Page 27 of Monstrous Grave

In the blink of an eye, he vanishes, leaving me alone amidst the corpses of the guards and the macabre notes he undoubtedly left behind.

He fades away as if he was never here to begin with. But the echoes of his presence linger, leaving behind a metaphor of words crashing against my insides like the deadliest virus.

Chapter 11

Arcane

“How’s the mission going?” Mr. Valenti’s words cut through the tense atmosphere of the conference room, where I sit hidden in the shadows, eavesdropping on the meeting unfolding.

One I should be attending, yet one I didn’t even know was happening until I saw the Garcías enter the perimeters of our manor.

Since the Valentis are working with the Garcías, Antonio called a meeting between the two families to discuss important business matters. It’s the first-ever official meeting between them in a conference room, with everyone attending.

Everyone except me.

It infuriates me to my core, forcing me to clench my fists from the overwhelming emotions raging within me, or else I’d do something stupid like punch the locker I’m hiding inside. A plant right outside covers some of my view, but I only need to listen.

I didn’t think they’d discuss these matters, but of fucking course, the criminal families in this world don’t call in for meetings without reason. The skin breaks underneath my fingertips with the force with which the anger radiates through my body. It’s a smoldering one that brews underneath my calm exterior.

“It’s going great,” a darkened voice erupts in the room.

As usual, he hasn’t taken off his helmet, face obscured by it, and veils his identity from prying eyes. It makes me wonder if I’ll ever get to see the face behind the mask.

Why do I even care?

Mr. Valenti arches an eyebrow at Viper when he steps forward, obviously not believing him. Has Alec betrayed me? Divulged to his father that I’ve failed to cooperate with Viper on our missions?

The mere thought causes a heavy feeling to settle in my gut, its weight dragging me down as my muscles tense involuntarily. I feel like a helpless rabbit caught in a cage while waiting for any of the wolves to realize I’m here. Out in the world, I’m thriving, being the she-wolf, but I stand no chance against a room filled with two of the most dangerous criminal families in this town.

“Has it now?” Mr. Valenti voices his thoughts, a look of distrust in his eyes. “Because it has come to my attention by my associates that you and Ms. Grimaldi haven’t collaborated on these preparations.”

I grit my teeth until the muscles in my cheeks spasm from the pain at the mention of my former surname, causing hatred to erupt within me. He fucking gave me the Valenti name to protect me. I’ve been with them for the other half of my life, fighting my ass off to prove myself and my worth. Wasn’t that enough?

I close my eyes, steeling myself for the explosion to erupt when Viper reveals he hasn’t worked with me at all—mainly because I’ve been keeping him out of this. Do I regret it? Fuck no.

A strange stiffness momentarily grips Viper’s posture at the mention of the Grimaldi name, but it quickly dissipates, and he relaxes. He sighs, facing Mr. Valenti head-on, with the rest of the Garcías positioned behind him. The room bristles with tension with everyone on high alert, surrounded by security guards.

Seeing Viper here and not his father raises questions within me about a possible leadership shift, making me wonder what I missed regarding the García cartel.

“That person must have the wrong information because we’ve been working very closely.”

It’s not just his composed demeanor that gives away his nonchalance; it’s the unhurried shift of his weight from one foot to the other, as if lying to another mafia boss is nothing to be bothered about.

“Do you have any proof of this?” Mr. Valenti asks after one minute of thick silence.

“On June twenty-eight, at midnight, was the time for the congregation between the Grimaldis at the Ivanovas,” he reveals, voice unwavering, like a solid wall of confidence. “You wanted me as a business partner, and here’s my deal. Both families are working together, and the proof is in this hard drive. It contains written documented plans, complete with time stamps, discussing the forthcoming delivery scheduled in five days.”

He allows his words to hang heavy in the air as if we’ve all been sucked underneath a suffocating blanket. Mr. Valenti’s hand twitches, the only indication of his distress and a sign that this is the first time he’s heard about this. No one knew about the Ivanovas—another of the five ruling families in Penumbra Crest— conspiring with the Grimaldis, and no one knew they had moved up the date for the car to be delivered to their dock.

Viper holds up the drive, but right as Mr. Valenti tries to snatch it out of his hand, Viper throws it toward another male behind him. The resemblance between the other man and Viper’s father, Louis García, is uncanny, with the same shape of nose and eyes. They must be siblings.

“I’d like a personal meeting with Arcane to go over the information within this drive.”

My pulse beats harder at the way he pronounces my name, his voice so dark and masculine, with an alluring tone that could trap anyone.

“Speaking of which, why isn’t Arcane here?” He looks around the room, tilting his head as he stares at Mr. Valenti, who clenches his fist at the obvious disrespect.

“That’s none of your business. This is a meeting for us men,” he seethes through his teeth.

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