No. Impossible.
Vincent was Bureau through and through.
Trusted. Clearances verified. Background vetted.
“Lies,” I snapped — but my voice lacked conviction.
Ruslan’s lips curved near my ear. “Check his offshore accounts. Check the shell companies tied to his investments.”
The betrayal hit me like a second gunshot.
Vincent.
The name detonated inside my mind with brutal clarity.
The man who had handed me my badge.
The man who had signed off on my undercover clearance.
The man who had personally assigned me to infiltrate Ruslan Baranov’s circle.
My superior.
My mentor.
Maybe...
My betrayer.
Ruslan’s hand slid lower without hesitation.
His fingers splayed across my abdomen in a slow, possessive glide — not sexual, not gentle — but deliberate.
Claiming. Marking.
“Don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence?” he said quietly, leaning close to my ear. “That you were sent to California — back to your husband — after four years apart?”
His voice lowered.
“Does it not cross your mind that it could have been orchestrated? I believed I had given you enough time to heal... so I asked Vincent to send you here.”
Chapter 6
ELENA
My stomach twisted. He had anticipated me.
I had underestimated him.
That realization burned worse than rage.
Rage collided with panic — and training responded before emotion could drown it.
I dropped my center of gravity instantly.
FBI defensive tactics drilled into muscle memory.
Knees bent.
