Page 32 of Pike’s Redemption

Ronnie shrugged, trying to appear indifferent, but I could tell she was rattled. “The stuff at my door didn’t seem like a big deal. Just weird things... until tonight. “Then, when Pike talked about his brother and this Victor guy. It was all coming together. I was just trying to figure some things out. Look for some clearer evidence before I came to you guys,” she said sheepishly.

“Ronnie,” Dimitri’s voice was a low warning, and she flinched slightly. “For fuck sake. You should have reported this immediately. We’re not playing around here.”

“That’s enough.” I stepped forward towards Ronnie, who had shrunk under his scolding.

“I know, I know,” she muttered, looking away.

Pike ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. “We can’t afford to underestimate this. Whoever this is was trying to send a message.”

Dimitri nodded in agreement, his expression hardening. “We need to find out who’s behind this and why. Pike, we’ll all work together on this. No one slips through the cracks.”

“Agreed.” Pike’s voice was steely, and I could see the determination in his eyes. He wasn’t going to let this go unanswered.

As plans were discussed and orders were given, I felt the weight of the situation settling in. This wasn’t just a random act of vandalism; it was something more sinister, something targeted.

Pike turned back to me, his expression softening once more. “You’re not staying alone here tonight.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he shook his head. “No arguments, Nat. You can either come with me, or I’ll stay here.”

I sighed, knowing he was right. The sense of safety I once felt in this house was gone, replaced by an uneasy tension that I couldn’t ignore. “Okay.”

Pike nodded, satisfied with my answer. “Good.”

As we headed toward the stairs, I glanced back at Ronnie, who was now engrossed in her laptop. Luca was standing close by, his protective gaze never leaving her. Dimitri hovered over his computer, probably attempting to secure the network. If the security system hadn’t triggered a warning that there was an intruder, then that was bad, right? There was more to this story, more Ronnie wasn’t telling us, but that would have to wait.

For now, I would enjoy the fact that Pike was here in my house. I wanted someone to hold me and tell me it’d be alright. Ideally, I’d have him take me away from here, but I couldn’t just leave my sister to deal with this shit.

CHAPTER

FOURTEEN

PIKE

The room was dark, save for the soft light of the moon filtering through the curtains. Natasha was sound asleep, her breathing steady, the tension from earlier seemingly drained away. I leaned over, brushing some stray strands of hair from her face. She stirred slightly but didn’t wake, just curling onto her side, drawing the sheet with her.

For a moment, I just watched her, the rise and fall of her chest a reminder of what was at stake. She was safe now, but this thing, whatever the hell it was, was far from over. I couldn't afford to let my guard down, and I needed to take her safety more seriously. I’d thought that the Bratva guards that Maxim had hired would take care of that, but either they are incompetent fucks, or this Victor person is just that good. Either way, she was mine to care for, which made a difference.

With one last glance, I slipped out of the bed, pulling the covers up around her shoulders before quietly leaving the room. The hallway was silent, and the house settled into a false sense of peace. But I knew better. Nowhere was truly ever safe. I’d learned that lesson early on.

I moved through the house with practiced ease, and my mind was already working through the next steps. Dimitri would be waiting for me, likely still reviewing the security footage and planning our next move. We couldn’t let this slide; the stakes were too high.

As I reached the study, the door was already ajar. Maddox and Dimitri were seated side-by-side at the large desk, Dimitri’s laptop open in front of them, a small cluster of screens to one side displaying various feeds from the security cameras. I had to take a moment to appreciate my friends and ignored the slight pang in my chest. Fuck — I had friends. Who would have imagined that I would be here? A woman and friends. Jesus. They should be in their own homes with their women, but they had come to help me. I wasn’t sure I deserved them, but I’d take their help.

Dimitri didn’t look up as I entered, his focus laser-sharp on whatever he was reviewing. Maddox looked up with a smile, his hand rustling into a bag of chips as he mowed through the Ruffles he’d stolen from the girls’ kitchen.

“You get her settled?” Dimitri asked without preamble, his eyes still on the screen.

“Yeah,” I replied, crossing the room to stand beside him. “She wanted to stay.”

Dimitri finally looked up, his gaze hard. “She’s stubborn.”

“Tell me about it.” I ran a hand through my hair, the frustration I’d been holding back starting to leak through. “What did you find?”

Dimitri clicked through a few screens, pulling up a particular section of footage. “Whoever it was, they knew what they were doing. The cameras caught some movement, but nothing was clear. Shadows mostly, staying just out of sight. But there was a breach—here.” He pointed to a corner of the screen, where a faint distortion flickered. “They hacked the system, just for a few seconds, long enough to slip past the perimeter.”

“Can you fix it?”

“Already done.” Dimitri’s voice was matter-of-fact. “I’ve upgraded the system and added extra layers of security. Whoever they are, they won’t get in that way again.”

I nodded, relieved but still on edge. “What about the grounds?” I’d been itching to get out there and look for myself, but guarding the house needed to be my first job.

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