Page 143 of Falling for the Grump Billionaire

Breaking In

Under the cover of darkness, we make our move. Eva follows close behind as I cut through the fence, our movements silent and deliberate. My heart pounds in my chest, but I push the fear aside, focusing on the task at hand.

Inside the facility, the air is thick with the smell of oil and salt. Stacks of shipping containers line the walls, their labels deliberately vague. Eva moves to one of them, prying it open with a crowbar we found nearby.

Her breath catches as the contents are revealed. “Dominic, look at this.”

Inside are barrels filled with a viscous, black liquid. A clipboard attached to the container lists its contents as “biohazard material,” but the details are deliberately obscured.

“This isn’t just about the spill,” I say, my voice low. “Reyes is moving something dangerous.”

Eva pulls out her phone, snapping pictures of the barrels and the clipboard. “We need to get this to Adrian. If Reyes is transporting biohazards, it’s a violation on a global scale.”

Before I can respond, the sound of footsteps echoes through the warehouse.

“Hide,” I whisper, pulling Eva behind a stack of crates.

We crouch in the shadows as two guards enter, their voices low but clear.

“They’ll be here tomorrow to move the rest of it,” one of them says. “Reyes wants everything gone before anyone gets too close.”

“And if they find out what’s in these barrels?” the other asks.

The first man chuckles darkly. “They won’t. And if they do, it’ll be too late.”

Eva’s hand tightens on my arm, her breathing shallow. I place a reassuring hand over hers, silently vowing to protect her no matter what.

As the guards move deeper into the warehouse, I lean close to her ear. “We need to get out of here.”

She nods, and together we slip back toward the exit. Every step feels agonizingly slow, but finally, we reach the fence and make our way back to the car.

As we drive away from the facility, Eva’s phone buzzes with a new message. She glances at the screen, her face going pale.

“What is it?” I ask, glancing at her.

She turns the phone toward me, the words chilling in their simplicity:

“You were warned. Now there’s no turning back.”

My hands tighten on the steering wheel, a mix of fury and dread coursing through me.

“He knows,” Eva whispers, her voice trembling. “He knows we were there.”

I meet her gaze, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “Then it’s time to stop playing defense. If Reyes wants a war, we’ll give him one.”

But even as I say the words, I can’t ignore the sinking feeling in my gut. Reyes isn’t just reacting—he’s planning his next move. And if we’re not ready, it could be our last.

The car’s tires hum against the asphalt as the tension between Eva and me thickens with the knowledge that Reyes is watching. Every mile feels like another countdown tick to an inevitable explosion. I can see Eva glancing repeatedly at her phone, her face pale but her jaw set in determination.

“We can’t let him get into our heads,” I say, breaking the heavy silence.

She looks up at me, her green eyes sharp despite the fear simmering just beneath the surface. “It’s not just our heads he’s getting into. He’s always three steps ahead, Dominic. And now he knows we’re onto the barrels. What if this is exactly what he wanted?”

The thought sends a chill through me, but I shake my head. “Reyes’s arrogance is his weakness. He thinks he’s untouchable, but that also makes him reckless. We use that.”

“And if he’s right? If we are walking into his trap?”

“Then we spring it on our terms,” I reply, my voice calm and firm. “This isn’t the first time I’ve dealt with someone who thought they were invincible. They all fall the same way—by underestimating the people fighting back.”

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