Chapter 26 #2
“At the beginning of January,” Ghost answers without hesitation. “It was a tip about weapons moving through the east dock. We checked it out as part of our standard procedure, but found nothing. Another came a week later, same source, different location. Again, nothing. But the third...”
“Was verified,” Rowan finishes. “Or seemed to be. Enough that we couldn’t ignore it.”
My stomach churns as the pattern emerges.
Someone had been laying groundwork for months, building credibility with small, verifiable details before introducing the larger manipulations.
The same technique intelligence agencies use to turn assets.
Give them enough truth to establish trust, then slip in the lies when it counts.
“We’ve been mapping the timeline,” Ghost continues, pulling out a sheet covered in dates and annotations.
“Every report, every tip, every ‘verified’ sighting. They all follow the same pattern of escalation, response, and counter-escalation. Never quite enough to trigger open conflict, but always pushing us closer to the edge.”
I scan the document, my heart sinking as I recognize key dates. The council meeting where my uncle first raised concerns about Blue Note.
“But you held back,” I say, the realization dawning. “You didn’t retaliate.”
Rowan’s lips quirk without humor. “Not from lack of interest. Half the crew wanted blood after the third report. But the reports didn’t add up.” He taps one of the dates. “The timing was too perfect. The intelligence too...convenient.”
“So you waited,” I say, rolling the information over in my mind.
“We did.” Rowan’s lips flatten into a thin line. “We don’t want a war with your family. So when we got a tip that they were sending in a spy...” He spreads his hands out. “We gave you opportunities to verify we weren’t a threat.”
I rear back. “You got a tip?” I glare up at Orien. “What happened to you being so good at recognizing me because of my gun callouses? You cheated.”
“We had a tip, not a picture of you,” he corrects. “I did not cheat.”
“If you weren’t already on the lookout, I would have been leading you around by your nose this whole time.”
“Don’t think it was his nose you were leading him by,” Ash deadpans.
“I didn’t expect it to be my mate sent to spy on me,” Orien rumbles in agreement. “It certainly made things more interesting.”
I reach up to smack him. “You were such an asshole!”
He catches my hand and brings it to his lips. “It was fun seeing how long you’d hold out.”
Rowan clears his throat, drawing our attention back to him. “So, how do you two expect the mating bond to fix this situation?”
The teasing warmth drains out of the room.
Orien’s thumb brushes over my knuckles, trying to ground me as dread twists tighter. “Honestly, I don’t think it fixes anything.”
Sympathy flickers in Ash’s eyes.
Rowan studies me for a long moment. “Good. Because if you walked in here expecting the bond to magically stop your family from reacting, I’d be questioning Orien’s decision.”
I drag a hand across my face. “The council won’t care about our bond. They’ll care that I compromised myself during the mission.”
“Your brother, too?” Ash asks.
The question lands harder than I expect, and I hesitate long enough for Rowan to pick up on it.
“My brother…” I swallow hard. “Alexei won’t like this, but there’s a chance he can use this to back down without appearing weak in front of the family.”
Rowan leans back in his chair and steeples his fingers. “Go on.”
“Bonding with Orien wasn’t supposed to fix things,” I say carefully. “But it changes the situation.”
Ash’s brow furrows. “How?”
I glance toward Orien before forcing myself to turn back to Rowan. “Because this isn’t some random affair anymore. I bear Orien’s permanent Mark. The distinction matters.”
Ash leans forward. “You think your family will respect the bond?”
“Not all of them,” I admit. “But Alexei will. Our father held such things sacred.”
The room goes quiet enough for the muted bass from the lounge to reach me.
“My brother needs stability,” I continue. “If I can speak to him alone and explain how this wasn’t coercion and show him the evidence that someone has been playing both sides…” I gesture toward the folders in Ghost’s hands. “He’ll listen.”
Ghost doesn’t appear convinced. “And the rest of your family?”
Cold dread slides beneath my ribs. “My Uncle Mikhail is the problem. The more I think about these reports, the more convinced I am that he wanted this situation to spiral.”
His attention sharpens. “Why?”
“Because every outcome benefits him.” I gesture toward the documents. “If Blue Note retaliates, Alexei appears weak for failing to control the territory conflict. If the family escalates into open war, Mikhail gets to position himself as the better leader.”
“Mikhail pushed hard for me to take this assignment. At the time, I thought…”
My throat closes around the words. I had long accepted never being good enough for a place at the family table, but this time I’ve spent with Orien and the Blue Note Crew has shown me how undervalued I truly was within the organization.
I try to pull my hand free from Orien’s grip, but he refuses to let me go. “What did you think, trouble?”
“Lie on your back and think of the family. That’s what my uncle said.”
Silence crashes through the office.
My laugh comes out thin. “But now I think I was supposed to come here to die.”
Orien turns to stone beside me.
Ash’s lips part. “What—”
“If you all received a tip that I was a spy, and you had dealt with me the way my family would have, by killing me inside Blue Note territory during rising tensions...” I shake my head. “My death would have handed Uncle Mikhail the kind of excuse he needed to wipe you out.”
“Jesus Christ,” Ash mutters.
A shadow passes over Ghost. “That’s one hell of a spark to throw into dry tinder.”
“Either way, I don’t think my uncle expected me to come back from this mission.” I square my shoulders and turn to Rowan. “But bonding with Orien changes the board.”
I force myself to sit straighter despite the ache in my body. “If Alexei views this as a political union instead of betrayal, there’s still a chance to stop this before it turns into a war.”
Ghost exchanges a look with Rowan.
Ash is the one who asks the question hanging over the room. “And if your uncle gets to Alexei first?”
Ice slides down my spine. If Mikhail gets in Alexei’s ear first, then my brother won’t be open to a political explanation. He’ll be preparing for war.
My pulse starts pounding hard enough to aggravate my fresh Marks as I pull my phone from my pocket and unlock it with suddenly clumsy fingers.
“I need to call him.”
Orien straightens beside me, while Rowan leans forward, his elbows on his knees.
I pull up Alexei’s contact, hit dial, and put it on speaker.
The call doesn’t even ring before an automated message cuts in.
“The number you are trying to reach is unavailable.”
A cold knot forms in my stomach.
“No.”
I try again.
“The number you are trying to reach is unavailable.”
“Your brother’s blocked you, trouble.”
The room goes deathly still around me.
Ash swears under his breath.
“He wouldn’t do that.” The denial feels fragile as I stare down at the screen. “Alexei wouldn’t block me.”
But as I say it, another realization slams into me, and bile rises in my throat. “I’m supposed to pick up the drugs tomorrow to plant in the Blue Note. If I miss the pickup without warning, the family will realize I’m no longer following the plan.”
Pity fills his eyes as he smooths a hand over my head. “Afraid it’s too late for that. If your brother’s blocked you, he’s already decided you’re compromised.”
My stomach drops. “We’re screwed.”