Chapter 26 Delay the Clock
The wind slaps across my face from where I stand in the shadows bordering the central courtyard.
Like a trap closing in.
I try not to think of the beautiful woman I left behind an hour ago, per Cornelius’s instructions.
“Destabilize her before our chat,” he had said.
When I saw the Triad soldiers being rough with her, I bit my tongue to stop myself from breaking every single one of their fingers, then their arms, then other body parts so they’d be crawling for the rest of their miserable lives.
But I tempered my murderous rage. The Si Shen they knew didn’t have emotions. Didn’t question orders. Anything showing otherwise would put her in danger.
And yet, Aria still recognized me. First as Reaper, then as Ren.
It tore at me not to answer her. Not to tell her that before we made love, I spent half the night feeling her chest lift and fall, memorizing the weight of her in my arms. That it was fucking hard to leave her bedside when she had tears in her eyes.
That I wished, more than anything, I could be the first face she saw in the morning.
A few Triad soldiers drift by, led by Jasper, who glares at me as they pass.
Ignoring them, I survey the groups in their tight clusters—The Council gathering in their own cliques, their furtive whispers disguised by fake smiles and even faker laughter.
If I handed them weapons right now, they’d hack each other to death.
A new shadow falls across the ground, followed by familiar lighter clicks.
“We’re on,” Elias says. “Remember. Three pulses.”
Three quick calls, each one cut short. Our emergency signal if things go sideways.
Elias slips a small object into my hand, then brushes past me.
Fisting it, I don’t acknowledge him as he joins Lana, who’s standing with the unmistakable group of stark pale-blond women and dark-haired men by the orchestra.
The Carusos—the reigning family of The Council and notorious for their privacy.
A striking man whispers into Lana’s ear, and the spitfire says something back that causes him to laugh loudly.
Gabriel Caruso, the heir to the Caruso empire and the future leader of The Council, is another sneaky bastard.
Clearly, Elias has the same thoughts because he tugs Lana against him and mutters sentiments that are no doubt hostile.
Emerging from the crowd, a dark-haired man with horn-rimmed glasses strides up to the makeshift podium and strikes the gong.
Silence settles.
“Welcome to the Benefaction,” announces the Scheduler, the official timekeeper and master of ceremonies. “As we prepare for another year of partnership, let us remember the accord we made when we joined The Association.”
Uncomfortable whispers ripple over the reflecting pool. The Alvarezes—the leaders of the cartels—smile at each other, teeth blazing white. The Ivanovs toss back alcohol—no doubt vodka shots.
“We live for The Association. To control the world with our pooled resources and influence. We shape the future,” the Scheduler continues.
“We are the future. And should anyone threaten the vision of the organization,” he nods to the Carusos and warns, “a threat against the collective is a threat to us all.”
The murmurings pick up in volume. The Alvarezes stop smiling, and the Irish, the O’Callaghans, shove their women to the back.
Ignoring the unrest, the Scheduler’s lips twist into a sickening smile.
“I’m pleased to announce that under the Carusos’ leadership, the last of the Berishas—a young woman and her child—have been eliminated earlier today.
The bloodline is terminated. A successful extirpation.
And a reminder: The Association is an organization we join, but never leave. ”
Waiters materialize from the shadows, offering champagne to the crowd. A flute is thrust at my face and I take it, knuckles white against the glass stem.
The Scheduler takes out a pocket watch, glances at it, and raises his drink. “The Benefaction begins now. And Cornelius Kong will have a special announcement to make at the end of the evening.”
Announcement.
My heart thumps a rickety beat.
Cornelius is going to turn on Aria’s bounty tonight. Make a show of it and watch the bloodthirsty leeches fight over her.
A new melody from the orchestra rises in the air, and muted conversations resume, but the atmosphere is decidedly colder.
My gaze catches Sebastian, who’s faking another one of his smiles with his O’Callaghan cousins. His glacial eyes narrow, and he nods.
He did his part and gave Elias the info, which is on the flash drive in my palm.
Plan A is simple.
Sebastian and Elias will load the drive with every dirty Kong secret they can find. If Sofia’s elaborate scheme doesn’t pan out, I’ll use this flash drive to buy Aria more time with the bounty while we work on a plan to extricate Celia.
Sebastian’s index finger curves up at his side, his thumb tucked into his loose fist.
The letter Q for queen.
Sofia’s on the move, and in half an hour, the siheyuan will descend into chaos.
Cornelius, the slimy bastard, stands on the podium and waves at the crowd. Every muscle inside me locks tight.
Where’s Aria?
