King’s expression hardened, his eyes narrowing. His gaze shifted to Blaze, and they seemed to have a silent conversation before our prez looked back at me. He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the desk. “We know who they’re working for?”
“Not yet,” I ground out, the frustration slipping into my voice despite my efforts. “But it’s connected to the probes. Need to move before they try something else. They’re clearly escalating. And Poppy?—”
King raised a hand, cutting me off gently but firmly. He didn’t need me to spell it out. He knew exactly where my head was at. “I get it, Ace. I know her safety is your priority. As it fucking should be. But my job is to protect this club, and I can’t do that without you. We can’t make a big, obvious move until we have the full picture.”
My fists tightened at my sides, the leather of my cut creaking softly with the tension in my shoulders. I knew King was right. Acting too soon, moving without complete intel, could leave usvulnerable in ways we couldn’t afford. But the thought of letting those fuckers walk around untouched another second made my blood boil. Every instinct I had wanted immediate action.
King must’ve seen the fierce internal struggle in my eyes, because after a long moment, he finally leaned back again, his voice dropping to a more dangerous tone. “Doesn’t mean you can’t send a message.”
My head snapped up, my gaze sharpening on his. A wicked gleam had replaced the calculating coldness in his eyes, the barest hint of a smirk twitching at the corner of his mouth.
“Take a couple of brothers and pay them a visit,” King suggested in a lethal tone.
Kevlar perked up, obviously liking what he was hearing. His grin was his way of volunteering for the job.
“Have a conversation,” Blaze murmured. “Make sure they understand exactly who they’re fucking with and give them a warning to take back to whoever they answer to.”
A dark smile curved my lips as anticipation surged through me, satisfied at the thought of delivering the kind of message these assholes would never forget. “I can do that.”
The place Wizardhad traced the two assholes back to was nondescript—a brick office tucked away from prying eyes behind a row of dense shrubs. It looked like just another forgettable building, intentionally designed to blend into the background, perfect for conducting business that required discretion.
Kevlar and Cross flanked me as we approached, our movements silent and coordinated, each of us perfectly attuned to the others. Kevlar’s expression was carefully neutral, though the rigid line of his jaw and the cold calculation in his gaze toldme he was ready to dismantle anything he found. Cross moved with the fluid grace of a panther, quiet and deadly, the picture of lethal patience.
We found a service door around the side, and Kevlar picked the lock with practiced ease before we slipped inside. The air was cooler than in the parking lot, where the late afternoon sun had beat down on us. Faded blue carpet lined a dim hallway, the walls painted the kind of bland beige that always screamed corporate anonymity. Muted voices filtered from behind a mostly closed office door at the far end of the hall, muffled enough that I couldn’t make out the words.
Cross jerked his head silently toward the voices and whispered in a barely audible voice, “I’ll clear the rest of the interior. Make sure we don’t have company.”
Kevlar gave me a pointed look, then jerked his chin back toward the door we’d entered through. “I’ll check the structure and perimeter. Figure out what we’ll need to take this place down if it becomes necessary later.”
My lips twitched in a grim smile. Kevlar’s brand of reassurance might not have soothed anyone else, but knowing he was already planning contingencies put me at ease. “Get it done.”
They both moved off silently, Kevlar toward the exterior and Cross down the opposite hallway, leaving me alone near the closed office door.
I inched closer, the voices growing clearer. Pressing my back against the wall beside the doorframe, I carefully angled myself so I could peer through the crack without alerting the occupants. My pulse ticked up as I caught sight of the two bastards who’d approached Poppy at work—one older, glasses perched on his thin nose, and the other younger, tense and watchful. They were facing a third man whose posture radiated authority, his charcoal suit impeccable and expensive. He hadthe kind of bland handsomeness that allowed a man to blend into boardrooms as effortlessly as a shark gliding through murky waters.
As quietly as possible, I slid my phone from my pocket, snapped a clear photo of the third man’s face, then sent the image to Wizard.
Me
Run facial recognition. Need an ID ASAP.
Wizard’s reply was almost instant, and I could practically hear the dry tone of his voice through the text.
Wizard
You want it sometime this year? Narrow it the fuck down, or you’ll be waiting forever.
I rolled my eyes, quickly typing a reply.
Me
Cross-reference corporate finance, financial compliance, and regulatory consulting. Within the US.
Wizard
Was that so fucking hard? Give me a sec. I'm good, but Hogwarts didn't cover miracles.
Shaking my head in annoyance and a little amusement, I tucked my phone away, turning my focus back to the conversation in the room.
