Chapter 41 Landon
LANDON
Ice spreads through my veins.
I stare at the message preview, processing what I’m seeing. My grip tightens on Sadie’s wrist as I scan the ballroom, suddenly alert for potential threats. Every dancing couple becomes a potential assassin, every waiter a possible plant.
“Landon—” Sadie’s voice breaks, her face draining of color.
“Not here.” I guide her firmly but discreetly toward a service hallway, maintaining a pleasant smile for anyone watching. Once we’re alone, I push her against the wall, boxing her in with my arms.
“Start talking.”
“Please, I need my phone—”
“What does Orlov want with you?” My voice remains steady. “When did he contact you? What have you told him?”
“He has Jolene.” Tears spill down her cheeks. “He took her yesterday afternoon. Said he’d kill her if I didn’t bring you to the east garden alone by midnight.”
The pieces click into place—her unusual behavior, the sudden desire to dance, the nervous glances at her phone.
“You were going to deliver me to him.” It’s not a question, but a statement.
“I didn’t know what else to do!” Her chest heaves with panicked breaths. “He sent pictures... She’s hurt, Landon. He said he’d send her back in pieces if I told anyone.”
I step back, creating space between us as I unlock her phone. The full message appears alongside photos of Jolene bound to a chair, face bruised, eyes wide with terror.
I feel nothing. No anger. No betrayal. Those emotions are inefficient, and efficiency is what will keep us alive.
“You’ve never run a trace on this number?” I ask, voice clinical.
“What? No, I—”
“Amateur mistake.” I press my thumb to the screen, forwarding the conversation to my own phone. “Never negotiate with someone who’s already broken their word. He sent you threats after promising not to if you kept quiet.”
Sadie stares at me, her expression shifting from desperation to fear as she witnesses my detachment.
“You’re not... angry?”
“Anger clouds judgment.” I check the time. “We have exactly one hour and thirty-three minutes. That’s enough.”
I see the realization dawn in her eyes—the understanding that the man she’s been living with operates on a different frequency when danger is involved—one fundamentally alien to her own—one with zero room for emotion. Emotions get people killed and fuck if I’m gonna watch her bury her best friend.
I pull out my phone, making three separate calls in rapid succession. No explanations, just four words to each brother: “Orlov. Conference room. Now.”
While we wait, I pull up building schematics on my phone, mentally mapping entry and exit points to the east garden. It takes sixteen seconds to formulate a preliminary strategy.
“Landon, what are we going to do?” Sadie’s voice trembles. “We can’t just—”
“Quiet.” I raise my hand. “I’m working.”
My brothers materialize in the hallway, one after another. Vane arrives first, already reaching inside his jacket where I know he keeps a knife. Knox appears seconds later, his usual grin replaced by lethal focus. Xavier slips in last, assessing the situation with a single glance.
“Orlov has Sadie’s friend.” I hand Xavier her phone with the photos. “Wants me in the east garden by midnight. Alone.”
“Trap,” Knox states.
“Obviously.” I nod. “Which means we spring our own.”
I outline my plan clearly. No wasted words, no room for misinterpretation. Each brother receives their role with nothing more than a nod.
“The garden has three access points. Knox takes the service entrance, Vane the south wall. Xavier, you’ll monitor from the security feed. I’ll enter as expected, but—” I pull up a schematic of the garden’s irrigation system. “—the pipes here and here provide cover for two shooters.”
“Wait,” Sadie interrupts. “You created this plan in less than a minute?”
I glance at her, annoyed at the interruption. “Yes.”
“But how did you know the garden layout so quickly? The irrigation system? The—”
“I memorized the building plans before we arrived. Standard procedure. You’ll accompany me,” I tell her. “But we modify the terms. You’re bringing me, but only after receiving proof of life. That buys us four minutes for positioning.”
“You want me to negotiate with him?”
“No. I want you to distract him while my brothers get into position.” I hold her gaze. “We’re going to play his game, little butterfly. But we’re changing the rules.”
“She’s not trained for this,” Xavier protests. “She’ll telegraph our intentions the moment Orlov looks at her.”
“I can handle it.” Sadie’s spine straightens.
Vane scoffs. “This isn’t a computer simulation you can restart when you fail. People die for real.”
“I’m aware of that.” Her voice hardens. “It’s my friend’s life at stake.”
I study her face—the set of her jaw, the fury in her eyes.
“She’ll manage,” I state, cutting off further debate. “Knox, you’ll need to disable the exterior cameras on your approach. The landscaping provides sufficient cover until the final eight meters.”
“Already mapping it,” Knox confirms.
Sadie steps closer, lowering her voice. “Landon, what if he’s already killed her?”
“Then this becomes a different operation.” I meet her gaze. “But Orlov wants me, not your friend. She’s leverage, nothing more.”
“How can you be so cold about this?” Her voice wavers.
“Because emotion is inefficient, and inefficiency gets people killed.” I check my watch. “Thirty-eight minutes remaining.”
Vane slips out first, heading toward his position. Knox follows moments later, moving in the opposite direction. Xavier lingers, giving me a hard look.
“This is personal for you now,” he observes quietly. “Don’t let it compromise your judgment.”
After he departs, Sadie and I stand alone in the hallway. Her breathing has steadied, but fear radiates from her in waves.
“Why do you call me that?” she asks. “Little butterfly.”
I blink, the question catching me off guard. “It’s irrelevant to the current situation.”
“I need to know I’m not just a chess piece to you, Landon.” Her eyes search mine. “If I’m going to trust you with my friend’s life, I need to know.”
“You’re not a chess piece. Chess pieces don’t surprise me. You do.”
She stares at me for a long moment, then nods. “Let’s save Jolene.”