Kieran catches Daniel by the shoulder and slams him into the brick exterior of the building. Jace is there a heartbeat later, crowding his space, fury barely controlled.
Silas closes in from the other side, standing closer to me, as if he’s already decided he’ll kill Daniel before he lunges for me again.
Roo and I lean around Silas and watch Daniel thrash and struggle as the guys drag him into the alley.
I don’t rush to follow them, but I make sure every step I take is silent. As we walk into the dimly lit pass-through, my partner in crime hands me a hair tie as if this is any other job.
Roo leans against Jace’s SUV, strategically parked to block the alley entrance into an overflow parking lot. Ivan is waiting a few spaces over, idling in his truck until he gets the call.
“Well,” Roo mumbles, sounding dejected, her phone already in hand, watching like this is exactly how she expected the nightto go. “We knew he’d make it easy, but I didn’t think he’d make it this easy.”
I stop in front of Daniel. He’s shaking now, fear and frustration finally burning through the arrogance. His mouth opens, but with him currently restrained, I risk placing my finger over his lips to shut him up. The words are meaningless, but I am curious about his reaction to my name.
“You asked if they’d protect me forever,” I remind him, waiting for him to look me in the eye before I continue. “The answer is no. Because I don’t need protection. I’m not the girl you think I am. Anna isn’t even my name. That entire persona was made up to complete a job.”
“So now we’re back to lying?” he practically shouts. “Is this where you tell them I was sleeping with the neighbor and you’re just the victim in this relationship?”
I sigh and straighten, turning away and giving Kieran a single nod that he quickly interprets.
Behind me, they push Daniel to his knees, splitting open his ego.
Roo has the back hatch of Jace’s SUV open, sitting in it as she glances between the real-life fight scene and her phone.
Knowing the only part of this night they fought for was the opportunity to beat Daniel to near death has lit a fire in me.
And the thing about fire?
It never asks for permission.
Everything is worth turning to ash if it gets in the way.
