“You’ve been hooking up with the head of the FBI’s organized crime unit?” Jules hisses sharply.
I shrug. “Technically, I met him as John, underground poker degenerate. You know I don’t put much stock into my random hook ups.”
“Ouch!” Hudson teases, though it’s lined with a hint of hurt.
“Who’s this guy?” I ask.
Luna answers, “Enzo’s head of security, Niko Moretti.”
Jules turns to Enzo. “Let me guess: After you met her at The Vault, you asked your buddy here at the FBI to run a file on her. You didn’t have enough information, so you decided to tail her?”
The men don’t reply, but we are all on the same page here. Enzo clocking me at The Vault was a bigger problem than any of us realized. Now we’ve been exposed.
Hudson’s tone turns serious. “The real question is, why are you here, Luna? Who are these women to you? And why the hell are there so many boards covered in what looks like high-profile targets and classified intel?”
My stomach sinks. He’s seen the target list. They all have.Shit.I take a deep breath. “Do we kill them?”
“Seriously?” Hudson snaps.
I tilt my head as my finger grazes the trigger, motioning I’m ready to pull it.
Instantly, everyone squares up, sights aligned. The air goes razor-thin, pressure about to snap.
“Everyone, calm down,” Luna pleads, stepping forward and raising a hand. “We’re not killing anyone.”
Enzo’s mouth curves, something dangerous flickering in his eyes. “That’s a relief.”
“You likely have more men outside, and I have no doubt your sister knows exactly where you are,” Luna responds in a commanding tone, showing she’s not to be underestimated.
Enzo stiffens at the mention of Eva.
“Luna is an expert in organized crime,” Hudson interjects before Enzo can react. “It’s her job to know about you, Eva, and your whole crew. I don’t believe Luna intended that as a threat.”
“Something tells me I’ve only seen half the picture with the Luciano family all these years, now,” Luna quips. “Shit, Hudson, I really thought you were one of the good ones.”
Hudson/John/whoever-the-fuck doesn’t respond, but his eyes soften.
I try to rack my brain to remember what I know about Assistant Director Hudson Cross. Luna talks about him regularly, but I can’t remember seeing any photos. How the fuck did I not know the men were one in the same?
“If Enzo disappears,” Luna continues, “Eva and the entire Luciano organization will come for us. And if Hudson goes missing? We’ll have the Bureau crawling all over town.” No one disagrees. “I think we can all agree, it’s in everyone’s best interests to just take a breath. We should all put our guns down.”
Silence follows as everyone mulls over their options.
Hudson lowers his weapon first, slow and deliberate. “I’m not going to hurt Luna or Pippa,” he says softly.
Jules squares her shoulders, taking control. “Here’s what’s going to happen—Pippa and I will lower our guns at the same time as Enzo and Niko. I’m going to pat you all down and take your weapons while you sit at that table. You’re going to give the three of us a minute to chat before we join you. Then we’ll figure out what the fuck to do next.”
Enzo tilts his chin up, and one by one, the guns lower.
The tension doesn’t disappear, but it shifts. Like the first breath after a long dive.
Jules, ever the calm military-turned-security professional, shows the men exactly who is in charge as she takes their weapons and phones. Enzo negotiates a quick text to his driver, and the men are led to the lounge in the warehouse—where we have couches, tables, and chairs. She directs them to the long meeting table.
The three of us head to the opposite side of the massive space, behind the room dividers where I manage my chemistry lab.
When we are out of sight, Luna whispers, “This is my fault. Iwasn’t watching the camera alarms, and I should have had the audio on, and?—”
“Luna,” I cut her off, “this is clearly my fault. I had a tail I didn’t clock. This situation is bad enough without beating ourselves up.”
