And now it was in the hands of another. Out there in the open, vulnerable.
Who did I share a glass of wine with yet went ahead to stab me in the back?
13
CALLAN
“You came,”
“I said I would.”
I took a sip of the coffee in my hand. Lukewarm, the steam long dead.
My jaw worked as I set the cup back down, my fingers betraying me with a slight, irritated twitch.
I picked up my phone next, scrolling through it, searching for details I wasn’t even sure of. Then a low sound of frustration escaped my lips as I placed the phone back down, hand raising to my head, finger pressing against my temple.
It had been four days. Four days of tearing my house apart. Four days of interrogations that went nowhere. Four days ofdoors slammed shut, fingers pulling at hair, ties, and patience ground down to the bones. Still, nothing.
The ledger was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t misplaced. It didn’t go on a walk with a plan to return. It was…gone.
Every lead looked promising until it collapsed into another dead end. Every soldier had something to say, until their mouths would swear ignorance with the same rehearsed fear.
Whoever took it wasn’t an outsider. No, they knew this house, this empire. Every crevice, every rule, every secret door. Someone close enough to understand the weight of that ledger, and bold enough to use it.
A gentle knock came on my office door that was left slightly opened, and my gaze swept across the room to it. But the person couldn’t even wait to be invited in first as a barely perceptible creak echoed when the door was pushed open completely and a soldier stepped in.
Alexei Takharnov.
“Marshal.” His voice was deep and steady, hand raised until his fingers aligned themselves right over his temple.
“Got anything?” I asked, lifting my body off the desk and relaxing into the leather chair.
“No, Marshal.”
Of course. Same reply.
“What’s the way forward?” He folded his arms behind his back, posture snapped into discipline. “We are running out of time.”
I exhaled a deep breath. “I know.”
My fingers drummed steadily on the desk that was littered with manifests, photocopies, numbers circled and crossed out in reds. I’d memorised them all. It didn’t help. Without the original ledger, the gaps stayed gaps, silent and taunting.
“They’ve noticed that we’re hesitating,” he said. “We can’t let them think something is wrong.”
“Are you suggesting we ship without confirmation?” I asked, exhaustion woven into every word.
“No, Marshal.” His tone was firm, but what seemed like unease crept into his eyes. He knew better than to argue. He knew the ledger was anything but just a paper. It was leverage. A proof. That ledger was my empire’s throat, and right now, someone had put a knife to it.
“We keep the manifest,” I instructed, forcing command into my voice while everything beneath it splintered. “Buy us time. Invent a reason convincing enough why that ship must stay where it is.”
“Okay, Marshal.” He nodded.
“We keep searching for the ledger.” I rose from the chair, grabbing my coat and draping it over my arm. My hand went for the coffee only to retract on second thought. Too cold.
“I’ll follow the Torvane lead again,” he offered. “We must have missed something.”
“No,” I declined, throwing the coat over my body. “I’ll handle that. You return to the dock and give the men something to nibble on till we find a way out.”
