Page 58 of Shield and Savior

Two hours to the moment later, there are headlights rolling down the driveway. Anxiety bees dance in my stomach. Who’s coming? Why are they here?

The car engine stops, and the garage door squeals on its hinges before closing.

A few seconds later, Alana steps in. Her makeup is fading, leaving hints of dark circles peeking out. The image is starting to crack.

Three other familiar bodies walk in. Joey, Donnie, and my dad. Oof, this is going to be a rough one.

At least Donnie brought food. He hands over a brown paper bag with grease already leaking through. That’s how you know it’s gonna be good. Garlic and butter waft out as soon as I open it.

Alana is the first to separate from the group, walking around, poking at the cameras and making adjustments. She doesn’t look at me, but her presence lets me know whatever this is, it’s serious. But, oddly, her presence also makes me calm. Dad and the guys will keep it under control with her around.

She keeps watching the woods. There are no alarms, no hint that something’s wrong, but her frown says something else entirely…or maybe that’s just her face. I’ve never seen her smile. “I’ll give you privacy. Izzy, have you done an inventory of the panic room?”

I shake my head, and with that, she heads downstairs.

Weird. That’s the second time she didn’t use code names. Is there a deeper meaning? Or did she forget? Do code names go out the window when you’re sleeping with a client?

Dad, Joey, and my brother all hang around the kitchen island. “Kiddo, we need to talk. This thing with your ex… There are a lot of moving pieces here.” Dad puts his hand over mine, and Donnie takes this opportunity to dive into the food he brought for us. “Have you heard of Majesty?”

“Like royalty?”

Donnie pipes in between fries. “No, it’s a drug. Useless in the powder form, but when mixed with a liquid, it’s highly addictive.”

Not to sound jaded, but isn’t that what we would want out of a drug?

Joey must see the confusion on my face because he adds, “It’s addictive, deadly, and dangerous. It’s still new. It’s safer to travel with it in the powder form, it’s lighter, and you can get more in a brick. But it’s also highly flammable. It burns hot and fast with purple smoke. Hence the name. It’s a liability to export or import. One idiot with a cigarette, and the whole ship goes down.”

Dad continues, “It’s so new the dealers don’t know how to measure the right dosage, either. They’re still working out the kinks, but the OD rate is much higher than other drugs on the market.”

Joey grabs a fry. “Dead bodies mean investigations, which equals task forces and various agencies filling our streets. Whichisterrible for business.”

“Plus, stiffs don’t buy more drugs and are kinda the worst form of advertisement.” I frown. Joey points his fry at me in approval like I got the answer right.

Dad squeezes my hand, and until he did it, I forgot he was holding it. “The Deviant is trying to push it into the States. He approached us two years ago. We told him no. He didn’t like that answer.”

Donnie dips his head, and an oddly serious expression appears on his face. “There was a hit on the Russians. Uri was shot.”

Oh shit, that’s what Dimitri was talking about. “That whole family was wiped out except for two people, right?”

Dad nods. “That was The Deviant sending a message. Alana and Lance were only able to get them out because two agents turned and started working for us. One of them is Specs. Alana hired him to keep him safe. The other went deep undercover.”

Specs—the guy who plays Minecraft with my kid—is a former government agent? “Specs?”

“It’s short for Spector because he’s dead according to all the records,” Donnie added.

“There’s more. About six months ago, a series of car bombs went off. Thiago was lucky he wasn’t in the car when it happened,” Joey says, eating another fry.

I hadn’t heard about that.

“So you’re doing all of this to keep Drew and I safe?”

The men exchange glances then find other interesting things around the kitchen to stare at. Dad talks first. “Mike Bringsea is an informant to the Majesty task force.”

Oh shit. Oh shit. My hand claps over my mouth. Too many thoughts race through my head at once. If he’s fighting against Majesty, he’s an ally, and not one I want. “Is he…?” I start to say.

Dad frowns. “He’s on The Deviant’s payroll.”

My heart sinks to the ground. Oh no. He’s using me to get to my family. Our entire empire could vanish, and it’s all my fault.

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