Page 111 of Adrianos, The Greek Devil

Twenty years ago. I turn the laptop toward Adrianos. For once, I have no clever line waiting. No sarcasm to soften what we've found.

“This didn't start with you or Volkov.”

His eyes settle on the date. I watch the understanding move through him, and his fingers tighten around mine.

We thought someone had infiltrated the Crown. We thought a hidden enemy had found a way inside five empires and started tearing at their foundations. But as I stare at more than twenty years of transactions, I understand how badly we've misjudged the threat.

This enemy didn't recently break into their world. They've been inside it all along.

Adrianos

Fighting an unseen and unknown enemy is fucking brutal. By midnight, I have turned the penthouse into something approaching a fortress.

Evander doesn't question the orders. He knows better than to bother when my mind is made up, and tonight I am not interested in anyone's opinion about whether I'm overreacting. All access credentials for the building have been revalidated. The private elevator requires biometric authorization. Two additional men are stationed on the residential floor, every camera now feeds into a secondary system controlled by my people, and nobody enters without confirmation from someone I trust personally.

It should be enough.

I know better than most men that enough is temporary, especially when the enemy has spent years learning how the Crown operates. Kalliopi's records changed everything. We aren't dealing with someone who recently discovered a weakness in our organization. Someone has been studying us for decades, learning our businesses, our financial structures, our alliances, and the institutions we trust. They knew when Petros became useful to us. They knew when Karras was compromised. They knew enough about Kalliopi's investigation to silence her before she finished it.

Now Elena has finished what Kalliopi started. That makes her dangerous to whoever is behind OB6. It also makes her a target.

"You've checked that camera four times."

Elena's voice pulls me away from the security feed on my phone. She sits cross-legged on the sofa with her laptop balanced across her thighs, wearing black trousers and one of my shirts. At some point, apparently without negotiation, my wardrobe became communal property.

"I'm checking something."

She closes the laptop halfway and studies me. "You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Trying to solve fear with additional security."

"I'm not afraid."

"Of course not. You've merely doubled the guards, changed every access code, called Evander six times, and looked at the front door twice since I started talking."