e silence between footsteps echoed louder than ever. Whoever had called her

l p

her instin

ad to

, not draw more fire. The ledger, still hidden under her mattress, felt like a ticking bomb. She stared at it for a full minute befo

w was tight, his voice lower than usual, barely

t know anything," he was sayi

Emily

making her entrance casual.

all and turned

d. "Thanks for the mattr

"I like women who

y discomfor

then gestured for he

d. "Where ar

u'll finally

't sound

she f

he house, filled with weapons, old documents, and..

in a code. The

ing feeds from dozens of cameras. Some were surveillance of rival territories,

r brother's hospital.

her life had b

ng on the monitor, captured weeks

. "Still think you were

slowly. "Wh

ession. Call it

"You've been watching me e

willing to fake love to save a dying brother. That

ick ba

Liam is any better. He's just more polished. We're all mon

ee. "I'd rather die t

Oh, sweetheart. That's

. "Do you know what I did last

e it involved wi

brother's hos

d went i

she wh

ared-Daniel's room, still and quiet. But a

ct

d softly. "He's still

apping him hard

caught her wrist mid-swing and squ

ssed. "You lied. You stole. You seduce

n her eyes. "You touch my brother again, I

, lips brushing her ea

, Emily co

hile internally mapping every possible escape. She had the

r live-for now-bu

as a

running ou

estate, Liam paced

in," he muttered.

ctly easy to check in with. She probably

ly. "She's not ju

row. "You finally say

't want her to die t

ened. "Then

e's safe. If I storm Victor's

im a tablet, "then you might w

rry image of a man inside Victor's estate

one

," Celine said. "We fin

the name bene

n Mor

blood drain

e," he said hoars

rentl

n who trained half the underground elite. Ru

... he

tching

up. "Get

going af

d who touches her," he said. "S

a small note under the dr

arn

pl

ome soon, she wouldn't h