Page 50 of Seeds of Sorrow

Moving over slightly, Peyton pulled Hadina back into the desk so she could see the screen clearly. Peyton had zoomed in on footage from four different cameras, watching them on a loop. She pointed to the top right corner on each window, marking the time and date stamp. “Okay, take a look at these dates. This is an hour before and after the last two shipments.”

Hadina leaned in, watching the workers walk in and out of the docks, carrying boxes or emptying the containers.

“Now watch here,” Peyton said, tapping the screen. Hadina narrowed her eyes, examining carefully. Her mouth opened on a silent gasp as she realized what Peyton was pointing out. “Do you see it?”

“Eres sensacional!” Hadina grabbed Peyton by the cheeks and crashed their lips together, laughing into her mouth. “Fucking brilliant!”

Almost invisible to the eye, Peyton had found exactly what they were looking for. On both dates, the cameras caught someone sneaking past the camera. At first glance, they looked like any other dock worker, but if you paid close enough attention, you could see that instead of safety boots, the person wore stilettos.

“It has to be, right?”

Hadina hummed her agreement. “I’m the only person who I’ve ever seen wear heels on those docks. And those cheap-ass fakes are certainly not mine. This is Regina, or whatever the fuck her name is. You just found proof of her being on our property—we can find thispendejaand destroy her.”

Chapter33

PEYTON

“I’d kind of ratheryou not see this,” Hadina said on a sigh.

Peyton rolled her eyes. “And I’d kind of rather you got it into your head that we’re doingallof this together.”

Hadina pouted her pretty lips but relented, handing over a gun for Peyton to put in her underarm holster. She slipped it inside and adjusted it before throwing a silk shirt on, leaving it unbuttoned as it hung by her sides, only just covering her weapons. When she looked up again, Hadina was staring at her with dark eyes and Peyton felt her core heat between her legs.

Harris stood guard outside one of the rusty containers down at the docks. It was used forstorageapparently, which Peyton had quickly inferred meanttorture room. It was easy access for them for moments like these, when they needed to grab someone from work without many witnesses.

“He’s inside, boss,” Harris said gruffly, nodding his head to the side. “He’s a slimy-looking little shit, so I think it won’t take long for you to get what you want.” Noticing Peyton standing beside Hadina, he gave a half smile and another nod of his head. “Peyton.”

Peyton returned the gesture, trying not to show how proud she felt to be part of the team. “Adrian.”

Adrian Harris was the very definition of tall, dark, and handsome. He was imposing as hell, but Peyton saw the way he always tried to make her feel at ease and help her transition into this new path. He was a good man, she’d concluded, and someone she was beginning to trust dearly.

Hadina glanced at Peyton and raised a perfectly arched brow. “Ready?”

Sliding her dagger from her side, Peyton grinned. “Absolutely.”

Harris grabbed the metal door to the large container and yanked it open, revealing theslimy-looking little shithe’d described, which was a pretty accurate observation from what Peyton could see. The man’s shaggy brown hair was dripping with grease and sweat, clinging to the sides of his face as he hung his head. From where he was tied to the chair with thick rope, Peyton noted the grime covering his clothes—and the needle marks covering his arms.

“Mierda,” Hadina mumbled, shaking her head. Her hair was tied up in a slick, tight bun on the top of her head, a stray strand waving with the movement. “What a pathetic sight.”

Peyton squared her shoulders and stepped forward, wincing as the smell of stale urine invaded her senses. Moving to the side, she smacked the handle of her knife against the metal wall, the sound reverberating around the small space.

“Wake the fuck up!”

The weasel-looking man shook from his unconsciousness with a jolt, his eyes widening in fear when he took in the sight of Peyton with her shining blade, Hadina poised at her back with a fully loaded gun.

“Please.Please!I told that dude I didn’t know anything!”

Peyton crouched in front of him, suddenly grateful that her heeled boots provided her enough height that she was eye-level with him. “I didn’t tell you that you could speak.” Holding the knife up between them, she tilted the blade so that he could see the freshly sharpened edge. “Here’s what’s going to happen: either you tell us what we want to know, or I’m going to use this beautiful blade here to practice my butchering skills on you. Are we clear?”

There was a sick, twisted part of her that was excited to use what she’d learned to extract the information needed from the man. She was going to hell for the darkness of her thoughts, but the malicious look in Hadina’s gaze made her feel all the better about that. If she was going to hell, Hadina would be waiting on the throne to greet her.

The man gulped and looked to Hadina, tears brimming his eyes as he pleaded. “Ms. Adis, please. Help me! You have to believe me.”

Hadina stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Peyton’s shoulder and squeezing lightly. Peyton peered up and saw the devilish thoughts playing behind the other woman’s eyes. Leaning down close enough that her lips brushed Peyton’s ear, Hadina whispered to her lover, “Show me your darkness,tentadora.”

Desire and anticipation pulled at Peyton’s insides, a delicious shiver running down her spine at Hadina’s words. She stood and tapped the handle of her knife against her lips, making a show of her contemplation.

“Well, what’s it gonna be?”

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