Chapter 48 THE SURPRISE
Lana’s pacing around the living room when I descend the stairs.
“Sit down,” Sofia exclaims. “You’re making me dizzy.”
“Easy for you to say,” Lana mutters. “You’re not the one with the target on your back.”
“Maybe I’ve been through worse,” Sofia replies quietly. Something haunted flickers in her eyes.
She flashes Lana a small, sad smile. “I’ve learned that in life-and-death situations, don’t show fear. Don’t let them get to you.”
She taps her temple. “If you’re strong here, you’ll survive anything. Trust me.”
“Boom.” Aleksei whistles under his breath as he strides in. “Security cameras are all clean. No bugs. Nothing unusual.”
“So we just wait?” Lana asks, pacing again, then freezes, gaze darting to Sofia. She sighs and sits. Cece jumps into her arms and purrs as if to comfort her. “Right. Mind games.”
“Elias is right.” Sebastian removes his mask and stares at his laptop. “Going on the offensive. That’s the only logical choice.”
Ren signs something, then looks at Lana and Sebastian. He rolls his eyes, clearly exasperated, and pulls out his phone.
Ren
Plan’s solid. I’ve got your back, Lana. Now if it were Sebastian you were relying on, I’d be worried.
“Asshole,” Sebastian mutters, snapping his laptop shut. “I’m an excellent shot.”
Ren smirks.
Ren
But you have to care about the person you’re protecting. You don’t care about shit.
“Hm.” Sebastian smirks and shrugs. “True.”
My silent bodyguard winces and rubs his chest. Sebastian’s eyes narrow at the motion.
I frown.
Ren catches me staring.
“Heartburn,” Ren signs. “Ignore me.”
“So when do we think something will happen?” Lana asks and gnaws her lip.
This is the wait and see part I hate.
We don’t know when the package will come, only that it’s meant for her.
If Lana receives it, we’ll swap it before anyone else lays eyes on it. If it’s a message, we’ll intercept it before The Association does.
The decoy plan has to come after the swap. Since The Association knows the delivery will go to Lana, all eyes will be on her. They may trail her. They may steal the package.
So, we give them a target. Lana will go with Ren to the Navy Pier crowds while Sofia tails them. Aleksei monitors the feeds. Sebastian stays with me to hide the package and disappear the evidence.
The doorbell rings. I’m halfway down the stairs before the others move.
Lana bolts up, eyes wide.
“Stay here,” I tell her.
Ren steps in front of her, gun at his side. Sebastian disappears down the hallway. Sofia’s nowhere to be seen—but knowing her, she’s nearby, ready to strike. Aleksei pulls on his LED mask, checks the feed, mouths Caruso, and slips away.
I flick off the safety of my gun and open the door.
Gabriel Caruso stands there in a perfectly tailored navy suit, holding a bouquet of pink peonies and a bottle of champagne like he’s auditioning for a dating show. Behind him, the Scheduler hovers. He adjusts his horn-rimmed glasses and narrows his eyes at me.
“What are you doing here?” My hand drifts to my waist.
Gabriel’s gaze flickers to the motion. Then he grins, charming and lethal all at once.
“Not very polite, Elias. It’s a special day for your wife, isn’t it?” He raises his gifts. “Thought we’d drop by and extend our…warmest wishes.”
“Warm wishes from the Carusos? We’re honored.” My tone is flat.
“Invite us in, won’t you?”
I pause, measuring him. The Carusos are calm and low profile. They won’t risk a massacre in broad daylight. But it’s odd they’re visiting today, of all days.
He lifts his hands in mock surrender. “Friend, not foe. And you’ll want to hear what I have to say.”
“Perhaps we shouldn’t be too nice to him,” the Scheduler mutters.
“Not your place, Dominic.” Gabriel’s voice carries a steel edge. The men shift on their feet, hostility threading the air.
“My place is with your father always,” Dominic says mildly, twirling an antique pen between his fingers.
Interesting.
“Fine. Come in.”
Once inside, Dominic closes the door. Gabriel tosses him his coat. The Scheduler catches it and dips his head.
He’s careful, deferential—too deferential—a man playing a part.
“Where’s your wife?” Gabriel asks as I lead them down the hall.
“None of your business.”
We settle into my office. The tension ratchets up, a powder keg waiting to explode.
I rest my hands on the desk. “If you have something to say, say it. My patience is short today.”
Gabriel smiles faintly and nods at Dominic. The Scheduler moves forward, lighting a cigar for him. Smoke curls between us.
“My father sends his regards,” Gabriel says. “And we have a problem. I’d like you to deal with it.”
“What problem?”
“The Berishas,” he replies. “Particularly Agron. Unstable oldest son. Too much bloodshed. Bad for business. And they’re greedy.” He swirls his hand. “Case in point. Why do you think they’re after the evidence?”
Ah. I flick my lighter, understanding dawning. An internal feud for power.
“How does this concern me?”
“You’re a dealer of secrets, Elias. When your wife receives her little delivery tonight, I want you to hand it to us, not them.”
I study him. “And if I don’t?”
His smile fades. “Then we find out who breaks first—you or her. Personally, I prefer to keep things civilized. I quite like Lana.”
