All three scoff. My Jane answers first. “What, because we’re women, we must be working for someone else? Fuck you.”
God, that fire of hers is such a fucking turn on.
Their leader cuts in again.Seriously, anyone planning on any introductions?“We don’t work for anyone. We’ve been using our positions in Washington—mine in security, Luna’s at the Bureau, Pippa’s in political ops—to take down trafficking networks. Quietly. Off the grid.”
“How?” Enzo asks, echoing my thoughts. He’s using his deep mafia-boss tenor, which usually means he’s trying to intimidate or he’s worried. I’m not sure which this time, but I clock that no one at this table flinches.Damn.
“No one knows us,” the brunette replies. She has this whole military-chic vibe going for her. “Not really. We do well in our fields, but we stay off the radar. Luna’s hacking got her recruited by the FBI. I built Redline Solutions to serve the rich and powerful. And Pippa swims through DC secrets like it’s her private pool.”
Redline is a top name in private security. It’s run by an ex-CIA agent named Sinclair.Damn, is this her? Admittedly, I should know this. But she’s right, they do know how to stay off the radar. They aren’t on the FBI’s watchlist for nefarious purposes, like many other private security firms in the area.
Luna cuts through my thoughts, steady as ever. “We use what we find to pick targets, then we take them down. Digital, legal, financial—whatever we need to do to guarantee they can never hurt anyone again.”
This aligns with Eva’s theory about TruthDrop.If Luna has a hand in those file dumps, it’s no wonder no agencies have been able to track them.
Pippa taps her long, perfectly manicured nails on the wood tabletop as she stares at Enzo. “We hit them where they’re weakest—their ego. Nothing like a tall redhead with an Ivy League degree and a fake crush to dismantle a power-hungry sociopath.”
Damn, that’s hot. I want her to dismantle my?—
“So that’s why you were with McCarter,” Enzo says.
She meets his gaze and holds it. Neither confirming nor denying.
He arches a brow. “So,” he says, voice dripping with condescension, “you sleep with them. Then what?”
I shoot him a look that says ‘maybe don’t insult the vigilante assassins who somehow convinced us to voluntarily give up our weapons.’Christ, that Italian hotheadedness of his is going to get us killed one day.
“Aw. Are you jealous, Enzo?” Pippa taunts, eyes glinting.
He refuses to give her the satisfaction. Enzo directs his attention to Ms. Sinclair, voice calm but probing. “Who else are you workingwith?”
She doesn’t flinch. “What makes you think there’s anyone else?”
I shift, aiming for less heat than Enzo. “It just seems big. For three people.”
Pippa tips her chin. “You meanwomen. What you’re really wondering is how threewomencould dismantle empires without a man behind the curtain.”
Enzo starts, “That’s not what I?—”
“Relax,” Luna cuts in, smile sweet and sharp. “We’re used to men underestimating us. It’s our superpower.” Having worked beside her for years, I know she’s right.
Ms. Sinclair leans forward, eyes cold. “We don’t need a team. We are the team.”
Pippa glares at Enzo. “And considering the bodies piling up, I’d say we’re doing just fine.”
Enzo’s jaw sets. “One last question. Some of your targets are obvious—everyone knows Troy and his cronies are mixed up in this shit—but some of those targets are on my client roster.” A statement, not a question.
The women wait, silent. They’re good.
“How did you get intel we didn’t? If any of my clients touched trafficking, we would have handled it.”
Luna answers quickly. “Our research says you don’t touch that world. Neither did the Lucianos before you. Even with Hudson running cover all these years”—she throws me an annoyed look—“your family’s stance on the exploitation of women and children is loud and clear.”
Enzo nods once. Stoic. But I know he’s fucking livid that his clients were doing this right under his nose.
“These men have been doing this longer than we’ve all been alive. And they have powerful friends to cover their tracks. Your business is money, weapons, intimidation. Without the kind of dedicated focus we’ve had for years, anyone could miss it.”
Enzo says nothing.
