She opened her mouth and then closed it, giving the matter some thought. “I’m not sure. If she does, she hid it well from me and everyone else. She was smart to do so,” Karina muttered.
“So, we don’t know if Valeriya is out there somewhere having visions about you.” It was a concern.
“I doubt she has the same talent. There’s no way to hide it. If my grandmother had known my sister had a gift like mine, she never would have ignored Valeriya.”
That made sense and put him more at ease.
“It seems now that my brain is healed my talent is back. I’m not sure if it’s a gift or a curse, but it’s a part of me.” She closed her eyes and rolled her head around her neck.
Jericho reached out and caught her hand in his. “You still want to bring down the Knights?”
Her eyes popped open, and she studied him for a long time, as though assessing his reason for asking. She might be still healing and dealing with the brutal truth of her life, but Karina was a strong and very driven woman.
“Yes. Think what you want of me. Hell, kill me when this is over if you must, but let me destroy my enemies first.” Her words were bitter. “Seems I’m not that different from my ancestor after all, only I want to use my anger to finally put an end to what she started all those centuries ago. If Valeriya is still out there, I want her to be safe. For that to happen, the Knights have to be eliminated.”
That was a sentiment they could all relate to. He looked from one man to the other, waiting and receiving nods from Khalil and Enoch. Sadiq stood still as a statue, glaring at her.
“You betray us, and I’ll exterminate you. No matter how Jericho feels about you,” Sadiq promised.
Karina slowly nodded. “Agreed.” Giving him her attention again, she simply raised an eyebrow in question. “When do we start?”
Chapter Fifteen
Karina would never admit it to anyone, but she was woozy from her vision. It had been such a long time since she’d had one. Whether the magic had something to do with it or it was just childhood memories fading over time, the episodes had ceased to be real to her. She’d truly forgotten all about them.
Even with her memories back, she only had a vague recollection of them. Mostly she remembered getting in big trouble when she had one, which wasn’t fair since she had no control over them.
On one hand, she was glad she mostly couldn’t recall the visions. On the other, it left her at a distinct disadvantage. The first one had occurred just before her thirteenth birthday. And the only reason she remembered anything about it at all was that her grandmother had struck her in the face after, calling her the devil’s spawn.
Karina had been hurt and scared. She hadn’t wanted to be the devil’s spawn, but she was. Not because of her talent, but because of the family she’d been born into. And who was her grandmother to judge her? Svetlana Azarov was evil incarnate.
Oddly enough, it had been her father who’d told her what she’d said during the vision. She’d blurted out a plot her grandmother had cooked up to take control of one of his companies. He’d thwarted her, and grandmother wasn’t happy with either of them.
It all came back to her grandmother. Karina was convinced more than ever that the woman was still alive. It was likely she’d had Karina’s parents killed. With her gift hampered by magic, Birch beside her, and the medication in her system, her grandmother could assert control without risk.
It was genius, really.
Realizing she’d been quiet for way too long, she tuned back in to her surroundings to find all four men watching her. “If they believe another Knight has me, they would assume I’m probably dead by now. Why is Birch still looking for me?”
“He’d want to see a body.” When she simply stared at him, Jericho shrugged. “It’s what I would do.”
Of course it was. These men were kidnappers, assassins, drakons, bikers, and heaven only knew what else.
“That makes sense.” Given her grandmother was likely still alive, Birch would have learned he needed to see a body to confirm a death. Her grandmother might actually be the one demanding it.
Karina’s life was now under her control. For as long as it lasted, she was going to live it on her terms.
Her palms were damp, so she rubbed them over the tops of her leggings. She might have gotten used to Jericho and his friends, but having them all staring at her still made her uneasy. These men would give anyone pause, but she knew their secret, knew they were more than mere men.
She could never forget that she was truly on her own, could depend on no one else. Jericho had made that abundantly clear earlier.
One minute at a time. One hour at a time. No more looking forward or making plans. And no more looking back. Survival was the only goal after revenge. She hoped for the latter but really didn’t hold out any hope for the former. If the Knights didn’t kill her, she wasn’t sure Sadiq wouldn’t. He was devoted to Jericho.
He inspired that kind of loyalty. She’d inspired nothing but fear and hatred.
“You’re really willing to help us hack into the Knights’ financial stuff?” Jericho hovered beside her. She wanted him to touch her but wasn’t sure she could bear it, not after he’d been so cold to her earlier.
“I am. I want them all brought to their knees.” Retribution or revenge—it wasn’t pretty, but she didn’t care. Someone needed to pay. There was no way to atone for the things she’d done, but this would help make amends. “I’ve been doing their dirty work for years. It’s time to turn the tables.” They’d understand that reasoning. But it went far deeper than that. She’d been betrayed by family, by the people who were supposed to love and care for her.
Even worse, they turned her into a creature just like them, and she’d hurt the one person she had loved—Valeriya.
“I want some of the money.”
“Of course you do,” Sadiq began.
“For Valeriya,” she interjected to cut off any further snarky remarks. “I don’t know where she is or if she’s even alive, but she deserves to live in comfort, to have enough money to protect herself from the Knights.” Ignoring Sadiq, she appealed to Jericho. “Please.”
