Page 177 of Ruthless Claim

Valentina’s mouth opens before it shuts. She looks just as lost as I do.

“Either someone tipped her off,” I continue, “or her handler’s been watching us closely enough to know we’d figured it out and had the exit ready before she even got there.” I pause, and Valentina’s eyes widen. “Either way⁠—”

“Either way, someone has eyes on us,” Valentina finishes, her voice suddenly very quiet.

I nod grimly. “Yes.”

She stares at me, suddenly flustered. “That’s⁠—”

I nod. “I know.”

“Cillian, that means someone is following us,” she says, looking very alarmed, biting her bottom lip.

“I know, Val.” I reach out and take her hand again, running my thumb over her knuckles. “But no one’s going to get to you or the baby. I swear it.”

Valentina nods but doesn’t look convinced.

I can’t say I blame her. Someone has been watching us the whole time.

It’s never just been about Claire running her con. Someone above her has been watching us close enough to know the exact moment the game was up.

And we still don’t know who.

Leo shows up two hours later with a bottle of Redbreast and no warning.

I open the door and just stare at him. Leo Santoro is the last person I expected to be standing in my hallway at eight o’clock on the worst day I’ve had in recent memory.

Even though I’ve seen him many times, how similar he and Valentina look always throws me. He and Valentina have the same dark brown hair and dark eyes, but Leo’s hair has a slight wave to it that he’s clearly tried to flatten and given up on.

He looks distinctly uncomfortable being here, and I don’t necessarily blame him. We aren’t exactly best friends or even casual acquaintances, even after our respective marriages to each other’s family members.

He looks me up and down, one dark brow raised, taking in the bandage on my shoulder. The cuts and bruises on me.

“You look like shit,” he deadpans.

“Thanks.” Good manners kick in before I realize who is exactly standing at my door. “I don’t remember inviting you,” I say, slightly accusatory.

Leo shrugs. “I wasn’t aware I needed an invite to see my favorite sister and my”—an odd look crosses his face and he pauses—“brother-in-law.”

I notice the removal of favorite for me and I shake my head. He’s not my favorite either so at least we’re on the same page there.

“Besides,” he says, moving past me into the penthouse like he owns it, which is a very Leo Santoro thing to do, “someone has to check on her after what happened today.”

I close the door, stiffening. “How did you even hear about it?”

Leo scoffs and turns to give me a dark, slightly pitying look. “I know everything, Brennan.”

I roll my eyes. What that means is Emma told him because Valentina called Emma the second we got home. My wife tells my cousin everything and Emma tells her husband everything because she’s a goddamn gossip.

“Right,” I say dryly. I gesture to the bottle. “You want a glass for that or are you planning to drink it in the hallway?”

“I’d like to throw it at your head,” Leo says cheerfully before he heads down the hall and stops when he sees Valentina on the couch. Even though I can’t see his face, his whole body stiffens when he sees his sister.

I know it doesn’t look good. She has a goose egg on the side of her head and she also has cuts and scrapes too. I did the best I could to protect her.

It could have been a lot worse.

“Stop staring at me,” Valentina calls. “It’s creepy.”