeah, but it almost got Wyatt killed. It was a good thing that—Hunter!” he boomed.

  One second, Shepherd was leaning against the wall. The next, he was sprinting across the room toward the corner ladder. “Get down from there,” he snapped.

  Hunter scrambled down the ladder and then hid behind it. He tucked himself into a tiny ball, his arms wrapped around his legs and his head buried from sight.

  “Look, I didn’t mean to yell, little man, but you have to be careful. Ladders are dangerous. You can’t climb them unless someone else is holding on. That’s the rule.” Shepherd squatted by the ladder and rested his arm on a rung. “You wanna go outside and climb a tree?”

  Blue drifted toward the wall and picked up the cigarette that Shepherd had dropped on the floor. She leaned through one of the open archways and stubbed it out in an ashtray on a booth table.

  “Don’t be mad,” Shepherd said, scratching his bristly hair. “Do you wanna hit me?”

  “That’s not an advisable suggestion,” Niko chimed in.

  “He’s my kid.” Shepherd stared daggers at Niko from over his shoulder.

  Niko turned his head. “What lesson will you teach him? That when he’s made to feel small or punished that he should lash out in violence?”

  Shepherd rubbed his forehead. His heart was in the right place, but he didn’t have any experience with children that Blue knew of. Raising kids was something you learned along the way.

  Blue crossed the room and stood by the ladder. “A little bird told me that there’s a magical room in this house.”

  “What are you talking about?” Shepherd stood and gave her a bemused look.

  She winked to get him to play along. “It’s so magical that only little boys can open the door.”

  “What’s in the room?”

  There was a room on the third floor that held musical instruments. Nobody ever went in there since none of them were musically inclined, but it was the sort of thing that a kid Hunter’s age would love.

  “Magical instruments. There’s an old piano that sings when you press the keys. Legend has it that when you sit on the bench, you can fly to faraway places.”

  Hunter lifted his head and peered at her through his disheveled hair.

  She tried to recall what else was in there. “I heard there’s a harp named Mr. Brewster and a flute that dances.”

  Shepherd gave her a “What the fuck are you talking about?” look—he obviously hadn’t learned the allure of magic when it came to children. The world wasn’t just about lessons in books.

  “Anyhow, I was trying to think if I knew any little boys who might be brave enough to open the magic door,” she continued while rubbing her chin.

  Shepherd folded his arms. “I don’t know.”

  Hunter stood and looked at them from behind the ladder.

  Blue maintained eye contact with Shepherd. “Someone put a spell on the door. It’s a magical spell that only a father and son can break. They have to be holding hands.”

  Hunter reached between the rungs for Shepherd’s hand.

  Shepherd gave her a nod of thanks. The crisis had ended.

  She clapped him on the shoulder and lowered her voice. “Third floor, center hall, sixth door on the left. Have fun, and make sure you try out the flying carpet. I hear it goes to Istanbul.”

  Chapter 20

  The worst hangover wasn’t a night of heavy drinking. Well, not unless you counted drinking blood. It was the process of waiting for dark core light to leave the body. The blood didn’t help matters either. I tried sleeping, but I mostly just remained in the fetal position. Pulling in fresh sunlight helped dilute the energy, but not enough to make a difference. It had to leave on its own.

  Instead of returning to work, I called the club and left a message for Karen, the manager. Making that decision killed me. I wanted to check with Flynn to make sure everything went smoothly with the cleaner. Even more important, would Flynn rescind his offer because I took a sick day? Would my absence spook him? No matter how much I wanted to go in, I was in no condition to get out of bed, let alone tend bar. If he saw me with his own eyes, he’d surely change his mind. I needed to be in prime condition when I met his boss—not looking like a haggard mess who can’t hold her own. Viktor wouldn’t want me to rush this and make mistakes.

  So I stayed in bed all day, all that night, and the following day. Christian didn’t visit, but I spied Blue on the window ledge the prior evening while gazing at the city lights. I gave her a thumbs-up before closing the drapes.

  After two full days of rest, it was time to get back to work.

  The corset stayed on the floor, and I put on the spiked bra instead. Same leather shorts and black boots. I kept my tousled hair down, applied makeup, put in my brown contact lens, and grabbed a long duster before heading out.

  By the sour look I got from the hotel desk clerk, she thought I was a prostitute. I squinted at the late afternoon sunlight as it pierced through the tall windows in the lobby. As I neared the door, I stopped short.

  Flynn waved at me from the outside. His round glasses were pink today.

  I moved through the revolving door and approached him. “What are you doing here?”

  “Thought I’d see what my investment’s up to.”

  “How did you know I was here?”

  “Karen tells me anything when I flirt with her.”

  The club manager would be the only person who would have my location since it was required on the paperwork.

  I casually strolled up the sidewalk, the wind at my back and the sun on my left. “Did you think I skipped town or something?”

  “One never knows.”

  I came up with a quick excuse before he started grilling me. “I was afraid someone busted you while hauling the body, and if so, they’d be looking for me at work. Thought I’d lie low for a day or two.”

  “You really think I’d snitch?”

  “Don’t take it personally, but I don’t trust anyone. I’m probably fired by now, but better that than going to Breed jail.”

  “Worry not, love. Everything is copasetic. But if you’re having second thoughts about my offer—”

  “No, I’m in. The tips at the club are nice, but it would take me decades to get ahead.”

  He hooked his arm in mine. “Brilliant. Let’s take a detour, shall we?”

  Instead of going straight, Flynn turned right at the corner. He wa
s surprisingly candid, telling me how he bounced from one convenient relationship to the next. He bragged about the penthouse suites he’d stayed in and cautioned me to avoid Breed apartment living like the plague. Not unless I enjoyed Shifter fights, Vampires complaining about noise, broken doors, and juicers passed out in the halls.

  “Where do you live now?” I asked.

  “A swanky little place, but I’m running out of time. You see, my last relationship ended in a flood of tears. Hers, not mine. She left but had already paid the lease for six months. It’s mine for another five weeks.”

  “I thought you got paid good money for recruiting?”

  “Keep your voice down,” he murmured. “And take off that bloody mask. You look like an invitation.”

  I removed the mask and tucked it in the long pocket of my duster, which had no buttons to cover up my provocative outfit. We walked for twenty minutes. Flynn revealed he didn’t have a car or a driver’s license, not that he wanted to drive on our crazy American roads. Between relationships, he used public transportation or his two feet. Flynn was quite the chatterbox. I could see why he had no trouble moving from one relationship to the next. He had a gift of making you feel like you’d known him all your life, and that was something he could do with any random stranger.

  “Aren’t we going to be late to work?” I asked.

  The sun had set, but a wonderful early-evening glow filled the world, giving the colors more contrast and depth.

  “Never you mind about that. This is far more important. I hope you make a better first impression on my associate than you did with me.”

  “As long as he doesn’t grab my arm.”

  Flynn chortled. After crossing another street, he began telling me all about his hometown in Manchester.

  Just when we reached the curb, my heart accelerated. A scruffy biker strutted toward us, tattoos up and down his arms and a goatee on his chin. When he locked eyes with me, my breath caught. Flynn’s voice faded into oblivion, and as I stared at Crush, all I could think of was how this mission was teetering on the brink of disaster.

  Looking down at my nonexistent outfit, he practically had flames shooting out of his eyes. Then he gave Flynn a baleful glance.