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For now, that's enough. The rest of it, rebuilding our bond, restoring our family... that can come later. What matters is Solana's safety.
When we emerge, Talia is waiting in the next room, her worried gaze fixed on nothing at all. When Burn and I enter, her eyes dart between us, taking in our resolute expressions.
"It's done," I say simply. "The shares are Burn's now."
Talia lets out a shaky breath, pressing her palm to her heart. I know this has not been easy for her either, watching me surrender my birthright and tie my fate to my estranged brother's. But she has supported me without question or complaint.
Talia is as fierce as she is steadfast. For that, I count my many blessings. I open my arms and she steps into them, hugging me tightly.
"Thank you," she whispers against my chest.
"Of course. You and Talia have plans to adopt Solana. Therefore, she is our family. And when it comes to family, there is no other choice. You have to give up everything to save them."
I smooth back her hair, kissing the top of her head. After a long moment we separate. Talia dabs at her eyes, then gives Burn a quivery smile.
"Thank you," she says softly. "For standing with Dare. It means a lot."
Burn shifts, seeming both moved and uncomfortable with Talia's open gratitude.
"Yeah, well," he mutters. "You’re both family."
The lawyer heads out the door, contracts locked away in his briefcase. The deed is done. I've signed away my legacy and future, placing all my trust in the brother who was once my greatest rival.
Talia slips her hand in mine again, grounding me. On my other side, Burn grips my shoulder.
“Done. Now it’s time to play our trump card with Felix. He thinks he has me over a barrel—but little does he know that I already sealed away my stake in the company.”
“What do you plan to tell him when you contact him?”
I light up with a sly smile. “That I’ll gladly give my shares to him in exchange for Solana’s safe return. He'll assume he's won, so he'll agree to meet, confident that I'll be willing to give him anything he wants. But what he doesn't know is that we're setting up an ambush. We'll propose a trade. Then once she's back in my arms, you and Tristen will swoop in and take Felix down for good.”
I glance back at Talia, seeing the same fierce protectiveness reflected in her eyes. Talia nods, silently supporting me.
I take a deep breath to steady my nerves before dialing Felix's number. My heart pounds as the line rings, each trill ratcheting up the tension.
ChapterThirty-Three
DARE
"Is this the place?" Tristen asks, pointing to a strip of sleazy businesses coming up on our right.
"Lucky Sixes?" Burn asks.
"That's it." I ease the car up to the curb and kill the engine. "You guys might have to hold me back in there. I might actually kill Felix when I see him."
"He's a snake. Nobody notices when snakes get their heads cut off," Tristen grouses.
"They do when Remy Morgan is the snake's father," I say. "Don't let me rough him up so badly that he needs a ventilator afterward."
Burn climbs out of the car. "He's old. What if he just happens to have a heart attack and we just happen to leave with the kid he kidnapped?"
I follow him up to the door, shading my face from the sunlight. "We'll burn that bridge when we come to it."
The smoke and raucous laughter hit me like a slap as I shoulder through the door of Felix's favorite dive. My gaze rakes the room, landing on his broad back hunched over a whiskey at the bar.
Burn and Tristen fan out on either side of me, a wall of tense muscle.Worry for Solana drives me on.
I stalk over to Felix, my steps ringing loud on the scuffed wooden floor. He doesn't look up until I slam my palm on the counter beside him, making his glass jump.
