Page 27 of Protecting Lanie

"Across the hall," he said, his gaze darkening. "And I’ll know the second anyone gets too close." With a slight tilt of his head, he added, "Come on, let’s head back downstairs."

He led the way to the main floor, showing her around, making her comfortable and ensuring she knew how to get out safely in case there was an emergency. She sat on the couch looking at him. She let out a slow breath, searching his face for something—maybe reassurance. Archer leaned against the mantle, arms folded, watching her with narrowed eyes.

“I need you to remain inside. While the yard and surrounding neighborhood should be safe, I won’t risk something happening to you.”

Lanie came up off the couch and stomped her foot—it was kind of adorable—frustration burning in her dark eyes. "I’ve spent too much of my life being controlled, Archer. I won’t do it again."

Archer exhaled slowly, deliberately. "This isn’t about control, little one. It’s about keeping you safe. You’re in danger and you’re going to do as you’re told, so I can keep you out of the hands of those who would harm you."

Archer pushed off the mantle, closing the space between them in two slow, deliberate steps. Lanie stiffened but held her ground. He reached down, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She sucked in a breath at the contact, and he didn’t miss the way her pulse quickened at her throat.

"This isn’t about control," he murmured, his voice low. "This is about protection. There is a difference."

Her lips parted slightly, but she didn’t speak. Didn’t step away either.

Archer tilted her chin up, his thumb tracing the soft curve of her jaw. "Tell me you don’t feel safer with me here."

Lanie swallowed hard, her eyes locked on his. For a long, charged moment, neither of them moved. His gaze dipped to her mouth, and he could see the way her body leaned into his without realizing it.

But then, at the last second, she turned her head away, stepping back. "I need air," she muttered, rubbing her hands down her arms.

“Stay inside,” he said, letting her go.

She harrumphed at him and then all but stomped up the stairs. Archer grinned. Lanie had a bit of the brat in her. That was fine with him. He’d tamed brats before.

Archer stared at the encrypted message glowing on his laptop screen, his gut twisting.

Someone inside Cerberus or the club is feeding Molina intel.

Reyna’s words echoed in his head from earlier that night.‘Whoever it is, they’re good,’she’d told him over the securedline. ‘They’re covering their tracks, but I caught a pattern—classified information is being leaked. Someone inside our ranks is playing both sides.’

Archer dragged a hand through his hair. A traitor inside their ranks—shit! Whether it was Cerberus itself or the club didn’t matter. Cerberus had existed for so many years without a mole or any kind of leak, and now it appeared they were coming out of the woodwork. As for the club, part of its stock and trade was discretion.

He clenched his jaw, his mind racing through the possibilities. Cerberus maintained a tight operation; they carefully vetted and trained their people in counterintelligence. How had they missed this? Who was it, but more importantly, how were they going to shut him or her down?

If someone was leaking information to Molina, that meant they wanted him to succeed. Which meant Lanie was in even more danger than he thought.

His phone buzzed.

He grabbed it without hesitation. "Talk to me."

"It’s Reyna." Her voice was clipped, urgent. "We got something big."

Archer straightened. "Go."

"A deal’s going down at the Velvet Glove," she said. "An auction. Invitation-only. High roller clientele."

His blood ran cold.

"When?"

"Masquerade party this weekend," Reyna said. "It’s the perfect cover. The club’s hosting a private event at an estate—Molina’s people are using it to move new merchandise."

Archer’s grip on the phone tightened. "Tell me we have an in."

"Already working on it," Reyna assured him. "King’s pulling strings to get you inside as a buyer."

Archer exhaled. He hated playing this game, but if it got him closer to Molina, to whoever was leaking intel—to keeping Lanie safe—he’d do whatever it took.

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