Page 46 of Marked By the Mob

Whoever made that decision just made a very dangerous enemy.

20

EMMA

I wake later than I intended, sunlight already streaming through the tall windows of the bedroom. For a moment, I just lie there, staring at the ceiling, my body warm and relaxed between the three men who claimed me in every possible way last night.

Then reality crashes back.

According to the FBI, I’m officially dead.

The thought sits strangely in my mind, heavy and surreal. I’ve spent my entire adult life working for the Bureau, building cases, chasing criminals, andbelievingin the system. Now that same system has erased me. Declared me presumed dead and closed the investigation into the auction network that claimed both Krystal and me.

Someone made that decision. Someone with enough authority to shut down an active case and bury the truth about what happened to me. The betrayal cuts deeper than anything I’ve felt since my parents were murdered.

I slip out of bed carefully, trying not to wake the others. Rurik stirs slightly but doesn’t open his eyes. Eduard’s breathing remains steady and deep. Artur is sprawled across his side of the massive bed, one arm flung over his face.

In the bathroom, I shower quickly, letting the hot water ease the tension in my shoulders. My reflection in the mirror shows faint marks on my neck and collarbone from last night, evidence of hands and mouths that claimed every inch of me. I should feel ashamed, should feel like I’ve crossed a line I can never uncross.

Instead, I just feel alive. Despite being declared dead. What an odd contradiction my life has become.

I dress in jeans and a fitted black sweater, pulling my hair back into a practical braid. By the time I leave the bathroom, the house is already awake. Rurik, Eduard, and Artur are gone, and I can hear voices echoing from somewhere downstairs, the familiar sounds of the estate coming to life. Two guards wait for me outside the room, already my silent tail.

I find Rurik, Artur, and Eduard in the smaller dining room, waiting for me. They must have woken when I’d taken my shower. The morning light streams through the windows, casting warm shadows across the polished table. They look up when I enter, and something passes between the four of us. An acknowledgment of what happened last night. I fight the blush creeping up my neck.

“Morning, sweetheart,” Artur says, his dark eyes warm. “Sleep well?”

“Better than I should have.” I take the seat across from him and reach for the coffee pot. The rich smell helps ground me.

Eduard slides a plate of food in my direction. Fresh fruit, toast, scrambled eggs. “You need to eat.”

I don’t argue. My stomach is empty, and I realize I’m actually hungry. As I eat, the conversation returns to the information Rurik received last night from his tech contact.

“The Bureau moved fast,” Rurik says, his pale blue eyes serious. “Too fast. They declared you presumed dead within days of your disappearance and closed the auction investigation completely.”

“Someone wanted it buried.” I set down my fork, my appetite suddenly gone. “Someone with enough pull to make it happen without raising flags.”

“Your supervisor?” Eduard asks.

“Hayes opposed the operation from the start, but I don’t think he has that kind of authority.” I shake my head. “It would have to come from higher up. Someone at the deputy director level or above.”

Artur leans back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. “So either someone very powerful wanted you gone, or they wanted the investigation shut down before you found something they couldn’t afford to have exposed.”

“Or both,” I mutter.

The thought makes my chest tight. I’ve spent a year chasing the auction network, convinced it would lead me to Krystal. Now I’m starting to realize the network might be connected to something much bigger. Something that reaches into the very organization I trusted with my life.

After breakfast, the four of us move outside into the gardens behind the estate. The morning air is cool against my skin,carrying the scent of flowers and freshly cut grass. The grounds are quiet except for a few guards moving through their patrol routes, their presence a constant reminder of the world I’ve landed in.

I walk beside Eduard while Rurik and Artur move slightly ahead, discussing something in low voices. The gravel path crunches under my boots, and I find myself lost in the details around me. The way the hedges are trimmed into precise geometric shapes. The stone benches are positioned to catch the morning sun. The careful maintenance that keeps everything looking perfect.

“You’re quiet,” Eduard says, glancing at me.

“Just thinking.”

“About being dead?”

The bluntness of the question makes me smile despite everything. “Among other things.”