Something is wrong.
I sense it the second we pull into the front drive of this swanky hotel on the opposite side of downtown. The sun has just fallen beyond the buildings, so this place should be bustling with activity.
Nothing is moving.
The lights are too bright for this hour, and there’s only one car parked under the awning out front. It’s a Porsche, so I don’t need to guess who it belongs to. She’s shown up one too many times to forget it.
Jace parks his SUV just outside the reach of the retina-burning lights under the awning. We all sit in silence as we scope—well… I scope the location through the tinted windows, leaningforward to tuck my gun into my waistband before they decide they don’t actually want me carrying it.
They aren’t paying enough attention.
The guys are on their phones. Except for Jace, who is leaning over the center console to read the texts on Kieran’s screen. A series of buzzes fill the silence of the vehicle, and Silas sighs in aggravation as he opens his door without a word.
Cool. So we’re going in.
We absolutely shouldn’t make sure this is an ambush or some sort of nefarious setup to abduct an adult male.
Right… Fuck it, I guess.
I follow them into the light of the building, my pulse steady as I pinpoint cameras and the absence of staff. My entire being aligns with the moment, sensing this calm before something irreversible happens. I slide the safety of my gun off and adjust my shirt to conceal without hindering my draw.
The marble floor in the lobby sounds off; every footstep echoing like the building is listening. Even the air feels staged, chilled just enough to keep people alert, perfumed just enough to notice without being able to name the scent.
Silas pulls ahead, with Jace and Kieran flanking him. But I hang back, not rushing toward the blonde sitting casually in the center of the lobby all by herself.
Callie St. James fluffs her hair before she meanders to her feet like we’ve got all fucking night. We’re on her time right now, and she makes it clear with her relaxed posture. This is something that only comes from believing you’re untouchable.
No one local to Crimson Bay behaves like this.
Because we all know we aren’t untouchable or irreplaceable.
Callie doesn’t fidget with her pastel clothing or straighten her gold necklace as she lasers in on my guys. Practiced perfection is what I would call her smile.
Maybe when I was a young teenager, I would have felt jealousy over how put-together she appears… Now that I’m older, now that I’ve played in circles with elites and convicts, it’s easy to point out the cracks in her facade. Like the way she refuses to acknowledge me, or the way she can’t sense the danger in the air.
I don’t react.
Neither do the guys, not that I can see.
The silence stretches into a thick, uncomfortable feeling that almost makes me want to shoot a warning shot just to start the party.
Callie’s gaze flicks between the three men first, cataloging their appearance before she finally lands on me. Her smile sharpens, and she shakes her head.
I can’t understand why she doesn’t feel a lick of fear up her spine. Strange place with three men and a wild card? I wouldn’t leave a couch and a wall at my back.
“Funny thing about leverage,” Callie says lightly, voice carrying in the empty space. “You don’t need much. Just the right piece.”
She walks to the end table and reaches into her purse. I almost roll my eyes when she holds her hands up to caution the guys, showing she’s not grabbing a weapon. Silas rubs his forehead, impatience growing, and I feel slightly better about how pissy she’s making me.
Callie pulls out a slim metal drive, pinched between two manicured fingers, and lets it catch the light. For some reason, I was expecting it to be bigger, and definitely more key-shaped. I probably should have asked Roo about this instead of coming in blind.
“Crypto is funny like that,” Callie continues, her eyes locked on Silas. “People think it’s untouchable. Decentralized. But all it really takes is one key in the wrong hands.”
In front of me, Jace rolls his shoulders back as if he’s winding himself up to negotiate with her.
Silas is so still, I feel like I could thump him and he’d shatter.
Kieran tips his head back to look at the ceiling.
