That maybe I couldn’t be trusted anymore.
She might not be wrong.
“I’m fine,” I say, moving to the chair across from her and sinking into it. My legs feel shaky, unreliable. “The situation evolved rapidly. The Hidden Hand Alliance made a move, and I had to stay close to document it.”
“Talk,” she says flatly.
My body feels like it’s vibrating at the wrong frequency. My hands want to shake, so I press them flat against my thighs, hidden under the table where she can’t see them tremble. “There was an incident at the Hidden Hand Casino. A girl, Millie… she accidentally ended up there with friends. She has a history with the Alliance. A realbadhistory. She called Sin for help.”
Moretti pulls out her notepad. “And?”
“The club went in to extract her. I documented everything.” My throat tightens. “There was a tense standoff with Lorenzo, the Alliance leader. But not an altercation. They let us leave with Millie.”
“Us.” Maria’s pen stills. “You’re using‘us’now when referring to the club.”
The words hit like a slap.
She’s right.
I didn’t even notice the Freudian slip.
“Figure of speech, ma’am. I was present—”
“Victoria.” She cuts me off, and the use of my real name makes something crack in my chest. “How deep inareyou?”
Too deep.
So deep I can’t see the surface anymore.
“I’m maintaining my cover,” I say instead. “Gaining their trust. It’s necessary—”
“That’s not what I asked.” She leans against the table, and I see something almost gentle in her exhausted face. Concern, maybe. Or recognition.“How deep?”
I can’t answer that.
I can’t admit that I don’t know who I am anymore, that Sin’s touch burns on my skin like a brand I can’t wash off. And when bullets flew, I wasn’t thinking about my mission, only about keeping him alive.
“I’m doing my job,” I whisper.
Moretti studies me for a long moment, her eyes sharp, her pen idle against the pad in her lap. Finally, she exhales, the sound equal parts weary and impatient. “All right,” she says. “Tell me everything.”
My throat tightens. “Where do you want me to start?”
“How about the casino?” Her gaze doesn’t waver. “Word is your biker friends made a scene.”
I swallow and nod, words tumbling out before I can second-guess them. “They didn’t hesitate. Millie, she was terrified and cornered, but the club moved fast, like a unit. It was… decisive. Organized.”
“Organized,” Moretti repeats, arching a brow. “That’s one word for it. Go on.”
I shift in my seat, picturing the moment all over again. “There was a standoff. Lorenzo was ice cold, calculated. The club was there onhisturf. Dante was pure rage. And Sin…” I pause, pulseskipping at his name. “Sin kept his cool. He was deliberate, diplomatic. He held it together when everything was about to spiral. He knew the club was there breaking their treaty, but he was willing to break it to make sure one of their own was safe. To bring Millie home. Somehow Sin was able to talk his way out of the Casino peacefully, and we all walked out of there… including Millie.”
Moretti taps her pen against the pad, the faint click echoing in the small room. “And after?”
My nails bite into my palms as I force the words out. “The Alliance hit back at the clubhouse. A clear retaliation for setting foot on their turf and breaking the treaty. It was fucking gunfire everywhere. Bullets flying. I…” My breath stutters. “I ended up pressed against Sin’s chest while everything around us just… exploded. The clubhouse was on fire at one point, and I was holding the hose, putting it out. The Alliance made its voice heard.”
Her eyes narrow, reading between the lines I wish I hadn’t left open. “Pressed against Sin’s chest,” she echoes softly.
Heat flares in my cheeks. I glance away, focusing on the clock on the wall instead of her scrutiny. “He was protecting me. That’s all. It was chaos, and in his eyes, I’m a civilian who couldn’t protect herself in that kind of situation.”
