I pushed through the door and glanced behind me. A flicker of movement disappeared around the corner of the hallway and the sound of Vivienne’s steps faded as she hurried away. That’s it…run now.
My pulse slowed, that hate moving deeper, all the way to my icy fucking heart. Vivienne had given me her instructions, all panic and fear. I didn’t blame her. But I’d come with an agenda of my own.
My brothers were all fists and fury. But that wasn’t me. I wasn’t hot rage and bestial brutality. I was cold. Stony. Frigid all the way to my fucking core. I wasn’t human. Not anymore. I needed information and there was only one man who could give it to me.
The Principal.
I lengthened my strides, heading into the belly of this beast as the fire alarm continued to spark and wail above me. She’d said the office was just up ahead. I scanned for guards, caught sight of the closed door further along the hall, and shifted my gaze to the electronic reader on the outside the door. The kind of lock no other door had.
A twitch came in the corner of my eye as I focused on the tiny blinking red lights. They were all I saw. No. Ryth’s whisper came back to me. Caleb, no.
“I’m coming, princess,” I whispered, then reached into my pocket, dragged out the illegal card reader, and set to work.
I slipped the end into the lock and pressed buttons as that heavy thud in my chest resounded…never once speeding. You fucking get her out. Tobias’ words rang in my head. Or you don’t come back, understand me, brother?
I understood…perfectly.
It wasn’t his not-so-subtle threats that had made me stiffen. It was him. His brutality and his determination to do whatever it took to get Ryth back, regardless of how many damn laws he had to break. So here I was, breaking a few laws of my own.
Memories came back to me and that same single-minded focus I’d honed returned. I focused on the numbers on the screen of my device, watching as they scrolled. “Come on,” I growled.
The harder you hid something from me, the more I wanted it.
Just like Ryth.
And all the secrets mom had held behind the locked doors of her office. Secrets we weren’t to know about. Secrets about women and the men who used them. I was just a kid breaking into her office with a screwdriver before I was busted.
She upgraded her security to something tougher, more…electronic.
So I became smarter. I became colder and more fucking determined to find out what was behind those locks.
Beep.
The reader stopped scrolling. The tiny red blinking light turned green as the locks disengaged with a click.
I rose from my crouch, shoved the door open, and invaded the bastard’s space. Papers littered his desk. I rounded the corner and grabbed a handful, hunting for what I needed. There had to be something here, something I could use to figure this all out. Contract between London St. James and The Hale Order.
I stopped, my pulse spiking. Contract? I lifted my gaze to the cracked open door, then returned it to the paper in my hand. My gaze scanned past the legal bullshit to the real details. London St. James is hereby awarded Vivienne Brooks as his own personal ward for the purpose of preventing unauthorized disclosure of Confidential Information as defined below.
It was a nondisclosure contract…but one like I’d never seen before.
His silence, bought and paid for by the degradation that was sure to come.
No wonder Vivienne wanted out. But what was one life worth to these bastards? And what the hell did this London St. James know that was so fucking important?
I scanned the contract again, then searched the rest of the papers on the desk for anything else I could use. The computer sat there, filled to the brim with their secrets. There was no way I’d be able to get access to their files, not without spending hours trying to find a way past their damn security. No doubt a place like this, trading in people’s sin, would have the very best you could buy. If I’d had more time…
I grabbed my phone and laid the papers out on the desk, taking photos of all I could. Anything could be important. The wail of the fire alarm stopped. But my ears still rang with the sound.
Thud…thud…thud.
The sound wasn’t my heartbeat. I pushed the papers back into the pile and quickly stepped around the desk, taking a seat in a leather armchair, with a look of bored distaste.
Darkness filled the doorway before he froze, noticing me. The voice was deep and dangerous…and fucking familiar. “Excuse me. I didn’t realize we had company.”
I lifted my gaze to the black shirt and white clerical collar. It was him the fucking Priest who’d stood at the end of the altar and married my father to Ryth’s mom. I met his stare. “I did have an appointment.”
One brow rose as he scanned the room, his gaze shifting to the stack of papers. I unnerved him sitting here alone.
“You did?”
I rose, unleashing a sigh. “Maybe another time then, for the introductions,” I muttered, and stepped toward him.
“Introductions?” He gave me a chilling, sinister smile. But there was no hint of recognition in his eyes, no hint that he recognized me at all.
I almost smiled. Instead, I held his stare, daring the bastard.
“I know you, don’t I?” he said finally.
“Do you?”
I stepped closer as recognition bloomed in his gaze. “Banks,” he murmured.
He barely got the word out before I reacted. I lunged, driving my body into his. But I didn’t stop. I was already caught in this…until the end. In that moment, I didn’t fight for my life…I fought for Ryth’s.
I unleashed a roar that was primal and drove my fist into the side of his head. The Priest let out a grunt and stumbled to the side. But if I’d thought he was weak and cowering, then I was wrong. He turned, his lips curling as he lunged, hitting me hard enough to drive me onto the desk.
The gun bit into my back, the pain stabbing into my spine. I kicked out, punched my boot into the middle of his stomach, and drove him across the room.
There was no way to stop this. No way out that didn’t lose her for good. Not now. My heart was in the driver’s seat as I shoved off from the desk and lunged. I drove my fist into his jaw, watching his head crack to the side. There was a second where his eyes rolled back before his stunned expression gave way to rage. He unleashed a roar, “GUA—”
He never finished the word. I drove my head forward, slamming my forehead to his nose. Blood spurted, splashing against my cheek as a sickening crunch filled my ears. I drove my fist into his face once more. He stumbled, stunned, then fell to his knees.
I sucked in a hard breath, standing over him. “You took her away from me.” My fists throbbed…I curled my fingers tighter. “And that cannot stand.”
He lifted his gaze, his face a bloody mess as I cocked my fist and drove it down once more, connecting with his temple this time. He slumped to the floor in an instant, falling silent and unmoving.
I didn’t even stop to check if he was breathing, just pulled out my gun, gripped it by the barrel and smashed it against the asshole’s head. Hard breaths punctured my words. “Stay down, motherfucker.”
I stepped over his body and pulled the door closed behind me as I tucked the gun back in place and walked back along the hallway. I moved faster now, lengthening my strides, then looked down.
Blood splattered my shirt. I winced at the sight and reached for the buttons. My fingers pulsed, barely working, as I opened my shirt underneath my jacket as far as I could and hurried for the front of the building, praying to God Vivienne had made good on her promise…and gotten my damn stepsister out of here.
