Maso turned to him with a single raised brow, all cool indifference, but I knew exactly what this meant. After mine and Alic’s little fallout, Nova probably wanted insurance—a failsafe—just in case.
I pulled out my phone and fired off a text.
Niya:Found your mole.
Nova:Didn’t hide him.
Nova:And look what still happened.
Niya:Shut up
I let out a small sigh,accepting the situation faster than I usually would.
“Fine. You’re on the hook too, per Nova,” I muttered to Maso.
He just leaned against the wall, arms crossed, clearly unbothered. He wasn’t going anywhere, even if I wanted him to, and that made butterflies fly free in my stomach.
Finally, I turned to Lucus, who was still watching me like he was daring me to deny him. Posh, pale, and entirely too smug. Ofcourse,he expected to stay.
And to be honest? I didn’t want him to leave either, but that didn’t mean I had to admit it.
He beat me to the punch.
“I’ll be sticking around to protect my investment since you don't want to talk about…” He trailed off, eyes flicking down at me. I narrowed mine in response, shooting lasers in his direction.
He sighed. “Thatthing until a later date. I’m in for whatever you need of me.” He gave a small bow, a gesture of loyalty that had something warm and steady pressing into my chest.
The sensation curled low, its slow heat spreading out in my ribs. It felt…right. Like this was how it was supposed to be. All of them falling into place around me.
My body responded before my brain could catch up. Muscles unclenched, shoulders lowered, and even the tension behind my eyes eased. A part of me, the part I always shoved down, welcomed the support. Their presence grounded me in a way that was maddening and comforting all at once.
They’re also a handsome group I’d like to?—
No. No time for that. I didn’t need soul-deep connections or any of themate-bonded nonsenseclawing at the edge of my sanity.
What I needed was vengeance. Answers. To know who dared to walk intomyterritory and plant a bomb. Who tried to burn down my building and make a statement at my expense. But first, we needed to find the fuckers.
“Ras, we need access to the video logs. I want to see who went in and out of that room. Can you pull them quickly?”
His red eyes lit up, body practically vibrating. Eager puppy that he was, it seemed he’d been waiting for a command. “I mean, not from the club. The system goes into a twenty-four-hour lockdown whenever something catastrophic happens, like, say, the building almost collapsing.”
Van stepped forward, nodding. “He’s right. It’s a failsafe. The security room turns into a hybrid safehouse-bunker if there's structural failure. That way, even if everything else is gone, the data and whoever’s inside survives.”
Shit. I’d forgotten about that. The idea of sitting on my hands while time slipped away made my skin itch.
“I have another solution…” Ras said calmly. He was suddenly right next to me, his demeanor less sweet tech nerd, more coiled viper—intent and dangerous in the best kind of way.
“And?” I asked, raising a brow.
I wasn’t afraid of him, not even a little. Whatever darkness lingered beneath the surface, my instincts told me he’d never turn it on me.
He leaned in slightly, tilting his head as he studied me. “I don’t want you to get mad.”
I turned to face him. His ruby gaze flicked down to my lips, heating as I teased, “What if I promise I won’t?”
I had a feeling where this was going. Maybe he’d accessed the club’s system remotely. Maybe he left himself tap in during a diagnostic. That would technically be a breach, sure, but rightnow, I didn’t give a single damn. Consequences could burn to ash for all I cared, as long as he got me what I needed.
“Then we have a deal,” he murmured. His breath caught, pupils dilating. “But we’ll have to go to my apartment. That’s where all the gear is.”