That one word was tough to get past her lips. Karina Azarov begged no one for anything. But for her baby sister, the sister she remembered and had loved all those years ago, she’d go down on her knees, if necessary.
“Done,” he told her, and she trusted him enough to keep his word.
“Thank you.” Relief flooded her, and a weight rolled off her shoulders. Now she could get down to business. She turned to Enoch. “Let’s get started. We can begin with every one of the Knights’ assets and go from there.”
“I have a list,” Enoch began.
She walked back to the kitchen with him, feeling Jericho’s gaze on her every step of the way. What was he was thinking? And why did she still give a damn?
…
He wished he knew what was going on inside that nimble mind of hers. It hadn’t escaped his notice that she had barely looked at him.
Unable to let her out of his sight, he followed her and Enoch.
If she was still experiencing the effects of her vision, she wasn’t showing it. Nor would she. Frowning, he went to the fridge and got her a bottle of juice. After removing the cover, he handed it to her. She nodded her thanks but went right back to her discussion with Enoch.
It soon became apparent that Karina was a font of information, not only on her own business dealings, but for those of every major member of the Knights. She even gave Enoch some names they hadn’t known.
Jericho caught Sadiq’s eye and jerked his head toward the door. “We’ll be right outside.” He addressed the room at large, but it was really her he was telling. The others would easily hear them.
“We’ll be working for hours,” Enoch assured him. His way of letting Jericho know he’d watch out for her while he was outside with Sadiq.
He stepped out under the night sky, which was awash with stars. Inhaling, he fill
ed his lung with fresh air. He longed to ride, to hit the open road. Occasionally he went alone, but it was more usual for Sadiq to go with him or for the four of them to be together. This time he didn’t want to be alone. He wanted Karina seated behind him on the big, powerful bike with her arms wrapped around him as they flew down the highway.
Being cooped up inside wasn’t good for any of them. Made them antsy. And when drakons got restless, fights were inevitable. He glanced back toward the house. Through the window, he watched Karina. She leaned in close to Enoch while his friend’s fingers flew over the keyboard of his laptop.
“He’ll need more equipment,” he speculated. If they did want to start stripping away the Knight’s wealth, Enoch would need access to more than his laptop, no matter how much he’d modified it.
“We’ll get him what he needs.”
“If there’s enough time.” He tore his gaze away from the window. “You believe her, don’t you?” He did, but he couldn’t trust himself to be objective.
Sadiq paced into the shadows. It concealed him if Karina happened to glance out the window, but it couldn’t hide him from Jericho or the others. “Yeah, I believe her. It’s too crazy not to. That thing with her eyes. No way could she do that on purpose.”
He grunted his agreement and stepped into the shadows with Sadiq. “We’ll have to keep a watch. If she’s right, we’ll have the Knights down on us sometime in the next day.”
“You think this Birch guy will come alone or bring friends?”
“Now, that’s a question.” He pondered it for a bit. “He has no idea what he’s dealing with. Likely believes another member of the Knights has her. We should expect backup.”
Sadiq grunted. “Not like they’d ever believe drakons took her.”
He shrugged. “Why would he? In modern years, we’ve pretty much left them alone, content to live our own lives.”
“That was a mistake.”
He agreed, and it was one that would soon be rectified. “We’ll bring them down this time. We also have to be prepared for more than just Birch.”
“You really believe the grandmother is alive?”
“I do. It makes the most sense.” He’d thought through every possibility, considered every angle. “And she’d definitely have someone on his tail, figuring Birch will lead her to Karina, or at least Karina’s body. Doesn’t seem like a trusting soul. She’ll want Karina back, dead or alive.” Just saying that soured his stomach. “And if I’m wrong and another Knight is behind this, the same applies. They’ll want her back.”
Sadiq sat on the ground beneath a tree and leaned against the trunk. “You’re going to keep her, aren’t you?”
“If she’ll stay.” And he was nowhere certain about that.
“And if she betrays you? Betrays us?”
He absorbed the pain that Sadiq’s quiet question unleashed. “I’ll kill every Knight if I have to, but I can’t, I won’t, harm her.” He needed to make his friend understand. “I’m linked to her in some way. Her death would destroy me.”
Sadiq cursed but nodded. “I get it. You’ve said it a couple of times now. I have to believe you. If she shows any sign of rebuilding the Knights after this is done, we’ll have to lock her away.”
If that came to pass, he’d shut it down, even though it would irrevocably damage him if he saw hatred for him in her eyes. “I know.”
“Don’t worry. You’re not alone.”
Translation—Sadiq would take care of it if the situation came down to that.
“No. I’ll handle it.” Karina was his woman, his responsibility. He left Sadiq outside and went into the house. She glanced at him but turned away without any acknowledgment, going back to whatever she and Enoch were discussing.
Unwilling to be ignored any longer, he pulled up a seat beside her, rested his arm over the back of her chair, and listened. He knew he was unsettling her, heard her sharp intake of breath when he ran his fingertips over her nape. But she did her best to pretend he wasn’t there.
