Chapter 29 #2
Sylus steps closer, putting an arm around my waist. “You get close to Nicholas. Befriend him. Once you’re in his home, you find a way to access Veronica’s laptop and plant a device for me. I’ll hack in from there and gather what we need.”
“Oh,” I whisper. “I’m bait.”
If something goes wrong, I’ll be right at the heart of the enemy’s lair.
And then what?
Would they come for me?
“No.” Koen cuts through my fears. “You’re not bait. You’re part of this team. We need you, and we’ll protect you. You’re one of us now.”
His words settle around me, comforting and suffocating at the same time.
One of us.
The idea makes my chest ache. Am I truly part of this? Or am I a pawn to play in a game that’s much bigger than me?
That’s all they’ve done so far.
Sylus’s hand finds mine, squeezing gently.
“It’s your choice,” he assures me as he sweeps his thumb over my knuckles.
“We won’t force you. But we need you. And…
” He hesitates, then pulls me into his body as his eyes search mine.
“I swear, baby, we’ll do everything to keep you safe.
” He interlaces our fingers as he reiterates, “I will keep you safe.”
Reckless sincerity pours from his gaze, and when a figure shifts beside us, I glance at Levi, who’s watching me with an almost shy hope. They’re so messy and complicated, bound by grief and a thirst for justice.
Do I want to be part of this?
I’m tired of running from life while being at a total standstill and constantly feeling like I’m only halfway alive. If I keep walking away from this chance to truly start living because of fear, will I ever truly live again?
“I’m in,” I say, my voice gaining strength as my gaze lands and stays on Koen. “But I need to know exactly what I’m walking into. No more surprises. If I find out you’ve kept anything else from me, I’m gone.”
Koen’s gaze drifts to Ezra, and they exchange a long look—one of those silent conversations that only people who’ve known each other forever can have passing between them.
Before I can even try to decipher it, Levi speaks up.
“All right, we’ll tell you everything about the plan,” he agrees, but the way he nervously fidgets with the fringe on his leather vest betrays him.
“Honestly… it might be safer if we keep some details back until after you’re successful.
That way, if you get caught, there’s nothing they could force out of you. ”
Right. Fuck. I release Sylus’s hand, swallowing hard as the reality of what I’ve agreed to settles like a lead weight in my stomach. “So, what’s the plan if all goes to shit?” I cross my arms over my chest and volley the question at Ezra, knowing he’s going to be straight with me.
“You run,” he says simply. “You disappear. Get out, go dark, and contact us when it’s safe.”
Run, go dark, contact us if you’re alive. Because I see it in his eyes, there is no possibility of simply getting caught.
I do my best not to let my unease show, crossing my arms tighter against me, but there’s no sugar-coating it. This is dangerous.
“It won’t go wrong.” Sylus turns me toward him by my elbow, his lips curving into that familiar, cocky grin. “You’re too damn good.”
“This is our chance to end this, to take Veronica down for good,” Koen adds, pulling my attention.
His gaze softens a fraction as our eyes meet, something warm and encouraging flickering there.
“We can’t do it without you.” He lets the words hang between us for a moment, then adds, “And if the fact that she killed our uncle, who’s a stranger to you, isn’t enough, think about what good you’ll do for Vegas…
for everyone here. It’s not only that she’s destroyed our family, she’s poisoned this entire city.
Everything she does, every crime she’s orchestrated, it’s all tangled up in her web.
This is bigger than us. Bigger than revenge. ”
Fuck.
I’m in way over my head. The more I think about what this all means, the more fear creeps in. I push it away, grasping at the one thing that feels solid. “And there’s still Italy, right?”
Koen’s expression softens, his eyes losing some of their edge. He gives me a small smile. “Yeah, Little Thief. When this is over, we’ll take you to Italy.”
I lean subtly into Sylus and take another deep breath, nodding slowly. This plan is a thousand kinds of terrifying.
As I survey all their faces one more time, plainly seeing the hope and trust they’re placing in me, a spark of determination starts to steadily burn inside me.
I have something to fight for now. Something real.
Even if it’s not my something.
“All right,” I agree.
Levi is there in the next breath, pulling me into a hug and pressing a grateful kiss to my cheek. “Thank you,” he whispers, his voice full of relief. He releases me, grinning as he pulls out his phone. “I can’t wait to tell Alaric.”
“Speaking of,” I start, frowning at the group. “Where is Captain Bossy? How come I never see him?”
Levi’s smile dims, and his gaze drifts to his boots, which are also covered in fringe. “He’s… not in the best place right now.”
I want to ask more, but something about Levi’s tone makes me hesitate.
Koen, as I should’ve known he would, picks up on my curiosity and answers my unspoken question.
“Losing Oscar hit all of us hard,” he explains.
“But it threw Ric into a spiral. Leaving the house is… something he’s not capable of right now. ”
I swallow roughly, thinking of Captain Bossy being holed up at their home this entire time he’s been texting me, and it adds another layer to the tangled mess of emotions I feel.
Fuck, this is all so much bigger than me.
Sylus drops into one of the seats in the front row of the stage and pulls me into his lap. I tense briefly, but his warmth, paired with the solid feel of his arm wrapped around my waist, has me sinking into him in seconds.
And it almost feels… safe.
Levi settles into the seat beside us, reaching for my hand. His touch is gentle but confident, and when our eyes meet, there’s only sincerity there. “Ezra told me you wouldn’t even rat me out with a gun to your head.”
A shiver skates down my spine as flashes of the moment Detective Hill produced the gun fill my mind, which triggers Koen to tense in front of Sylus and me from behind.
Then Sylus pulls me flush against him, one of his arms banding across my chest protectively, his forehead pressing into my shoulder.
My gaze flicks to Ezra, who stands a few steps away, looking a bit sheepish.
“I don’t have a lot of friends,” Levi admits, looking directly at me.
“Certainly not friends who would risk their lives for me.” I pat Sylus’s hand soothingly, instinctively, as I prepare to argue that it couldn’t possibly be true, but before I can get a word out, Levi reaches out and squeezes my hand, the one on top of Sylus’s, stopping me. “All I want to say is… thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Levi,” I say just as seriously, matching his tone.
“Call me, Dove, Little Bird.” He smiles as he intertwines his fingers with mine.
For the first time in a long time, I don’t feel completely alone. However, trust is a fragile thing, and I wonder how long it will take before one of us drops it, leaving the rest of us to watch it shatter.