I told myself to trust Elias, that Cornelius wouldn’t harm her if he still wanted something from her. But with the man here by himself, their conversation must’ve ended.
So where is she?
Readjusting my half-balaclava mask, I slip away and pull up the tracker app on my phone. Two dots appear on the screen: Celia and Aria. I tagged Aria before I left her in the courtyard for Sir Tao to escort her to Cornelius. I frown when I see the blue dot and the red dot converging.
They’re together.
Fuck.
Quickly, I head toward the Soul Court, wondering if my cover is already blown, if Celia told the woman I care too much about exactly who I am.
It doesn’t matter, Ren. If Plan A fails, she’ll find out later tonight when Cornelius parades her in front of the crowd.
I punch in the code to the secluded courtyard, my fingers trembling.
Plan B will happen before I let Cornelius showcase Aria like livestock at an auction.
With my thoughts spinning, I yank open the door to the dim orangery, the fragrant smell of fresh blossoms hitting me.
It’s empty.
I pivot and head to the only other location I can think of—Celia’s second favorite place here, the rooftop of this building—not knowing what I’ll do once I get there.
An assassin with no plan. That’s a first.
Soft conversation filters through the cracked-open roof access door.
“Is…is your brother Ren?” Aria’s unmistakable voice stops me in my tracks.
“You’re her,” Celia exclaims. “You’re the one he’s talking about.”
Permafrost forms behind my rib cage as a heavy silence falls.
Too late. Karma’s caught up to me.
“You…you okay?” Celia asks, her voice sounding concerned.
Slowly, with nowhere to hide, I step onto the roof, and the curtain is pulled back in this sick, twisted play.
Memories pound through my skull.
Ren and his strange access to the hospital at all hours. The cops seemingly wary of him. His brutal efficiency when he protected Lana a year ago—clearly someone lethal and trained. How he tried to get out of the bodyguard detail when my apartment got ransacked.
I feel stupid. Betrayed.
Celia shakes my arm. “You…you okay?”
“Wh-what?” The word leaves my mouth, but I don’t remember my lips moving.
My gaze roves over her elfin features—familiar dark eyes, the straight nose, the same lush dark hair.
Ren’s with them. With the Triads and The Association. With the bastards stalking me, terrorizing my life for the last few months.
A creak slices through the air.
Every atom in me stops vibrating.
“Ren!” Celia rushes from my side.
I stand, slowly dragging my gaze across the ground—past the planters and pots, past the bags of fertilizer stacked in the corner—until I spot a pair of gleaming dress shoes.
Long, muscular legs clad in dress pants. A chest straining behind his tux. The familiar jawline hidden behind a black half mask. Those intense brown eyes.
He’s breathtaking.
But they say the devil is good-looking.
I step toward him, my body on autopilot before my mind catches up.
He’s with them. He’s the enemy.
This was all a game to him.
Celia’s gaze ping-pongs between us, her mouth parting in an O. “Uh…looks like you guys need to chat. I’ll see you later. Hope you visit again.”
She gives her brother a peck on the cheek and waves at me before disappearing into the stairwell.
The door bangs shut behind her, the harsh sound a gunshot slicing through a dark forest.
“You’re one of them,” I whisper, my blood running cold. “What’s all this? A game to get close to me to find the damn key I don’t have?”
The wind kicks up, sending my hair in front of my eyes, thankfully masking the moisture pooling there.
“Do the others know? Am I the only one in the dark?”
My mind is spinning. Nothing makes sense. But then again, has anything ever made sense?
I hate myself for trembling. “You made me trust you, feel safe around you. You told me about your sister a-and made me feel sorry for you.”
Ren’s motionless, his hands fisted at his sides.
But those eyes, they’re filled with anguish and what I now realize has been one thing all along.
Guilt.
“Were you the one who tore up my apartment? Or were you just there with them afterward, stepping on Blake’s stuff like it was meaningless?
” My voice is louder now, a spark finally catching on the kindling.
“Did you then come back to ‘help’ but really to laugh behind my back and admire what they did?”
Ren shakes his head, his lips parting.
I hold up my hand. “The alley. The Triads.” A laugh rips out of me. “Oh my God. You appearing at the movies when I’d never seen you there before. It was all a setup to get me to trust you. Fuck, I’m so stupid!”
A growl rips out of him, and in a few quick strides, he reaches me and pulls me into his arms.
I scream, my fists pummeling his back, but he doesn’t budge.
He just holds me tight, like I’m everything he needs in this world, and he takes my punches like they’re made of air.
I hate how safe, even now, he still makes me feel.