“What?” He hisses. “How?”
“Lily’s Mom. I don’t know if she was another decoy to let the Preacher in, or Tatiana’s men.”
“There’s no fucking way?” Enzo whispers.
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” I cut in. “Tatiana’s men are part of it. The peace talks were a decoy, whose to say they didn’t set another trap to go after the necklace and use Lily’s mom as bait.”
Silence.
Not because he’s surprised. Because he’s calculating. We anticipated the decoy angle. We played that out.
But then I diverted off track. We didn’t need the decoy to lead us to the Preacher, because she’s already in my fucking house.
Enzo exhales slowly, like he’s swallowing whatever emotion is rising. “Copy.”
I step away from the cache, the tunnel suddenly feeling too small to hold what’s coming.
“Get the Sterlings out,” I order. “Get every Quinn soldier in motion. I want as many people as possible surrounding Decadence. I want it to look like the fucking apocalypse.”
“Already moving,” Enzo replies. “Hunter and Beau are in position for a tunnel breach. I’ll get them out hunting more of Tatiana’s men after.”
“Good.” I rack my weapon with a clean, final sound. “Now listen—Charlotte.”
Enzo goes quiet instantly.
I can hear him shifting environments, stepping somewhere private.
“I need her on high alert,” I say. “House lockdown. Women and children in a secure room. No windows. No doors. Go down into the bunker on your call.”
“Charlotte is armed and ready,” Enzo confirms.
Good.
Because Charlotte doesn’t freeze. Charlotte fights. Just how I taught her to. To spill enough blood to make any man fear her.
Not for herself. Not for pride. For Isabella.
She won’t just survive. She’ll turn this house into a graveyard before she lets anyone lay a hand on her babies.
“ETA four minutes,” I say. “Tell her she does not move. She does not open that door for anyone except Declan.”
“I’ll tell her,” Enzo says immediately. “What about Lily?”
My grip tightens on the phone so hard the plastic creaks. “She’s in the panic room,” I say, each word like a blade. “That means Lev saw it coming.”
“Fuck,” Enzo breathes.
“Fuck,” I agree. “And if Lev had to trigger that door, then he worked it out before it was too late.”
Silence.
Then Enzo’s voice turns cold. “You, Conan, and Finn go to yours. Declan and the twins to Declans. Romeo is heading into defend Decadence gates.”
The end of the tunnel approaches, the air shifting. It’s cooler, fresher, carrying distant sound.
A muffled pop. Then another.
Gunfire. Sharp and echoing through the stone.
