Page 114 of When Kings Fall

“Keep me posted.”

“Will do.”

I disconnected, then looked out at my dad. “The team is ahead of schedule.”

He smiled. “Be careful, Levi.”

“Always,” I said, winking.

“He means always starting now,” Brianna clarified to reassure my dad.

“Exactly.” I ushered Brianna into the elevator.

My dad gave me a nod, and then I punched in the button for the penthouse, the doors closing in the next moment.

“Shit. Shit. Shit,” Kyle was murmuring.

“Keep it together,” I said, pulling another blade to go with my other and readying both, while Brianna spun the knife I’d gifted her around down by her side.

“Just play your part and you’ll be fine,” she told him, the spinning growing faster and wilder.

I nudged her with my shoulder. “Hey, you okay?”

“Fine, yeah. Just gearing up.”

“Brianna,” I pushed.

“Just worried how I may react to seeing the psycho again for the first time in six years since the time in that hellscape.”

“I know. I feel some of that too. Try to keep your focus on the mission and the fact that he’ll be gone soon, that it’ll finally be done.”

“You weren’t weak,” Kyle spoke suddenly.

“What?” Brianna questioned.

“You were both kids when Malcolm hurt you and traumatized you, but look at you both. You’re strong, independent, successful. You’re powerful. You don’t need to fear coming face to face with him, or even feel anxious about it, he needs to fear you both. Just so you know, he’s done similar things to others before—just his actual enemies, not the children of them like he did with you—and they were broken. Grown adults.” He smiled sadly. “There’s no place for shame here. You two are something else. Strong, resilient as hell, and fighters to the core. Now, let’s go get your lethal justice, shall we?”

Brianna and I stared at him in stunned silence.

Definitely hadn’t expected that.

I saw a little smile grace her lips and she gave him a chin lift.

“All right,” I said. “It’s appreciated.”

It was as much as I could muster. He might be repentant and all that shit now, but he’d still been there back then.

The elevator was just a couple of floors out, so Brianna and I took position, our backs flat against either side of the door to remain out of sight when it first opened.

I’d discovered that Lynch’s protocol when somebody entered the penthouse was to have four guards flanking the elevator. We couldn’t risk them shoving us back in, or that welcoming committee descending on us in such a tight space and jeopardizing our mission to get access to Lynch directly.

The elevator dinged just as Kyle sucked in a breath and wiped his sweaty palms on his suit pants.

The door whooshed open and Kyle fed us intel, uttering aloud in a casual tone, “Quite the welcoming committee. Four of you. Where’s the big boss at?”

“Living room. Come on through,” one of the guys answered.

Kyle walked on out and I listened carefully as their footsteps disappeared down the corridor. I slapped my hand to the elevator door so it didn’t close, and when I’d determined they were far enough away, I inched out and shot a look the way they’d come.

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