13
IVAN
“Iwant her in the interrogation room ASAP,” Grey barked.
I leaned against the wall of the communications center, watching him pace like a caged predator. The monitors surrounding us displayed various security feeds from around the compound, including one showing the twins on their way over. Grey’s attention kept returning to that particular screen, his obsession becoming more obvious by the hour.
And now, I finally knew why.
“You’re certain about this intel?” I kept my voice neutral despite my growing unease.
Grey’s pale eyes flickered to me. “Absolutely. There’s strong evidence Isabella Salvini is Iset.” He gestured to the screen showing the twins. The quiet one. The shy one. All this time hiding behind her family name while wreaking havoc around the world.
Grey tapped his finger against the quieter twin’s image.
I studied the feed. The twins were being led toward the communications center, one following the orders, the other fidgeting restlessly, looking around and taking everything in. “Her?” I couldn’t keep the skepticism out of my voice. “The shy one?”
Grey shrugged. “Perfect cover, isn’t it?” His lips curved into what might have been admiration. “Who would suspect the reclusive Salvini daughter of being one of the most elusive hackers in the world? She and her little group have breached systems that were supposed to be impenetrable.”
I crossed my arms, watching Shorty look directly into the camera on screen. If anyone had asked me to pick which twin was more likely to be a notorious hacker, I’d have put my money on her without hesitation.
The fierce one. The fighter. The one who’d nearly burned down a hospital to escape.
“What exactly did Iset do to earn this level of…attention?” I chose my words carefully. Of course, I’d heard of the notorious hacker, but I’d never looked into her on a deeper level. Until now. Because whatever had Grey so obsessed with her, I would bet money it wasn’t just because the Paraskia wanted her.
Grey’s expression hardened. “She exposed operations that were meant to stay buried. Redirected funds. Destroyed years of careful work.” He turned to face me fully. “But more importantly, she has information that could compromise everything I’ve built.”
“I” not “we.” Was he talking about the Paraskia Syndicate or himself? Was this why it seemed so personal for him?Was this about something specific Iset had found, something Grey desperately wanted to contain?
“And you’re certain it’s Isabella, not Mirabella?” I pressed, thinking of Shorty’s calculating eyes, her quick thinking, her refusal to be controlled. And what she’d shown me was probably barely scratching the surface.
“Our analysis is conclusive. And even the name fits Iset—Isabella.” Grey pulled up a file on the nearest monitor—a full dossier. Information I hadn’t been provided access to—until now.
I glanced at Nina until she looked at me, then side-glanced at the monitor and finally locked eyes with her.
She nodded, then turned to the workstation nearest to her. Thank God she understood my need for a copy of the file, even without me using words.
I focused back on Grey and nodded, keeping my thoughts carefully guarded. I had to go over the file before I would form any opinion, but even if everything looked solid on paper, it didn’t align with what I’d observed firsthand. The quieter twin showed none of the tactical awareness, the calculating defiance, the sheer stubborn resourcefulness I’d seen in Shorty. If one of them was living a double life as a master hacker, I’d still put my money on the fighter. Despite all the evidence.
“The video call with their brother is scheduled ten minutes from now,” I said. “It’s better to get this over with before we interrogate them.”
Grey’s nostrils flared. He was clearly unhappy not to get his wish immediately. But as far as I was concerned, he wasunfit to interrogate Isabella anyway, not when he was this much invested.
“I want you to handle them personally,” he said.
Bingo. Maybe he wasn’t as far gone as I’d thought.
“Any specific instructions?” I asked, already calculating how I could cram all the information from her file between the video call and the interrogation.
“Keep it brief. Don’t let them say anything revealing about their location.” Grey’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, fuck it. Vince Salvini will be here in a matter of hours anyway.”
Wait. He was talking about the video call, not the interrogation.
“But watch Isabella carefully. Every reaction, every word. She’s clever—she might try to pass coded information.”
I nodded, but the irony wasn’t lost on me. Grey was so fixated on the quiet twin that he was overlooking the real threat—if my suspicions were correct.
“And after the call?” I asked.