My fingers curl around the lighter. It’s either that or strangle him.
Dominic steps forward, holding out a folder. “For you.”
Inside are surveillance photos. New York City. A familiar SUV with Illinois plates. The same one that tailed Lana a few months ago.
My stomach drops. “It was you?”
I thought it was the damn Berishas. Not knowing this info could’ve killed her. Unacceptable oversight.
Gabriel chuckles. “You always think too small. The Berishas were useful once. They have clubs, hotels, and land. Real estate comes in handy when you want to move things around the globe. But their time is ending. The Andersons have what they have, but better. But that damn family is stubborn as fuck.”
He leans forward, brow cocked. “They needed a good reason to join us. An inside force. You needed a little push to join The Association. I gave you that push. You’re smart enough to know which family is winning this war. Join ours, and your past crimes disappear.”
Check. Fucking. Mate.
If I didn’t hate him so much, I’d applaud. It’s not every day that I meet a worthy opponent.
His gaze grows cold. “Or find out what happens when you cross my family. Or better yet, what will happen to your wife.”
“Touch. Her. And. Die.” My jaw tics.
“A man like you should know better than to wear his heart on his sleeve.”
Dominic interrupts, “You’ll want to think about it, Mr. Kent. My employer’s offer doesn’t stay open long. Gabriel here,” he smirks, “is the nice one in the family. He’s offering you the best deal.”
“Shut up. Not your turn to speak,” Gabriel snaps. “You’re our public timekeeper. But this deal is between us and Kent.”
Dominic flinches, resentment flashing in his eyes. But the emotions snuff out when he bows and steps back.
Gabriel stands. “Dominic will give you my father’s number. He looks forward to our partnership.”
The Scheduler takes out his antique pen, scribbles on a slip of paper, then hands it to me.
I pocket the note and watch them leave.
The moment the door closes, the air decompresses.
They’re playing a different game, and I don’t know the rules yet. I really hate being in the dark.
The clock chimes eight. The house is silent as I sit in my chair, staring at the paper, pondering my next steps.
Suddenly, Lana bursts in, breathless, holding up her phone. “I got a message!”
“I’m on it.” Aleksei barrels in from the hall, already typing on his laptop.
I take the phone from her. An anonymous email.
For the birthday girl: your present is located at Safe Way Storage. Locker 35. Retrieve it within the hour.
Below it is a string of numbers—a code.
Aleksei frowns. “IP’s bouncing across multiple dark-web nodes. This person’s good. Probably spoofed credentials. Could take a while to trace.”
“What do we do?” Sofia asks from the doorway.
Sebastian sidles up behind her. “The decoy plan. Nothing changes. It’s the logical move.”
“But the Carusos,” Sofia says. “Won’t they follow us?”
“Let me worry about them.” I brush past Lana, kiss her, and whisper, “Stick to the plan. Stay safe.”
Sebastian and I peel out of the mansion, heading straight for the storage facility thirty minutes away. Whoever this messenger is knows us all too well. The package isn’t delivered to New York City but right at our doorstep.
Someone’s mapping our every move.
“We got this,” Sebastian murmurs, steering toward our destination.
Click. Click.
My fingers twirl the lighter. I flip it open. The flames burst in a staccato rhythm.
Lana and Ren should be en route to the Navy Pier now, with Sofia shadowing them. Large crowds should keep them safe.
Minutes later, Sebastian parks a block from the facility.
Safe Way Storage is dilapidated, with a lone fluorescent bulb flickering above the entrance.
It’s go time.
Our breaths flee in plumes of white as we pull on our masks in case there are cameras.
Locker 35 sits in a half-empty corridor. Shadows loom tall on the walls. The air reeks of cold metal and oil. We approach with guns drawn, cameras neutralized by Aleksei’s jammer.
“I’m on your six,” Sebastian says.
I punch in the code from the email and yank open the locker. An ordinary paper box sits inside.
Too ordinary.
Carefully, I scan it with another of Aleksei’s gadgets. No explosives, no red flags.
I tear off the lid.
Inside lies a single scrap of paper:
One step too late again, Kian. Better luck next time. This gift I’ll keep. Tell your wife happy birthday. If you want answers, meet me on parking level five, Structure B, Chicago Memorial. Ten p.m. tonight. No entourage. No funny business.
Fury tears through me. I crumple the note and slam my fist into the locker.
The package. The evidence. Our only leverage against The Association and the reason Lana is a bargaining chip instead of a loose end—it’s gone. Stolen right under our noses.
The phantom from the Benefaction.
“Fuck!”
My phone buzzes. The name flashing across the screen makes my blood freeze.
He never calls.
“Ren, what’s going on?”
Gunshots ring through the receiver. A woman shrieks.
Lana.
My heart stops. I’m already sprinting toward the exit.
“What the hell’s happening? Lana, is she okay?”
“Fuck. Decoy worked. Another SUV,” he rasps, his voice rough with disuse. “I just lost them. Be careful.”
He hangs up.
My mind runs through the long list of suspects, my blood freezing in my veins.
Anyone could be after her. Ren’s kept her safe both times. But what if our luck runs out?
Without the package, nothing’s tying their hands anymore. Nothing’s stopping The Association from hurting her.
What if I can’t protect her?