Dom speaks up. “There’s whispers of the Falcos backing off. Kavanagh’s allies are scrambling. Their power’s bleeding out faster than they can contain it.”
“Then we push,” I say. “Start making recruitment moves. Kavanagh loyalists who are wavering—buy them. Threaten them. Make them offers they can’t refuse. I want to peel them off, one by one.”
“What about Lachlan?” Stefano asks.
I fix my gaze on him. “Let him spiral. I want him to see the empire he tried to build crumble around him.”
Lars leans forward. “We’ll need to lock down Zara’s security. With the wedding botched and her gone, they’ll be desperate. Desperate men do stupid things.”
“Done. I want to double the eyes on the building. Security on the elevators. Nothing touches her.”
Every man nods.
I let the conversation wrap before raising a hand. “Everyone out. Except Rowan.”
Chairs scrape. They know better than to question me when I make a call like that. In under a minute, it’s just me, Lars, and my hacker.
Rowan sits, already pulling out his laptop. “What’ve you got for me?”
I reach into my jacket and pull the flash drive from the inner pocket.
“Whatever’s on this,” I say, “I want to know by the end of the day.”
Rowan takes it like it’s ticking. “Any idea what’s on it?”
I glance at Lars, then back to Rowan.
“No,” I say. “But I’ve got a feeling it changes everything.”
By the timeI make it back to the penthouse, the sun’s almost gone, casting the city in long amber shadows. I’m bone-tired but the second I step through the front door, that all drops away.
Because she’s here.
I find her curled on the oversized couch in the living room, one bare leg tucked under her, wearing a soft-looking T-shirt. Her phone’s in her lap, but her eyes are on me the second I walk in.
“Long day?” she asks, her voice casual, but her eyes track every step I take toward her.
“You have no idea,” I exhale, tossing my jacket over the back of a nearby chair. “But coming home to you helps. Tell me about your day.”
She rises from the couch and walks toward me. “I had fun picking out clothes. Your accountant was a little dry, but tolerable. Lars didn’t drop by.”
I wrap my arms around her and place a kiss on her hair. “Things were a bit busier at work than we expected. But you’ll meet him soon enough. Tell me more about what you picked from the shoppers.”
That earns a soft laugh from her. “Well, I may have gone a little overboard. There were...a lot of options.”
I raise an eyebrow, a teasing smile tugging at my lips. “Did you pick anything sexy?”
Her eyes flash with challenge, and she leans forward just a touch. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
I reach for her hand, brushing my lips over her knuckles. “I would, actually. Why don’t you show me?”
Zara bites her lip, her gaze flicking to the hallway, as if weighing the offer. Then, with a look over her shoulder that nearly brings me to my knees, she turns and disappears down the hallway.
I sit back on the couch, removing my tie. I exhale for the first time today, my chest finally releasing the tension I didn’t evenrealize I was holding. I loosen my tie, the fabric tight around my neck suddenly feeling suffocating, and silence my phone—no distractions, not now.
Five minutes later, Zara steps back into the room, her presence filling the space like a magnet. She’s wearing a black skirt suit—sharp, professional, and modest...but still impossibly sexy. The tailored lines of the suit curve in all the right places, and the way it fits her is nothing short of devastating. I nod my approval, fighting the urge to reach for her, my teeth sinking into the inside of my cheek as I force myself to stay still.
She flashes me a smile, the one that makes my heart race, before disappearing down the hall again.