Sadiq remained outside keeping watch. Khalil had also gone outside, presumably to do the same. There was no need to ask them. It needed to be done, so they did it.
Hours passed, and finally Karina’s voice started to go hoarse. Enoch had reams of information about businesses, accounts, assets, and membership.
“I already had some of this,” Enoch told her, “but with this additional data, I can coordinate a stealthy attack.”
“You can make this work?” Karina asked.
“Oh, yeah. Firedrake Incorporated can take control of the companies. We’ll be able to weed out the innocents from the Knights while keeping profitable businesses up and running. We can shut down all the experimental labs and drain the wealth from private accounts. I’m amazed you remember so much.”
Karina tapped the side of her head. “I was trained from a young age to remember things and commit as little as possible to paper.” Then she paused and finally looked at Jericho. “Firedrake Incorporated?”
He could have kicked Enoch for mentioning their company. But on the other hand, if he wanted a chance with her, he needed to give her something of himself, especially after how cold he’d been with her earlier.
“It’s our company. We all took the last name Drake.”
“Firedrake. Drakon. I like it.” The smile was quick but genuine. A knot in his gut began to unravel.
“It’s changed names over the years, but we like it. Modern laws and taxes make it more difficult in some ways but easier in others. The company can exist in perpetuity, passed on to our ‘descendants.’” He put air quotes around the word.
“I didn’t know about any of you, so neither should any of the other Knights.” As if suddenly becoming aware of how close they were sitting, she pulled back, but then she hit Enoch. She was hemmed in between the two of them.
She started to push back her chair to get up, but Jericho had one more very important question. “Do you know about any drakons being held captive?”
Enoch’s stillness told him his friend had never even considered that, but he had. As leader of the Knights, she’d be privy to that information.
“I honestly don’t know of any right now. Herman Temple had one, but the drakon managed to kill himself. Evan Caine had one, but there was a problem at one of his facilities.”
“Problem?” His gut tightened. Had another of his kind died at the hands of the Knights?
“Details are sketchy, but his facility was vaporized. It’s completely gone. Rumor is that his drakon had help and escaped.”
“Good. That’s good.” He rolled his shoulders, hoping to ease the tension settled there. “No others?”
“Again, rumors that Anton Bruno either had one or had a lead on one, but he’s in Russia.” She paused and then continued. “He’s missing and has been for some time now. I suspect he’s dead.”
Seems his brethren were fighting back.
“What about Jeremiah Dent?” he asked. Enoch had intercepted some interesting emails about the man. “He’s also missing, and his businesses were taken over by other Knights.” Including Karina.
“Dent is dead,” she told them. “He was secretive, even more than any of us realized.”
He hated hearing her group herself in with the Knights and the natural way she did so. “You’re not one of them anymore.”
“I was for far too many years.” She shoved her chair back and stood. Jericho slowly came to his feet, towering over her slighter frame. She didn’t back down. “I’ve long suspected the dragons or drakons have people who are helping them.”
Now that was an interesting twist. “Really? Who?”
She started to speak but yawned instead. It was late, and she’d been working for hours, putting her brain and body under even more strain. She rubbed her temple and closed her eyes in concentration. Her lashes were dark against her pale skin. Her lips had lost some of their rosy tone. And now that he was really concentrating on her, he noticed a fine trembling in her hand.
<
br /> The refrigerator hummed, and a clock ticked somewhere in the living room. With the windows open, both Khalil and Sadiq would be listening and taking in every detail.
Finally, she opened her eyes. “I don’t know. That’s something I was never told, or if I was, I just don’t remember.”
He had to trust she wasn’t holding anything back.
“If that’s everything, I’m going to bed.” Without waiting for a reply, she left the room with both men watching her.
Jericho waited until he heard the bedroom door close upstairs. Right on cue, the front and back doors opened, and the other two joined them.
“Well?” Sadiq demanded.
“It’s good, solid intel,” Enoch told him. “And bloody accurate, too.”
“We already knew about Dent and Temple, but she didn’t know that,” Jericho pointed out.
The doubting voices in his head settled. He had to believe the person she was now and let go of the person she’d been. The woman helping them, the woman he’d slept with and still wanted was the real her.
His jeans grew tighter as his cock swelled. He was constantly semi-aroused around her. The urge to claim her again, to mark her as his, rode him hard.
“What about the other two men she mentioned. Bruno and Caine?” Khalil asked.
“Enoch can do more research now that he has a starting point. How much can you do on that?” He pointed at the laptop.
“Some, but not enough. If I’m going to be hacking into sensitive files of the Knights and their businesses, I need more equipment.” He paused and added, “I have most of what I need stored in the trailer we used to transport the bikes. I had everything on the plane and thought I should bring it rather than leave it behind.”
The corners of Jericho’s mouth tilted upward. “Of course you did.” Enoch always managed to be prepared, to thrive no matter the circumstances. His survival instinct was both a skill and a gift.
Sadiq slapped Enoch on the back, while Khalil just grinned.
“Do we leave, or do we wait for Karina’s bodyguard?” That was the real question, and it wasn’t a decision he was willing to make alone.
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