19. Aeris
Aeris
I sat with my back rigidly straight, legs tightly crossed because Caden had ruined my underwear. I hadn’t had much choice, not with Renley watching. But, in all honesty, as soon as Caden touched me, I’d forgotten he was even there.
I’d been forced to fuck and pleasure countless men on command before. Cold, mechanical encounters that left me feeling nothing but emptiness and shame. I’d never enjoyed any of it. Never once.
In fact, the only orgasms I’d ever had were the ones I gave myself.
And look at me now, I thought, trying to disguise the tremble in my legs while sitting in front of three notoriously dangerous men. All after Caden had just forced an orgasm out of me so intense it made me see stars.
Great.
My body was still buzzing with aftershocks, my mind racing to try and take advantage of the situation. This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to go. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t still make it work.
I had to make it work.
“Your father’s lucky,” I said, keeping my tone light as I stared at Caden. “I usually kill them.”
Caden revealed no emotions other than a slight darkening of his eyes. He leaned against the wall on the right, with Langdon on the left, and the leader himself, Sebastian Devereaux, in the centre behind his desk.
I hadn’t exactly been thrilled to be shoved into a car and taken to Thorns, where I hoped I could talk myself out of a somewhat painful death, but there I was.
“Look at me, not at him,” Sebastian demanded, his tone an aggressive growl. He wore his mask, the half skull a matte black that seemed to absorb the surrounding light that matched both Langdon and Caden.
“This must be serious,” I joked, pretending my heart wasn’t trying to escape my ribs.
I was met with silence, nothing but the click-snap-click of Langdon’s lighter and the continuous ticking from Caden’s watch. After a moment, Langdon pocketed his lighter, only for his hands to sign at a speed that blurred. Caden didn’t even look at him, his cold eyes entirely on me.
“You wanted an audience,” Sebastian continued, his long, dark hair swept over his shoulder. He looked powerful sitting there, his closest men flanking each side.
“I needed your attention.”
“Was that why you sold the Peckham Crowns our information?”
“Nothing was sold,” I said, feeling Caden’s eyes prickle against my skin. “I gave the information freely.”
Langdon’s hands blurred again, movements sharper and more agitated this time.
I have to do this carefully, say the right thing at the right time, or risk everything.
My sisters.
My nephews.
My freedom.
“Why?” Sebastian asked.
“Because I was told to.”
The air in the room thinned, all three men looking at each other before Sebastian eased back in his chair, his eyes narrowing on me. “Who told you to fuck with our operation?”
“I can’t be spilling all my secrets now, can I?” I met his gaze. “I want something in return.”
“What about my father?” Caden asked, his voice so cold it felt like frostbite across my skin. “Why did you have him arrested?”
I turned my head fully to face him, my back straight and my tone calm. “I like to hold people accountable. It’s just convenient that my revenge fits into the bigger picture.”
Caden’s brows pulled together, but, before he could comment, Sebastian growled, “What the fuck do you want, Aeris?”
“Protection.”
Langdon let out a sound like a snort.
“Don’t you have an entire spy network at your disposal?” Caden asked, his voice low and cutting. “Like the blond you were getting a little too comfortable with at Hex?”
I froze in my chair, blood turning to ice in my veins.
Shit.
I swallowed hard, forcing my expression to remain neutral even as blood roared in my ears.
“I need those that work at Atlantis protected,” I said calmly, trying to conceal how unsettled I was.
“As well as my sisters, my nephews … and Fletcher,” I added at the last minute.
“It needs to be subtle. Anything obvious and my handler will notice. I can’t risk that. ”
Caden seemed to stiffen, so subtle I only caught it because I was so attuned to his reactions. “Handler?”
Sebastian’s head cocked to the side, and, in that instant, I understood why he was feared so much.
It wasn’t his size or the scars that slashed across his face like he’d fought some great mythological creature—it was his presence.
Like that of a great titan, his power and influence seemed not learned, but ingrained.
