I recognized the mask sliding back into place—professional, detached. But beneath it, I glimpsed something I hadn't seen in her before: raw, unfiltered grief transforming into something darker.
Cam shifted her weight forward, arms uncrossing. "Do we need to be concerned about—"
"No." Alex cut her off with a sharp gesture. "They all know where I am. My brothers sent me out here, where I’d be safe. That’s why they pay you, right? To protect me. Nobody suspects me." Her voice hardened with conviction. "Why would they?"
I watched the exchange, noting how the others accepted her assessment without question. The certainty in Alex's voice was absolute, but something cold settled in my stomach as I pieced together what wasn't being said.
The Scorpions were hunting a mole. They had tortured and killed Salvatore, a family member, looking for information. A loyal man who knew nothing. And now they would keep looking.
"What about your other cousins?" I asked. "Your aunts, uncles?"
Alex turned to me, her expression guarded. "What about them?"
"If they're targeting family members to find the mole..."
"They targeted Salvatore because he worked directly with my father," Alex said. Her tone was dismissive, but I caught the slight tightening around her eyes. "The others are civilians. Lorenzo wouldn't touch them."
Kara and Ellie exchanged a glance I couldn't interpret. Cam remained motionless, her face unreadable.
"Your brother ordered the hit," I said carefully. "On your cousin."
"Lorenzo follows orders," Alex replied. "My father makes the decisions."
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. The pieces were falling into place, forming a picture Alex refused to see. The Bellantes were methodically eliminating potential leaks, working their way through the organization. How long before they connected the dots that led to Alex?
"We stick to the plan," Alex continued, her voice steady. "Nothing changes."
She moved to the bar cart in the corner and poured herself two fingers of whiskey. The amber liquid caught the light as she raised the glass.
"To Sal," she said quietly, then drank it in one swallow.
I watched her set down the empty glass with perfect control. Her composure was flawless, but I could see her calculating. She truly believed she was untouchable, that her position in the family hierarchy protected her.
"I'm going to check the perimeter," Cam announced, breaking the silence. She slipped from the room like a shadow.
Kara followed, murmuring something about security protocols. Ellie hesitated, looking between Alex and me before following the others.
Left alone with Alex, I replayed what she'd just said. The pieces didn't fit together.
"Wait." My voice came out sharper than I intended. "Your brothers sent you here?"
Alex turned from the window, her expression carefully neutral. "What?"
"You just said your brothers sent you here. That they know where you are." I took a step closer. "The same brothers who are hunting for the mole who betrayed your family. They know you're here?"
Her jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "It's complicated."
"And they're paying for this?" I gestured around us. "They're paying Kara and Ellie and Cam to protect you?"
"Sabine—"
"You're the mole." I kept my voice low, aware of how sound carried in this house. "You betrayed them. You gave me everything I needed to publish that story. And now you're telling me your family is funding your protection?"
Alex's eyes went cold. "You don't understand the situation."
"Then explain it to me."
"I don't owe you explanations." She moved toward the doorway, dismissing me with her body language. "Stay in your lane, Sabine. Your job is to stay alive, not to question how we keep you that way."
