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Antonio snorted. “How do you know that? There’s no proof yet that this woman hasn’t leaked strategic info about you, or us, in the past five years. For all we know, every single problem or loss we suffered could have been her doing.”
Raiden’s answering snort was more spectacular. “Don’t you think if she’d leaked info about our identities, the least we would have suffered would have been bullets between the eyes, not the tame business setbacks we did? She leaked, and will leak, nothing.”
Antonio shrugged. “Then you lucked out. So far.”
“It wasn’t luck. It was a judgment. I stand by it.”
“I can understand you making a mistake once,” Ivan said. “Though I can’t get my head around it, not from you. But to be doing it again... That’s totally incomprehensible to me.”
“Whatever mistake I made in the past, none of the same variables apply now. I’m not making a mistake again.”
Ivan’s lips twisted condescendingly. “Says the man whose wedding is in three weeks. The wedding that will secure your entry into the family you’ve searched for for ten years, an ultraconservative clan who would reject you at the slightest whiff of scandal.”
Antonio shook his head. “And you didn’t even wait until all the legalities were concluded and you had your family name back to indulge your desire for this black widow.”
Ivan nodded. “You are risking everything you’ve dreamed of and planned for all your life by associating with this woman at this critical time. And worst of all, it seems you don’t realize you’re doing that.”
Oh, he did realize. Especially in the past week, since he’d dropped his precautions, had been surprising Scarlett at work, insisting on taking her out, then to and from home, no longer able to bear getting there or leaving separately, or any other secrecy measures.
When she’d at first refused to relinquish their precautions, he’d insisted he knew what he was doing. Which he certainly didn’t. The only thing he knew was that he could no longer compartmentalize her presence in his life. He wanted her with him in every possible moment, couldn’t bear wasting the time he could have with her on secrecy procedures. How that would ultimately affect his plans, he was at a stage where he no longer cared. He knew his time with her was draining away like accelerated sand in an hourglass, and such a realization was messing with his restraint, rearranging all of his priorities.
From his brothers’ point of view, that would all prove that he’d lost his mind. He couldn’t contest their diagnosis. For he had no sanity to speak of when it came to Scarlett.
When he didn’t make a comment, Antonio exhaled. “From her own admission, she’s a Mata Hari who’s played at least five dozen men before you. You think you’re so special to her that she won’t do the same to you...again? How could you resume your liaison after she blackmailed you for fifty million dollars?”
“I did after she asked for double that this time.” The trio of his brothers just stared at him as if he’d sprouted two extra heads. “Apart from the money she used to create her current identity, she only uses the money in her humanitarian work.”
“And you realized that when?” Ivan scoffed. “Long after the fact, I’m certain. This woman demands money, and no matter how outrageous the amount, and whether you have reason to succumb to her demands or not, you give it to her. Without consulting any of us.”
“And without letting us know of the danger she could have posed to all of us back then, and could still pose now or any time in the future.” Antonio shook his head in incredulity. “This is even worse than I at first thought.”
Raiden’s gaze swept the three men, felt them passing judgment. From the fury on Ivan’s face, the dismay on Antonio’s and the nothingness on Numair’s, he knew the sentence they would like to pass was a painless death. To put him out of their collective misery.
Cocking his head at them, he sighed. “Are you done?”
“Actually, no,” Ivan growled. “How did you expect us to take this? Don’t you realize the magnitude of what you risked? And are still risking?”
Numair sat forward, moving in pure effortlessness, the first trait that had earned him the name Phantom before the rest of his stealthy methods had. This meant he’d decided this back-and-forth exchange was over. He’d reached his verdict.
“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t leave this office and go eliminate this woman’s threat.”
Silence detonated in the wake of Numair’s tranquil words.
Feeling his heart about to do the same, Raiden drew in a sharp breath. Once Numair made up his mind, nothing could stop him. So Raiden had to stop his mind in its tracks before it latched on to a course of action.
“One reason. Me.” His voice was a steel blade as he transferred his gaze from Numair to the others, letting them know Scarlett was one line he’d never let anyone cross. Not even them. Then he let the lifetime of history and empathy between them enter his gaze. “We survived hell, then conquered the world by trusting each other absolutely. You depended on me and my instincts countless times. I now ask you to trust the instincts that never led us wrong.”
“They led you wrong in her case,” Antonio pointed out.
“No, they haven’t. I now believe she’d been forced to spy on me. And this is why I called this meeting, why I told you about her. I need you to help me find out exactly who she is, and how Medvedev found her, and what power he had over her.”
“She was a professional honey trap with a long history behind her before Medvedev hired her,” Antonio dismissed.
“And I want to find out how that happened, how she’d entered this life, the life she’d gone to such lengths to exit.” He gave them a moment to absorb his demands and the new considerations, then went on. “Promise me you’ll do everything in your power to help me settle this issue once and for all.”
“I can certainly settle her issue with no effort at all.” Numair’s voice was laced with chilling, hair-raising humor.
“Numair.”
