An Oath In Blood (Book #3)

Chapter 28: To Kill A Rose

CORVINA HAWKE

Trish retired to his room when the clock struck one and Lily passed out on the bed in the room we were sharing. I couldn't sleep. I was still sat at the desk, going through the history of every member of the Encore empire. And one in particular had caught my attention and refused to let go.

Ahvi Takeda.

If I was a man in danger, if I was the one whose life was at stake, I would ask for help from a former criminal, someone who was hardened enough to accept the truth and strong enough to protect me if need be. I went through everything Lily had pulled up on Ahvi, about her whereabouts, her occupation, where she went for a cup of coffee. Or in her case, matcha. She wasn't a big coffee-drinker.

My eyes itched from staring at a screen for too long but I couldn't look away. I rubbed them as I leaned back in my chair, groaning inwardly. Why had I been put in this situation? Was this a test of will? Because I had had enough of those.

I straightened in the chair, pulling my knees to my chest. My worn comfort shirt fell over one shoulder, doing little to warm me in the brutal air conditioning. I had borrowed a pair of sweats from Trish that hung low on my hips and that I had to hike up every few minutes but the outfit brought me the comfort I needed at the moment.

Why had Warren lied to me? The question had been plaguing me. When the initial bout of rage had calmed down, I couldn't help but think about the situation from a more rational point of view. Unlike what I had said in New York, when riding the monstrous waves of my rage, I wasn't here to kill Warren.

I was here to get my phone. And then I would leave for good. I would forget about Warren and the stupid dance. And I would go back to doing what I did best: kill people whose death certificate the Big Guy signed, if he didn't sign mine first.

The silence on my boss's end was unnerving me. He never let slip-ups go. There were no excuses. There was nothing you could do to escape the punishment. But this time, he hadn't even issued a warning and it didn't sit right with me. Something was off.

"Cor?" Lily's groggy voice, dripping with sleep, called out to me. I straightened, glancing over my shoulder at her. "Aren't you going to come to bed?" She asked, heaving herself up on her elbows. Her pink hair was a mess, tangled up in a drooping bun on the top of her head. I shook my head at her question, which had her frowning. "Is everything alright?"

"Not really." I confided in her. I had been talking about my feelings with my friends a lot more these days and it made me want to throw up. We didn't have to know what went on in our hearts to be best friends. We went through a lot together. It was enough of a bond.

"What is it?" Lily cleared her throat, her voice softer than before. I turned toward the laptop again, hearing shuffling behind me. A moment passed, then she was beside me, her hand on the back of the chair, her eyes on me.

"My death is waiting for me," I voiced the words that had been haunting me for the past week and a half, the words I knew to be as true as the fact that I was here and breathing.

"Corvina." Her tone was stern as if she was mad at me for even thinking about it. But it was true. It was inevitable.

"Back in New York, in that dark hallway that no student ventures through, and the ones who do never see the light of day again. He is waiting for me there, Lily. I know it. I can feel it in my bones." Pressure built behind my eyes. I hadn't cried in as long as I could remember. The tears stung my eyes sometimes and moisture pooled in them but I could never let them out. For some reason, I couldn't cry.

"He won't kill you." She insisted. "He can't."

A scoff escaped my lips, the screen growing blurry. The light danced with the moisture in my eyes but staying true to themselves, the tears clung to my lashes, refusing to fall.