I bark out a laugh. “Yeah, nah. Get fucked.” This slick little cunt has walked onto my island in the rain and thinks he gets to make demands while Adelaide is shaking behind me. “Buddy, I’d rather set my own teeth on fire.”
“I’m pretty certain she took incriminating footage of me,” he says. “Something she never should have had. I want it back. Including her.”
And just like that, the van clicks into place in my head.
The ransack. Clothes thrown everywhere. Her belongings tossed around. They weren’t looking for cash or a passport or some random personal shit. They were searching for some kind of fucking footage. He thinks she filmed him, maybe assumes when she overheard him ordering that hit, she got proof of it too.
Before I can answer, Adelaide steps out. “Fuck you, Daniel. I took nothing. I want nothing to do with you. Leave me alone.”
I get an arm around her waist immediately and pull her back into me. “You hear that? Says a lot, doesn’t it?”
His gaze drops to my arm around her.
“And just to save time,” I say, “she’s not going anywhere with you, so you can kill that fantasy now.”
One of his men shifts. Hand lower. Ready.
I catch it, every inch of me stiff, wondering how quickly I can head to the basement, dragging Adelaide with me before they get us? Won’t make it in time, I know it, and that twists my guts.
“So here’s what’s going to happen,” I say. “You and your sad little backup crew are going to turn around and head out of my house before I stop being charming.”
Daniel’s mouth tightens. “This is between me and what’s mine. Don’t make the mistake of stepping into it.”
I smile. “You walked into my house and spoke to my woman like she still belonged to you. It concerns me a fucking lot.”
“She belongs with me,” he barks.
Adelaide flinches.
I go cold. “No. She chose to leave you.” My arm tightens around her. “And if one of your boys reaches inside a jacket, I’m breaking the first face I get hold of. I might be outnumbered, but trust me, I’ll take you into the pits of fucking hell with me beforeI let anyone touch her.” Then I tilt my head and give him one last grin. “Now get the fuck out.”
Thunder cracks above us.
Adelaide shifts half a step out from behind me, just enough to see past my shoulder, and I let her. She’s earned the right to stare this man down on her own terms. And the woman in the knitted sweater has finally moved clear of the shadows, close enough now that I can see the tightness in her mouth and the ugly edge in her eyes.
“Daniel,” she snaps, voice sharp with nerves, “you said you’d deal with them, not her. Just grab him already. He’s the one who’s the killer.”
Who the hell is she?
“Shut the fuck up,” Daniel barks in her direction.
Adelaide jerks against my side, then goes dead still. Her fingers clutch hard at my shirt. “Malia?” she says, disbelief cracking through the name, staring at the woman. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Adelaide glances up at me, her brow furrowing, saying, “She’s from the murder club.”
I scratch the side of my head, confused, but if it’s buying us time until my backup arrives, I’ll take it.
Malia lifts one shoulder in a shrug. “I’m sorry you got caught in it, Adelaide. Truly. But you were the only lead I had left.” Her gaze flicks over me, then the room, then back to Adelaide. “I needed to know who killed Rebecca, and you found them for me.”
Adelaide stares at her like she’s been hit by a car. Her mouth parts, then closes again. “You’ve got this all wrong, Malia. You’ve made a huge mistake.”
Malia’s smile turns thin and poisonous. “No, babe. You have. These Alphas are no good for you. Let Daniel handle this before it gets uglier. You saw the photo. They took her, killed her, and how long before they do that to you?”
Adelaide releases a sharp, short laugh. “Says you, who’ve partnered up with a fucking monster over there, with Daniel?”
Adelaide pulls away from me, shaking her head, just stepping clear enough to stand on her own feet. Her face pales, but there’s fury behind her eyes now too, bright and sharp and waking up under the shock. She glares at Malia as if she’s seeing a stranger wearing someone else’s skin.
And then, behind Daniel’s men, I catch movement at the balcony doors. I stiffen immediately.
Two dark shapes separate from the storm outside. North and Ace. Thank fuck, and my shoulders drop. One of them works the lock while the other covers him, both moving low.
