Page 59 of Twisted Empire

“I need one more favor from you.”

“Anything.”

“Find a motel that doesn’t ask for any ID or a credit card. Book a room with cash for a week. As soon as you’ve released the article, head there and hide. Take Willa with you. Katie too, if she’s back in the States now.”

“Katie is still in France. But I’ll take Willa with me.”

“Good. Hopefully it’ll all be over within a few days of the article going viral, but just in case, I want you to be safe.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. By the way, I’ll make a fake email address for you to send the evidence to, just in case anyone is tracking my email as well as my cell. We want this to take them by total surprise, right?”

“Yes. Good idea.”

“Give me a couple of minutes.” I heard her fingers flying over a keyboard a moment later. “Okay, done. Send it to [email protected].”

“Where’d you get that from?” I asked, jotting it down on a notepad.

“Just made up a random name and number. They’ll never suspect it’s us.”

“I hope not.” I took a deep breath. “I’ll send the stuff as soon as I have it, but it might take a while. Don’t be concerned if you don’t get anything for a couple of days.”

“I’ll try not to worry, but you know I will.” Greer’s voice had a slight tremor in it now.

“I’ll be fine. Elias is with me.”

She sniffed, and I could tell she was trying to stop herself from crying. “Okay. I’m really sorry I didn’t believe you earlier. I can’t believe all this shit was happening to you while I was just hanging around here, living a normal life.”

“Not your fault.” Tears began to well up in my eyes again.

“It’s just so fucked up. I’m so fucking angry. These bastards can’t get away with it!”

“They won’t if you channel all that rage into your article and make sure everyone sees it,” I said. “Anyway, I should let you talk to Elias so you can write down everything he has to say.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you soon. I love you, Tatum. Please be careful.”

“I will. Love you too.”

I handed the phone to Elias. When he was done telling her everything he knew about Crown and Dagger’s third level, he let me talk to her again to say goodbye, and then we ended the call.

Elias looked at me with a triumphant gleam in his eyes. “This is gonna work, Doll. Just a few more days and we’ll be outta here for good.”

I gave him a watery smile. “I can’t wait.”

“Me neither.” He smiled, but then his forehead creased with concern. “Are you absolutely sure you’re okay with doing it this way, though? We could try to think of something else if you’re starting to get scared. You know I hate the idea of you being in any sort of danger.”

I gritted my teeth. My need for reprisal against Crown and Dagger was like a vicious beast snapping at my soul, relentless and unceasing. It could only be stopped by the sharp, brutal steel of revenge. Cold, merciless, oh-so-satisfying revenge.

“I’m not scared. Not when I have you. In fact, I want to do it right now,” I said firmly. “Besides, I don’t think there’s any other way.”

“You don’t want to think about it a while longer, just in case you change your mind?”

I shook my head. “I’m not going to. We’re doing this, Elias. You and me.”

He smiled and looked down at me, eyes gleaming with pride as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. My heart began to race, a kaleidoscope of butterflies flitting inside me. I knew what was coming next, and I stood on my tiptoes and tilted my chin up. He leaned down and kissed me, slowly and deeply at first, growing ravenous and hard within moments. Goosebumps broke out across my skin as he ran a hand down my side before slipping his arms around me, gripping me tightly. Like he owned me.

And he did.

I was his and his alone. His possession, his to control, and yet his equal at the same time. I would be totally and utterly lost without him, and he was the only man I would ever want. He was everything to me.

He finally drew his head back, arms still wrapped around my waist. His eyes were dark and hungry with grit and determination. “Let’s do it.”

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