Every muscle in my body tensed. The rage I’d been containing threatened to explode outward. Anton shifted slightly behind Grey, a subtle reminder of his presence, a silent warning to maintain control.
Grey noticed my reaction and seemed pleased by it. “My transport leaves in twenty minutes. We’ll continue this conversation when I return.”
He walked past me toward the door, pausing beside Mila. His hand reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face—a gesture of intimacy that made my sister go rigid despite her neutral expression.
“Always a pleasure to see you, Mila,” Grey said softly, his fingers lingering a moment too long.
I watched him leave, every fiber of my being screaming to follow, to end him now. But tactically, emotionally, this wasn’t the moment. My siblings and Isabella needed me to think clearly.
As soon as the front door closed behind Grey, a tense silence fell over the room, punctuated by Roman’s fingers moving on his keyboard, the soft ticking of the antique clock, and Mila’s controlled breathing as she calmed herself before she shook it off.
Fucking asshole.
“The wise thing to do is maintain our cover and alliance with Grey and bring him down through official channels,” Anton said into the silence.
We could use the time we had to gather evidence with Isabella until we had enough to bring him down. It would be the safest option, but the slowest, as well.
“Or we fuck protocol, follow him, and take him out,” Nina muttered, which was so her. Nobody fucked with my archangel-of-doom sister or her family and got away with it.
“Effective but potentially career-ending and life-threatening for all of us,” Roman said but turned around and high-fived Nina. “A for effort.”
I much preferred Nina’s solution to Anton’s. If they would let me kill him solo.
I thought of Isabella—her fierce determination to fight evil despite the personal cost, her refusal to back down even when facing Grey directly. I knew what she would want me to do.
“Roman,” I said, breaking the silence. “Contact headquarters. Now.”
Roman’s expression tightened, his fingers pausing over the keyboard. “Who exactly? Grey has allies everywhere. This could bring the entire Paraskia down on us.”
“I don’t care,” I said, decision made. “Find someone—anyone—not connected to Grey. We have hours at most before he returns.”
My siblings exchanged glances, a silent conversation passing between them.
“Make it official,” I continued. “Report him as a rogue agent conducting unauthorized operations. Use my clearance if you have to.”
“This crosses a line, Ivan,” Nina said quietly. “There’s no going back.”
“There’s no going back anyway,” I replied. “Not after everything that’s happened. Not after we know what he’s been doing behind the Paraskia’s back. Not after what Isabella told me.”
I quickly briefed them on everything Isabella had told me—Grey’s trafficking operations she interfered with, his demand for her to hack into the Paraskia Syndicate’s database. I watched their expressions shift from disbelief to cold anger.
“Have we been his pawns?” Nina asked.
I shrugged. “We might’ve been, but that remains to be seen. But we’ll deal with whatever consequences we have to.”
Mila touched her cheek where Grey had touched her. “I always felt something was off with him. The way he looked at me sometimes…”
“So we’re really doing this?” Anton asked. “Going against Grey? Against, potentially, the entire Paraskia?”
I met each of their eyes in turn. “I’m doing this. Any of you can walk away. I’ll understand.”
Anton snorted. “Don’t be an idiot.”
“We’re family,” Nina said simply.
“Besides,” Roman added, “I’ve already initiated the protocol. We’re committed now.”
I felt a weight lift from my shoulders—not the full burden but enough to let me breathe more easily. “Then let’s move fast. Grey won’t stay away long if he suspects anything.”
