Page 120

“He is…was a guard for the Vasilievs.” Vin clears his throat, looking down at his desk. “But he was also a man I trusted with my fucking life. And my…” He exhales. “My informant.”

“Fuck,” Eli breathes, dragging his fingers through his hair. “You think the Vasilievs did this?”

“I know they did,” Vin answers, his voice detached. “This was their revenge on us for destroying their warehouse.”

I look back at the screen, the crime tape circling the scene. A white sheet covers the body, but the outline of the rats is still visible beneath the thin fabric. “The rats are their way of telling you they know.” I regard Vin, and he nods solemnly. “How did they find out?”

“I don’t know.” He stands and walks to the nearest window, gazing at the lake. “But they just labeled him a goddamn rat for the whole world to see.” Crossing his arms over his chest, he says, “This is a war we started. I knew there would be casualties. I just never thought…” He pauses, inhaling deeply. “We were so careful with his identity. I don’t know how they found out.”

“Why didn’t you tell us about him?” I ask.

He lifts one shoulder. “The fewer people who knew about him, the less likely it would be for him to get caught. I needed someone inside their empire to get me the information that would keep us two steps ahead.”

Silence stretches around us, none of us knowing what to say.

Samuel clears his throat. “Sir?”

Vin peeks over his shoulder.

“Should I have the usual compensation package sent to his family?”

“Double it,” Vin responds, then looks out the window. “I was supposed to be one of the groomsmen in his wedding this fall,” he says so quietly I almost miss it.

Samuel dips his chin and then exits the room.

“How do you want to handle this?” Leo asks.

Vin pinches the bridge of his nose. “I want to destroy them all. Every last fucking one of them.” He faces us. “And the only way to do that is by playing my final move, which will end this war once and for all.”

I arch a brow. “You don’t mean…”

“I do.”

Oh fuck…

He drops into his seat, his elbows resting on his desk as he steeples his fingers before him. His gaze finds mine. “Contact our suppliers for every explosive you can get your hands on.” His eyes darken as he drums his fingers together. “When we’re done with them, the Vasilievs will be nothing but a name everyone forgets.”

Chapter twenty-nine

Charlotte

Iroll up the sleeves of my sweatshirt as I make my way down the hallway toward Alex’s office, my steps practically silent as I walk barefoot across the hardwood floors. His door is cracked open, and when I peek inside, I find him seated behind his desk, carefully loading his gun.

I lift my hand and tap my knuckles against the doorframe.

His attention shifts toward me, his dark, stormy eyes instantly finding mine.

“Hi.” I smile as I push open the door and enter the room.

“Hey.” The grin that follows is enough to make my pulse stumble as he gazes upon me as if I’m the only person in the world who exists. It’s the same way he always looks at me. Because he truly sees me, unlike anyone ever has.

He sets the gun aside before pushing his chair back and spreading his legs, silently inviting me closer.

I don’t hesitate.

Crossing the room, I settle onto his thigh and drape my legs across his lap. His arm circles my waist, his hand splaying possessively against my side as though touching me has become second nature.

His mouth brushes mine, and I savor every second of it before he pulls back to look down at me. “You okay?” he asks. “You’ve been a little quiet today.”