Page 41 of Blood Moon

“You! You did this. I can’t believe I trusted you and you betrayed me. How could you? I’ll kill you. You’d better hide, because I’m coming for you.” Viktor was sounding more unhinged by the moment.

“Viktor? How can Eli or I answer your questions if we don’t know what you’re talking about? Did something happen with the renovations?” I was starting to get worried. Apparently I wasn’t the only one. Eli had turned the car around and headed back to Midnight. “Are you at the bar?”

“Where else would I be? Especially after your boy-toy blew up my penthouse and main office. I have no place else to go now. Everything is gone.” Viktor had stopped yelling and his voice got quieter until he whispered the last bit.

“What do you mean, everything is gone? Someone blew up your properties?” Eli leaned closer to the phone as he spoke, hitting the gas to return to the bar faster.

“You should know. It was your signature bombs that did it. I can’t believe that I trusted you. We were going to be brothers again. How could you do this?” He sounded defeated, and I started to worry that he might do something rash.

“Viktor, we are on our way. Please wait for me to get there. Don’t do anything. Promise?” I begged, motioning for Eli to drive faster. It seemed like we would never get home. The phone went dead as he hung up on me.

“Eli, I’m scared,” I admitted.

He nodded and pressed the gas, “Me too, love. Hold on.”

We flew through the city streets toward home. I hoped we wouldn’t be too late.

Eli pulled his phone out and made a call. “Dave. I need you to find out who was behind that bombing. Yeah, the truce is still in place. No attacks on Maxwell or his men.”

He listened for a moment, then responded. “I mean it. No matter what they do, you take them down non-violently or you deal with me. Understood?” Eli hung up the phone without waiting for an answer.

We pulled up to Midnight, and I was out of the car before Eli could swing it into a parking space. I ran to the door, but it was locked. Of course, I didn’t have my keys. “Eli, the door is locked. Hurry!”

I could see movement inside, but Eli had stopped to take a call next to the car. “What the hell? Come on, he needs us!” I ran back to him.

A deafening roar stole my hearing and knocked me on top of Eli, who was thrown onto the ground. I turned toward the bar. I didn’t see how anyone could have survived that. Where my home had been, there was now just a pile of rubble.

I stared at it as the tears fell. I’d fought so hard with my mom to stay here.

“I know it’s a bar, Mom. But it’s more than that. I don’t know how to explain it. This is the one place that feels like home.” I remembered begging her to leave me there while she chased after my father. And now it was gone. Again. Only this time, I lost Viktor too.

I felt hands on my shoulders, but didn’t turn. Eli walked around me, looking for injuries. I think he was talking, but I couldn’t hear anything. I didn’t care if I was hurt. The pain in my heart was enough to cover it all up. He picked me up and carried me away from the mess that had been mine. I didn’t fight. I couldn’t. There was nothing left to fight for.

Chapter 40

Viktor

How could I have been so stupid? I actually let down my guard and started to trust Eli. That bastard. I should have known that everything he said to Delilah was a lie.

Why would he wait until things were going so smoothly to blow my properties up? Unless his goal was to kill me in one of the explosions. Which he might have accomplished if it hadn’t been for the renovations at Midnight.

Being stuck in a pile of what had been a bar wasn’t fun, especially when it was the middle of the day and the sun was out. Normally my implant would help, but I had the distinct feeling that it was crushed beneath the stone that was keeping me from getting up.

Even though I told Delilah I didn’t want to see her again, this wasn’t what I’d had in mind. I wanted her to choose me. To tell me that she understood now why I hated Eli, and that she wanted to be with me. I wanted her to show up and profess her love for me, while Eli watched, devastated.

I could tell that someone was already digging in the rubble, but it may take hours for them to find me. Isn’t it just my luck that the building falls on top of me, but somehow the sun still manages to shine directly in my location? Wait—could that have been planned?

I couldn’t get to my phone, and it was apparent that whoever was digging didn’t hear my pleas for help. My throat was so dry that I couldn’t yell anymore. All I could do now was wait. There was no way I was going to let this kill me. Eli wouldn’t get the satisfaction. Besides, I would have to plot the perfect revenge.

I hated stooping to his level, but the bastard deserved it after what he’d done. Blowing up my penthouse and my main office building downtown was one thing, but destroying the one building that Delilah loved? That was taking it too far. Why would he do that?

Logically, I knew that he couldn’t be the one behind it. My emotions were running wild with the threat of bursting in flames bearing down on me. I could hear the rescue team getting closer. Part of me hoped that they were too late. After this much trauma, I would need to feed. I didn’t want to drain an innocent. There would be no stopping me if that happened.

I could hear the sirens closing in. That meant it wasn’t rescue workers clearing the debris. My head was spinning and I couldn’t figure out why that thought was important. Unless I was imagining that someone was here. I tried to call out again, but couldn’t make a sound with my parched throat.

The sunlight was searing my flesh but there was no escape. This would be my end. I was going to lose my immortal life because of petty jealousy and a stupid feud that had gone on for far too long. If only Eli were here right now. Perhaps we would be able to mend fences in time for me to die with less weight on my shoulders.

I could feel the tears running down my face from the pain. Everything was spinning. The world kept getting blindingly bright then going completely dark. I began to ponder where I was going to end up. I’d done a lot of dark things during my time here. I wondered if there really was a higher power that I would have to answer to for my crimes.