“Stay safe,” Eva says over the phone. “I don’t have eyes.”
“Appreciate it. We’ve got it from here.”
“Go get your girl, boys,” she tosses out with a chuckle sweet as poison. She hangs up.
Maybe it is as simple as that. Maybe Enzo just needs to be near Pippa, make his presence known. He and I may not understand how to handle this fucked-up dynamic, but one thing is clear: She’s pulling us deeper into her web and neither of us seems to be willing to stop it.
And Luna? We’ve worked together for years. She’s like a little sister to me, similar to Eva. I have to admit I feel a responsibility to confirm she’s okay. Whatever they’ve gotten into, maybe we can help.
SEVEN
exposed
Pippa
Monday Evening, Day 5
The warehouse hums with energy, like a storm about to break. The whiteboards in front of us are covered in names, colored thread, intel dumps, and coded shorthand. Our own war room built from secrets, sacrifice, and the kind of pain most could not endure.
Jules hovers over Luna, her posture all control and command.
Luna sits at her workstation, scrolling through files to find our angle into Victor Malin’s house. Our next operation is to take out the head of the secret service.
With the Speaker dying within the week, Malin’s death the following week will give us the opening we need for Jules’s security firm to be contracted as part of the gala’s security team. I’ll also get pulled further into gala planning. Each domino carefully planned and pushed at theexactright time to give me the access needed to take out Magnus Troy.
I pace the floor, restless energy pent up—a combination ofanxiety, being so close to my own personal vengeance, and an uneasy feeling about being on the FBI’s radar. It feels like a bad omen, but I know we’ve worked on this plan too long to pivot now.
“I know we said we wouldn’t, but I really think we should put someone from my team on surveillance. Getting access to his house may be too hard for the three of us to figure out in time.” Jules has made this case in each of our last few meetings. Malin’s house is a fortress. Luna was successful in hacking his security system, but we still don’t have enough information to enter his place safely next week.
“It’s too risky, Jules. Victor Malin isn’t your client. We’d expose your team if something went sideways,” I repeat my position. “Maybe we don’t need to do this at his house. What other angles could we work?”
“By next week?” Jules asks with her brow raised skeptically. She’s got a point.
“Maybe we have enough information already,” Luna starts. “Sure, there are still some unknowns, but if you let me join you in the field?—”
“No!” Jules and I both bark in unison.
Luna huffs and rolls her eyes. “I do work for the FBI, for crying out loud,” she says under her breath as she returns her face to the screen. “I’ve had just as much combat and arms training as the two of you. I don’t see the problem.”
This has been an ongoing point of contention for the last couple of years. Luna thinks we are overprotective about her safety. She’s right. Jules and I are aligned to protect Luna at all costs.
BAM!
The warehouse door slams open.
Luna curses and turns to the security feed.
Jules and I whip around.
Enzo Luciano storms into the warehouse, gun raised, eyes locked on us.
Trailing right behind him are two more men with guns. I recognize the dark-haired guy from the night at The Vault. And the third guy…
John?
Our eyes lock and my heart stumbles.
Holy shit.
