Call of the Siren(16)

Shit, she was trying to pick a fight with him. Nothing new here. She’d done it quite a few times over the past few months.

Lina clearly harbored resentment toward him for the mistakes he’d made. Her insistence on getting paid was probably one more way of sticking it to him for not being there for her when she was a child.

Well, if that was the way she wanted it…

He chugged his entire glass of whiskey. “Then I’ll pay you to care.”

Lina stared at him for one long moment before the fight went out of her. Her shoulders sagged, and she appeared more soul-weary than he’d ever seen her before. “I’m really not up for a trip to Eros toni—”

“Five grand.”

She stiffened and gave him a suspicious glance. “You’ll give me five grand just for going to Eros with you?”

“And wherever else we need to go to track Sam down.”

Truth be told, if Ronin could reconnect with Lina even the slightest bit while out on this mission, it would be well worth the expense.

“Besides…I’m worried about you,” he admitted. “With Mammon on the loose somewhere, it just isn’t safe for you out there alone.”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I told you, Mammon has no reason to go after me. You’re just being overprotective.”

That was exactly what he thought she’d say, which was why he’d hired a guy to tail her went she left her home. It wasn’t a foolproof plan of action, however. Lina could fly, which meant she slipped from his view every now and again. The more time she spent with Ronin, the better. He would protect her with his dying breath.

Lina let out a sigh. From her expression, it seemed like the answer would be no. But then, to his surprise, she said, “Okay.”

Excellent. Ronin glanced at his watch, which read four thirty. “I’ll pick you up in four hours.”

Lina straightened and took her hands off the counter. “No need. I’ll meet you there.”

He wanted to protest, but knew a losing battle when he saw one. So instead, he nodded. As he began to turn, he noticed the sunglasses sitting on the pass through counter, right next to his now-empty glass of liquor.

The very familiar pair of sunglasses.

A tendril of anger unfurled within him as he lifted his gaze back to Lina’s face. “Was Dagan here?”

Lina visibly froze. Her hands dropped back to the counter, nails digging into the surface. “Why do you ask?”

He picked up the sunglasses and held them toward her. When Lina’s cheeks turned pink, Ronin’s suspicion ignited into a ball of fury that settled like coals in the pit of his stomach.

She shrugged and tried to play it off. “He stopped by.”

That asshole. He’d warned his little brother. If Dagan was making a play for Lina, Ronin was going to kill him.

“Why?” he growled.

She prickled at his tone. “None of your business.”

“Lina…” He strove for calm, knowing that a display of anger would get him nowhere with her. “I told you about Dagan. He’s my little brother, and I love him, but he has a weakness—”

“For women.” She sliced her hand through the air in a casual gesture. “Yeah, you told me. I’ve got news for you Ronin. Dagan hasn’t cornered the market on casual sex.”

His hands clenched into fists, and the sunglasses snapped beneath his grip. “What?”

Lina made an impatient sound in her throat and swept some of her hair behind her shoulder. “I’m not telling you we had sex, I’m just saying, what I do is my business.”

She might have spoken again, but Ronin didn’t hear it past the sudden ringing in his ears. The word “sex” in conjunction with Lina and Dagan replayed itself over and over in his head, until he was left with one thought.

I’m gonna kick his ass.

Ronin turned without another word and headed for the door.

“Ronin!”

“I’ll see you there in four hours,” he said without turning back around.

His mind on his current mission, Ronin left without even processing her response.





Chapter Five

Belpheg paced the floors in the private reception chamber of his castle nestled deep in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. When his hands shook uncontrollably, he shoved them inside the voluminous sleeves of his flowing black robe, praying his assistant didn’t realize how little control he was starting to have over his own body. He would give the demon no opportunity to question his authority.

Turning to face the hubrin demon, he asked, “Do you know why I summoned you here today, Thorne?”

The tall hubrin demon shuffled in his spot, appearing distinctly uneasy. Good. That was just how Belpheg wanted him.