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LILY
I’m frozenin place as I watch the FBI take Nero away. Greggs is among the arresting officers, but he doesn’t look my way once. I almost expect to be taken as well. Instead, I’m left standing there in the middle of the garden, clutching my purse.
All eyes are on me, but I can’t make myself care about that. I’m too busy teetering between panic and fear. I can’t believe that I just watched Nero being arrested. I knew that the situation was serious at the club earlier—the tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife—but I had no idea the fallout would be so swift.
He must have been arrested because of the raid earlier today. I didn’t catch many details before Nero hustled me out, but it turns out that the tattooed man was right.
They came for Nero next.
And now I have to do something.
I turn and head for the exit, leaving the gossip and gasps behind. I couldn’t care less what anyone thinks about us now. All that matters is Nero, and getting him free.
I find Kyle waiting in the car. He takes me straight to the club, but it’s not until I walk in that I remember I’m still wearing a floor-length gown.
Fuck it.
I throw open his office door, and find Chase there, deep in conversation with a couple of other guys.
He stands, surprised. “What the—”
“Nero’s been arrested,” I announce.
He curses.
“They took him at the party, in front of everyone. They wanted to send a message,” I add, furious.
To humiliate him in front of everyone. Remind him he’ll always be part of the criminal underworld. I know Agent Greggs’ game, but I’m not playing.
Not this time.
“He said to call Miles,” I add. Chase nods to someone, who whips out their phone and calls.
“Thanks for letting us know,” Chase says shortly. “Leave it to us.”
He turns his back, shutting me out again, but I’m not standing for it now.
“No,” I say firmly, making them all look up. “I’m staying.”
“Look, Princess—”
“We both know, I have a target on my back,” I speak over him. “From the Kovaks, hell, from you guys too. If Nero ends up in jail, there goes my protection. My ass is on the line now. You can’t keep me out of this.”
I stand tall, even though I’m quaking inside. Talk back to these men? They could kill me with their bare hands. And probably have a few bodies to their names.
There’s a moment of awkward tension, and everyone exchanges an intense look. But still, Chase sneers. “What are you going to do?” he asks, dismissive. “You’re just his wife.”
“Exactly.” I scowl. “I’m his family now. So tell me everything.”
There’s another long silence, and then the bald guy, Vance, I think his name is, lays out the situation. The FBI, or DEA, or someone raided their delivery meet. Two guys are already in custody, and the Feds are probably leaning on them, hard.
“They don’t want a couple of low-level grunts,” he says, regarding me with cool eyes. I shiver. I don’t trust him, and I’ve never heard Nero mention his name, but for now, I need to make nice with everyone. “They want the boss. To get enough on Nero to take down this whole organization.”
“If you haven’t already given them enough to work with,” Chase mutters.
I ignore him.
I have a plan forming in my mind, and it’s a hell of a risk, but I have to take it. Nero cannot be charged with anything, or I have no doubt that my own head will end up on a chopping block, too.
