Silence.
I’m halfway out of bed, ready to tear the place apart, when the door creaks open. She slips inside, eyes red, face pale, shoulders hunched. Relief slams through me, but it’s drowned just as quick by suspicion. She looks wrecked. Before I can get a word out, she mutters something about being tired and heads straight for the bathroom.
My chest tightens. Something’s wrong.
I’m moving towards her when a heavy banging rattles the door. “Shadow,” Grizz calls.
“What?” I bark, yanking it open.
He jerks his thumb down the hall, his expression grim. “Axel wants you. Now.”
I grit my teeth, glancing back at the closed bathroom door. Whatever’s eating her, I’ll get it out of her later. Right now, the President calls.
Axel sits behind the desk, leaning back in his chair, his fingers steepled. Grizz stands to one side, his arms folded and his expression carved from stone.
“Sit,” Axel says.
I drop into the chair opposite, jaw clenched. “What’s this about?”
Axel’s gaze flicks to Grizz then back to me. “The takings from Chaos and Angels. Money’s missing.”
A cold weight drops in my gut. “She wouldn’t,” I mutter.
“That’s why we insisted you take her, brother, so you’d know once and for all if she was trustworthy,” Grizz says, his tone flat.
“Which, clearly, she isn’t,” Axel adds without hesitation. “She failed the test . . . again.”
My jaw grinds. “What about the cloakroom kid? Lee. Could’ve been him.”
Axel’s mouth twists into a humourless smirk. “Already covered. He’s in the basement, tied up nice and neat. If he took it, he’ll fold quick. Kid nearly pissed himself when Grizz dragged him down there.”
I scrub a hand down my face, the fight bleeding out in a heavy sigh. “She’s been out,” I admit, forcing the words. “Came back looking rattled, Pres. Harassed. Maybe . . .” I groan, shoulders sagging. “Maybe she’s in trouble.”
“Maybe,” Axel agrees, leaning back in his chair. Then his voice hardens. “But she didn’t come and ask for help, brother. She dipped her hand in our pocket. Twice.”
“What’s the plan?” asks Grizz.
“I do my job,” I say bluntly, pushing to my feet.
“Shadow, we don’t expect you to—” Grizz begins.
“And let Fletch do it?” I snap, cutting him off. Just the thought of our other Enforcer hurting her . . . I shake my head. “I’ll deal with it.” I stomp from the room and head back upstairs.
Remi lies sprawled across the mattress, her damp hair fanned over the pillow and the sheets tucked tight under her chin like armour. Her eyes track me as I round the bed, tugging my shirt over my head and tossing it onto the chair.
“Where were you?” I ask.
“Huh?”
“When I woke up, you weren’t here.”
“I . . . needed air.”
“The window opens,” I counter, sliding into bed behind her. My arm hooks around her waist as I bury my face into her neck. “I told you not to leave my sight.”
“Christ, Logan, I stepped out for a minute,” she snaps, shrugging me off. She exhales hard then rolls to face me, though her eyes skitter past mine. “Sorry. I’m just tired.”
“Well, as much as I’d like to lie here all afternoon, Axel’s got me running errands,” I say, pushing up. “The kid at Chaos and Angels . . . what did you think of him?”