“What’s stopping us from killing you right here, right now? ”
I drew in a slow, steady breath and met their eyes one by one.
“We all know that if I don’t walk out of here unharmed, every scrap of information I’ve gathered on you will be automatically sent to multiple agencies worldwide, including your competitors.
Enough to send you all to prison for life, and that’s if you’re lucky. ”
I let the silence stretch for a beat, watching the weight of my words settle over the room.
“Put that protection in place, and I’ll help you bring down the woman behind your recent bad luck. Selene Blackwater.”
“The Blackwaters have no power,” Caden said, crossing his arms. “Not since their patriarch croaked in prison.”
I drummed my fingers against my knee, trying to contain the restless energy building inside me.
“Selene’s been working in the background for over a decade, creating a shadow network within the city’s organisations.
She has plants amongst the Russians, Irish, Hunts, Arifs, as well as others.
Not to mention all the compromising information she’s gathered through me. ”
“But she hasn’t infiltrated us,” Sebastian said, a statement more than a question.
I took my time replying. “No, which is why I’m here.”
“So you’re a spy,” Caden added. “This is a double cross.”
I ignored him, instead keeping my attention on Sebastian. “Without me, she will destroy you. She has the influence and the ability. She’s already given away your routes to disrupt your distribution, and she’s even hired people to try and hurt your wife.”
Sebastian’s expression darkened.
“She won’t stop until she takes back what she thinks she’s owed.”
“And what exactly does she think she’s owed?” he all but growled.
“Entitlement,” I said quietly. “For the empire her father left behind … and the power she couldn’t hold onto. Taking you down would gain her the respect needed to be an authority amongst the Underworld.”
“And you’re conveniently here to help us.” Sebastian’s nostrils flared, his seat screeching beneath his weight. “How can we trust you?”
I crossed my leg over my knee, my stomach twisting.
“You can’t. But you don’t have a choice.
” Resisting the urge to nibble my bottom lip, I sat straighter in the hard chair.
“We have to play this smart, trick her into believing she has the upper hand until you’re confident you’ve wiped out everything she has against you.
If you kill her too early, everything will be released and you’ll be picked apart by every vulture across the continent looking to make a name for themselves. ”
“We’ve always been a target,” Sebastian said flatly. “That’s nothing new.”
“This is different,” I stressed. “Killing her now will create a war you cannot win. She’s had years, decades even, to plan this. And if her first move fails, she already has another, more aggressive plan in place.”
“What do you suggest?”
I lifted my chin, meeting his gaze without flinching, even as my pulse hammered against my throat. “I’ll give you every known location she uses. Safe houses, warehouses, and known associates. You can burn the physical evidence to the ground.”
“And the digital trails?”
I swallowed. “I can hand you everything I know and have access to. The rest … that’s on you to hunt down and destroy.”
Langdon whistled, the two other men staring over as he signed frantically. After a moment he drew his gun, and my stomach twisted.
“Wait!” I held up my hand, as if that could stop a bullet. “There’s going to be a delivery at the docks, a case of ghost weapons that will accidentally be stored amongst your cocaine,” I said as he pointed it at me.
“Not our problem,” Sebastian said calmly as Langdon took a step closer.
“Sasha Antonov’s going to track it to you, and I don’t think the Bratva’s Pakhan will take kindly to you stealing from him.”
“Bullshit,” Caden grunted. “No way you pulled that off.”
I smiled, hoping it didn’t look strained. “If you don’t believe me, call the docks.”
Sebastian’s fists clenched on his desk, bringing out the scars along his fists. After a moment he nodded to Caden, who took out his phone.
“Cade, my man, I was just about to call you,” a masculine voice chuckled from the receiver. “There’s been a bit of a fuck up, and I’m just hoping it was an accident and you’re not trying to start a war on my fucking territory.”
“What fuck up?” Caden asked, glaring at me as background shouting echoed through the phone.
“Just get here before Sasha feels inclined to ruin my face.”