Page 15 of Shattered Empire (Shattered World)

“Was it her college tuition bill paid with drug money?” I sneered, not caring even one iota about the sister who’d betrayed me. “Because I couldn’t care less.”

“No,” Mark snapped. My gaze snapped up to meet his. His light eyes were swirling with barely contained irritation. They bored into mine, frigid and cold. “It told me she’d been sold.”

That was news to me.

“Impossible.” My lip turned up in disgust. “Libby talked to Kenzi almost daily.”

“For how long?” Vas turned to me. Not him, too. He couldn’t possibly be thinking that Elias had sold her. Shooting and then blowing up my husband, then taunting me about it didn’t exactly screamcaptive.

“I don’t know.” I threw up my hands, exasperated. “Five or so minutes. Libby always said she sounded rushed. Said she was busy.”

“And you never found that odd?” Maxim butted in. Fucker was against me, too. “Twin sisters who were hardly ever separated, always had time for each other no matter what, and suddenly one of them can’t find the time? That doesn’t sound odd to you?”

Of course it did. I wasn’t an idiot, but I had chalked it up to Kenzi finally being free. Without Elias or Christian to dictate her every move, she’d found a chance at having a real life, and I wouldn’t have blamed her for not wanting to be dragged into it again.

“If Eliassoldher”—the sarcastic air quotes I put around that word should win an Oscar—“then how did she end up becoming the next American Sniper? Did he send her to assassin school?”

They all exchanged a look I didn’t like. It was the kind of look that meant they were holding something back. They knew something about Kenzi, and that pissed me the hell off.

“Someone start telling me what the fuck is going on, or so help me god, I will empty every single bottle of alcohol here and in the penthouse.”

Threatening to lop their heads off wouldn’t have gotten them talking as fast as they were about to. They knew me too well. I didn’t believe in the threat of death or dismemberment as proper motivation, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t make their lives miserable, and they knew it.

“Elias made a note in one file under Kenzi’s name,” Mark blurted out, breaking the stagnant surprise of my sudden threat. “I found the file under her social security number.”

“Okay…” Talk about drawing out the punch line.

“Did you ever hear Elias talk about something called the Chameleon Agency?” Nikolai asked from his seat two chairs down. He was dressed casually tonight in a pair of black jeans and a fitted black tee. Then again, it was normally Leon who dressed to the nines, even for something as simple as movie night.

Elias had never mentioned that name. Not in front of me, at least. Who would want to? That name was horrible.

Shaking my head, I waited for him to elaborate.

“From what we’ve been able to gather, the Chameleon Agency is responsible for more than seventy-five percent of trafficked humans in the US and ten percent worldwide.”

Jesus, that was a startling amount.

“We think that, until recently, they’ve been slinking in the shadows.” Maksim leaned forward on his elbows. “Slowly building their empire underground. Most likely, their operation is dissected into multiple parts so that if one sector goes down, it doesn’t affect the entire operation.”

“Like terrorist cells.” That made sense. Many terrorist cells operated on a similar premise so that one cell couldn’t corrupt another. Most terrorist cells had an overseer. One person or a group of people who knew each and every operation. They were the only ones to know the final plans. It was easier to sacrifice pawns that way.

“Exactly like a terrorist cell.” Vas smiled approvingly. “We think each cell has their own agenda. One cell might be tasked with retrieving the cargo. Another cell might be tasked with selling at auction, etc.”

That was both disturbing and disgusting.

“What does this have to do with Kenzi?” It took everything in me to say her name without sounding like a complete bitch.

Vas licked his lips nervously and took a deep, calming breath before speaking. “We believe Elias sold Kenzi to the Chameleon Agency, who then sold her to another operation that buys and trains women and men and even children to assimilate and assassinate.”

What kind of bullshit was this? It was so far-fetched that I could almost believe it.

“This isn’t a fucking Natasha Romanoff movie, Vas.” My voice pitched higher, and I pushed back my chair as I stood. “That is some Red Room bullshit.”

Mark snorted. “Funny, that’s what”—Vas shot him a nasty glare, and Mark coughed uncomfortably—“that’s what I said when I found out.”

“How else do you explain her sniper skills?” Vas pressed, his gaze settling back on me. What the fuck? Was there something they were keeping from me? More fucking secrets. This was ludicrous. Did they honestly believe that my sister wasLa Femme NikitaorKill Bill? Kenzi barely stood up for herself, and violence made her sick. “Knowing how to blow up the ambulance? Get past what you knew about her. You haven’t seen her in three years, Ava. That is a lot of time for someone to change.”

Three years.

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