20. Raphael
Raphael
I pace the length of my office, frustration and indecision warring in my gut. The plush carpet does little to muffle the heavy tread of my steps, the only sound in the tense silence.
Leo lounges on the couch, his long legs stretched out before him, but there’s nothing relaxed about his posture. His jaw is tight, his eyes troubled as they follow my agitated movements.
Al stands by the window, his gaze fixed on some distant point, his shoulders rigid beneath the crisp lines of his suit. He’s been quiet since we convened this little meeting, but I can practically hear the gears turning in his head.
“We have to do something.” My voice is rough, taut with barely leashed anger. “We can’t just let that bastard get away with this.”
Leo sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I agree, Raph. But hacking into private records? That’s a serious crime. If we get caught—”
“We won’t get caught,” I cut in, spinning to face him. “My investigator knows a guy, one of the best hackers in the business. He can get in and out without leaving a trace.”
Al turns from the window, his green eyes inscrutable. “And what exactly are we hoping to find?”
“My investigator has a lead. An inside source says there are buried audit reports…” A grim smile tugs at my lips. “Reports that show unauthorized transfers from the trust to Damian’s accounts.”
Leo whistles low. “Damn. That’s big.”
“It’s exactly what we need to put that son of a bitch away for good,” I agree, excitement thrumming through my veins at the thought. “With that kind of evidence, Lily will finally be rid of him.”
Her name drops like a stone in still water, reminding us what’s at stake. What we could lose if this goes sideways.
“Before we act, we need to tell her.” Leo’s voice is quiet but firm, his gaze locking with mine. “She deserves to know what we’re planning.”
I rake fingers through my hair, conflict twisting in my chest. He’s right. Of course he’s right. Lily’s been kept in the dark by controlling Alphas for too long.
“No.” Al’s voice cuts through the room like a blade. “We can’t tell her.”
Leo’s head snaps up as my scent spikes with anger. “What the hell, Al? This is her life we’re talking about.”
“Exactly. Al holds our gazes, unwavering.”Every time she moves forward, Damian yanks her back. He’s the one standing in the way of her healing. We have a chance to end this quietly. Do you really want to drag her back into this mess, right after someone tried to kidnap her?”
I open my mouth to argue, but he holds up a hand, cutting me off.
“I’m not saying we never tell her,” Al continues. “I’m saying we handle this quietly. Keep her focused on getting better while we deal with him. When it’s done and he can’t hurt her anymore, then we tell her everything.”
Leo shifts uncomfortably, his brow furrowed. “I don’t know, Al . It feels wrong to keep her in the dark. She trusts us.”
Al’s expression softens, empathy shining in his eyes. “I know. But we swore we’d protect her. Remember?”
He turns to me, his gaze imploring. “Raph, you know how fragile she is right now. Do you think it’s fair to burden her with this?”
I want to argue, but his words hit home.
We barely got Lily to calm down tonight. By some miracle, we even managed to make her smile. Can I really rip that away from her? Plunge her back into this nightmare after she was almost kidnapped?
My shoulders slump, the fight draining out of me. “No,” I admit. “It’s not fair.”
Al nods, a mix of relief and regret flickering across his face. “I don’t like it either, Raph. But we have to do what’s best for her.”
I turn to Leo, seeing the same reluctant acceptance in his eyes.
“But,” Leo interjects, “if anything goes sideways, we tell her everything. Agreed?”
I nod, praying that when the time comes, we’ll only have good news to share.
Al nods and claps his hands, the sharp sound cutting through the tense silence. “Then it’s settled. Raph, get your investigator on this. Tell him to work with the hacker. In the meantime, we keep Lily happy. Like she deserves.”
As I dial the number, I feel a flutter of anxiety in my stomach. I can’t shake the feeling that we might be making a mistake.
***
NOW
I watch the color drain from Lily’s face, her eyes wide and frightened. My heart shatters. This is exactly what I wanted to protect her from.
“Lily, breathe. It’s going to be okay.” I reach for her, but she flinches back, her scent sharp with betrayal.
“Okay? How can it be okay?” Her voice rises, trembling between anger and confusion. “What the hell was that, Raph? What investigation was he talking about?”
I close my eyes, my cheeks flooding red with shame. This is the moment I’ve dreaded.
“We hired a hacker,” I admit, each word like glass in my throat. “To get into the McCoy Trust’s records.”
Betrayal floods her scent as her eyes go wide. “You… what? Why would you do that?”
“To find evidence against Damian.” Desperation threads through my voice as I step closer.
“I hired an investigator the moment I learned someone had hacked your file. That first night after we—” I pause, exhaling sharply before pressing on.
“He found out there are illegal transfers happening—internal audit reports showing money moving from the Trust to Damian’s accounts.
We just need those documents to prove it, to put him away for good. So he can never touch you again.”
I sigh, my chest tight. “We did it to protect you.”
She gapes at me, her lips parting, then pressing shut, like the words keep slipping through her grasp. Then, suddenly, a bitter laugh bursts free.
“Protect me? By going behind my back? By putting everything at risk?” Her voice trembles. “Damian is coming for you—for the Haven—because of me.”
Tears spill down her cheeks, and every single instinct in me howls to comfort her. I reach out, desperate to wipe them away, but she jerks back.
“Don’t.”
That single word cuts deeper than a knife.
I swallow hard. “We were trying to protect you,” I insist, but the words sound weak even to me. “This isn’t your fault. None of it is. We just wanted to keep you safe.”
“Keep me safe?” Disbelief etches every line of her face. “You lied to me, Raph. You all did. I thought… I thought we were a team. That we faced everything together.”
Each word hooks under my skin like barbs. She’s right, we should have told her. Now, watching mistrust cloud her usually sweet eyes, I see how badly we fucked up.
“Lily, please. Let me explain—”
But she’s already turning away, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. “I can’t. I can’t do this right now.”
Panic seizes me as she walks away. I lunge forward, catching her wrist. “Wait! Just… just let me—”
She whirls on me, her eyes flashing red. “Let you what, Raph? Lie to me more? Make promises you can’t keep?” She tears free from my grip. “Damian always wins. You can’t beat him. No one can.”
And then she’s gone, vanishing down the hall.
I’m standing there, my hand outstretched, grasping at nothing. The defeat in her voice lingers, heavier than any blow.
“Fuck!” I slam my fist into the wall, welcoming the burst of pain.
I should go after her, make her understand. But the look in her eyes…
She’s not ready to listen.
And I’m terrified that by the time she is…
It’ll be too late.