ALVARA

xiii

― ALVARA

I BARELY HAVE TIME TO REACT before I'm rammed to the floor.

I land atop Kaiser before I get a mouthful of platinum blond hair. I gag and shove Aleksander off me before rolling over.

"What the he -?" The words are barely out my mouth before I fall back again, this time with Arcadia on top of me.

"Get - off - of - me!" I shove the old woman off me. She gets back on her feet with surprising agility and completely disregards me before offering a hand to Aleksander. He takes it, blinking in surprise.

I stare at her manicured fingers, noting the burn scars on her wrist.

Arcadia notices my probing gaze and snatches her hand back. I scramble to my feet, checking to make sure my boobs aren't hanging out the corset before dusting off my tailored jacket. Say what you will about mafias, but they've got impeccable style. And a keen eye for great tailors.

I stare at the ruined remains of the crystal chandelier, then notice the absence of Elison, Mr. Martinez, and Mr. Chan. Remington frantically digs through the crystal shards, while Akilah is nowhere to be seen.

"You'll cut up your hands, dear. Leave it," Arcadia calls.

Remington looks up at the leader of Los Hijos de Lilith, eyes filled with an unnamed emotion.

"Elison is fine," she says soothingly.

I stiffen. I would've thought she'd search for her father first, but - Elison?

Clearly Remi thinks the same, because she opens her mouth before closing it again. Eyes filled with indecision, she steps back, arms cradling her bleeding hands.

I watch Arcadia with narrowed eyes as she beckons one of her cronies forward. Her manipulation was truly... something. It hadn't been apparent who Remi was truly searching for, but saying Elison's name drew out whether or not Remi was searching for her father first or not. The guilt in her eyes was a clear indication that she felt bad that her father was not first in her heart. I'd thought she would kiss the helm of her father's pants if possible, but maybe they weren't close as I thought.

The leader of Los Hijos de Lilith also knew how to get under Hugo's nerves. How did she know so much about the personal lives of Hugo and Remi and Eli? Her attachment to Aleksander was concerning as well.

A woman to watch out for, indeed. A potential ally, even.

Kaiser, who had gotten back to his feet with some effort and is now hunched over in pain, glares at Arcadia as well. Or, more at the arm Arcadia has around Aleksander. Good Lord, she wasn't trying to make a move on Aleksander, was she? He was young enough to be her son.

"M-mother," Aleksander protests, moving towards the pile of glass. I hadn't paid much attention to the blond woman hovering over his shoulder earlier, but judging from her absence, she was under the chandelier as well.

Arcadia restrains him with a hand. "There's no use, Aleks."

I glance at Kaiser, whose face is slack. Suppressing a giggle at the appalled look on his face, I step forward. "Is no one going to call an ambulance?" I call loudly. Mr. Martinez and Mr. Chan better hear what I'm saying, because I'm trying to get in their good books so I don't get killed.

It backfires, because Kaiser turns his appalment from Arcadia and Aleksander to me. "For them to discover a bunch of perfectly unsuspicious, peace-loving mafia syndicates gathering around for a cup of tea? Jesus, if you see anyone calling the ambulance, shoot them."