Page 148 of Falling for the Grump Billionaire

Dominic takes the phone from my hand, his fingers brushing mine. He doesn’t say anything at first, his piercing blue eyes scanning the screen. The muscles in his jaw flex, tension radiating off him in waves.

“He’s cornering us,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “This isn’t just a warning. He knows we’re moving against him, and he’s daring us to keep going.”

Dominic sets the phone on the table with deliberate calm, though I can see the storm building behind his composed exterior. “That’s what he wants—to make us hesitate. To make us question ourselves. But we won’t give him the satisfaction.”

Adrian, who’s been pacing near the kitchen island, stops abruptly. “We can’t underestimate him, Dominic. He’s always been ten steps ahead. And now, he’s making it personal.”

“Which is exactly why we don’t back down,” Dominic replies, his tone hard. “Reyes thinks he can intimidate us into folding, but we have the evidence. We know where his operations are, and we know how to hit him where it hurts.”

Adrian crosses his arms, his sharp gaze flicking between us. “Hitting him is one thing. Surviving the fallout is another. This isn’t just about Reyes anymore. He has men, resources, and enough leverage to destroy everyone connected to you—including Eva.”

The mention of my name sends a chill down my spine. Dominic’s hand clenches into a fist on the table, and his voice drops an octave. “I won’t let that happen.”

I step forward, placing a hand on Dominic’s arm. “We can’t keep pretending I’m not already a part of this. Reyes made me a target the moment he used me to get to you. The safest place for me is right here, by your side.”

Dominic’s gaze softens, the fire in his eyes momentarily tempered. “You’re stronger than anyone I’ve ever known, Eva. But I can’t—won’t—let him hurt you.”

“We won’t let him hurt anyone,” I reply, my voice steady despite the knot of fear in my chest. “That’s why we have to see this through. Together.”

Connecting the Dots

The tension in the room dissipates slightly as we refocus on the task at hand. Adrian pulls up schematics of the Harbor Springs facility, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he overlays surveillance footage with maps.

“Reyes’s operation isn’t just confined to the facility,” Adrian says, pointing to a series of highlighted coordinates. “These locations represent secondary hubs—storage sites, transitpoints, even potential safehouses. He’s creating redundancies in case one location is compromised.”

Dominic leans over the table, his expression unreadable. “And the barrels? The ones marked as biohazards?”

Adrian nods grimly. “Still no concrete intel on what’s inside them, but based on the chatter we’ve intercepted, they’re being moved as we speak. Whatever Reyes is planning, it’s happening soon.”

I cross my arms, staring at the map. “If he’s moving the barrels now, then the Harbor Springs facility might already be empty. What if we’re too late?”

“We’re not,” Dominic says firmly, his eyes blazing with determination. “Reyes wouldn’t go to such lengths to warn us if he thought we were out of the game. He’s trying to bait us, but that means he still sees us as a threat.”

Adrian exhales sharply, glancing at his watch. “If we’re going to act, it has to be now. We hit the facility, gather whatever intel we can, and track the shipments in real time.”

I meet Dominic’s gaze. “And if Reyes expects us to go there?”

“Then we give him what he wants,” Dominic says, his voice cold and resolute. “But on our terms.”

Preparing for the Strike

The hours leading up to the operation pass in a blur of planning and tension. Adrian coordinates a small tactical team, ensuringthat we have the firepower and resources to handle whatever we encounter. Dominic insists on leading the mission himself, his resolve unshakable despite my protests.

“You need me,” I argue, crossing my arms as I stand in his path. “I’ve been with you every step of the way. I’m not about to sit on the sidelines now.”

Dominic steps closer, his expression a mix of frustration and concern. “This isn’t a negotiation, Eva. It’s dangerous enough with me going in. I can’t risk you being caught in the crossfire.”

“And I can’t risk losing you,” I fire back, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to keep it steady. “If something goes wrong, I need to be there.”

For a moment, neither of us speaks. The tension crackles like static electricity, but finally, Dominic sighs, running a hand through his hair. “You don’t fight fair, do you?”

“Not when it comes to you,” I reply, my voice softening.

He shakes his head, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Fine. But you stay close to me. No heroics.”

“Deal.”

Infiltration

---