Back out at the car, Valentina leans against the hood of the vehicle. “So we have the Russians losing money because their product was destroyed, and without the transport route from the Italians, they have no way to bring in the good stuff from Europe. They blame the Italians, whose airline is now under investigation and has shipping routes wasting money because there’s no product. And anything homegrown on either side is being destroyed in this war.”
“So they both did it,” I reply, leaning next to her.
“Or neither of them.”
“Who else would benefit?”
Valentina shrugs. “If we’ve been watching from the beginning, maybe we would know. But we’re late to this becausethisisn’t supposed to be something we care about.”
“Why not? Surely, families warring in the streets upsets the peace? Innocents are dying, including people not even in this world.”
“Two families fighting isn’t an issue. If it were an entire war between multiple, then sure. But this is small.”
“I disagree.”
“Why?” She shoots me a sidelong glance. “Because of Ivy?”
“No.”
“Are you sure? She’s the key to all this, so you should hand her over.”
“And if she’s innocent?”
“They would find that out.”
“Before or after they kill her?” I frown. “She’s been through enough.”
“Hm.” Valentine shakes her head. “I don’t deny that. But you’ve made her our problem and now we have to fix this quickly before people think the Suit is playing favorites with either side.”
“So work with me instead of picking at me.”
Valentina laughs softly. “Iamworking with you, dummy. But you need to be careful. Ivy might trauma bond with you after everything she’s been through. Her entire world has been turned on its head and the only reliable thing is you. Can you put a bullet in her if she’s the culprit all along?”
“I am pretty reliable,” I smirk, unable to answer her last comment. “But I’m being careful.”
“Are you?” She lifts one brow. “Seriously, what will you do if it turns out she’s lying to you?”
Before I answer, my phone blares to life and a symbol covers the screen. The letter J with a small crown on top.
“Jack?” I say as soon as I hit answer.
“Ace!” Cassian’s panting, gasping voice fills my ears, so I immediately put the call on speaker. “Ace, you gotta—argh!”
“Jack!”
Several loud bangs and thumps follow, then the pained sound of Cassian gurgling for air. It’s hard to make out anything else through a strange crackling covering the line, but just as my worried gaze meets Valentina’s, another voice distantly cuts through the call and turns my stomach into a bottomless pit.
“Cassian?” Ivy’s voice is faint. “Cassian?—”
13
IVY
“Are you sure about this?” Cassian lightly drums his fingers on the steering wheel as we sit parked outside my parents’ house.
We’ve sat out here for ten minutes since Cassian parked up on the curb and not a word has passed between the three of us. Raven sits in the back with her face buried in her laptop, humming off-key as she types furiously like her life depends on it. From the serious look on her face, it just might.
I watch her in the rearview mirror, using her as a distraction from the house in front of us until Cassian speaks, then I meet his turquoise eyes and nod.
