Page 108 of Wilde and Deadly

twenty-seven

Davey steppedthrough the doors of Wilde Security Worldwide’s headquarters, the weight of responsibility pressing down on his shoulders. The familiar hum of activity filled the space—agents moving purposefully, voices crackling over comms, the low murmur of strategists dissecting mission details. But today, the tension in the air was different. Tighter. Sharper.

Rowan and Sabin flanked him as they moved toward the tech room, their expressions mirroring his own urgency. They didn’t need to speak; the stakes were clear. Brody O’Connell’s betrayal had left them scrambling for answers, and if there was one person who could break through the layers of deceit, it was Daphne.

Daphne was already at her workstation, multiple screens casting a cold glow over her face as her fingers flew across the keyboard. She barely glanced up as they entered.

“You’re late,” she muttered, not breaking her rhythm.

“Traffic,” Davey deadpanned. “What do you have?”

Daphne exhaled sharply, tilting her head as if debating how much to say before settling on the truth. “Brody didn’t even try to hide some of this. It’s like he wanted someone to find it. Just… not until it was too late.”

Davey frowned, stepping closer to watch the lines of code and decrypted files flashing across the monitors. “Explain.”

Daphne tapped a few more keys, pulling up a folder labeled Red Hook Operations. “Some of this data was buried under layers of encryption, but other files? Practically sitting out in the open, like breadcrumbs left behind. He had kill orders, personnel tracking data, even a few financial transfers that scream ‘black ops.’”

Rowan crossed her arms. “That doesn’t make sense. If he’s been a successful mole for all these years, why would he suddenly get so sloppy?”

“Because he knew we’d come looking,” Daphne said, her voice tight with frustration. “And if we found it, that meant we were already playing the game on his terms. But here’s the kicker—he wasn’t just setting Cade up as a distraction. Everything in here is pointed straight at Liam. If you didn’t believe him about Cade, then he had it all set up for Liam to take the fall.”

“So when I met with Cade to hear him out, he knew his first plan had failed and grabbed Liam?—”

“His backup plan.” Rowan nodded. “But he hadn’t expected Sully to grab Atlas Frost.”

“And he knew Frost would give him up.” Sabin let out a low whistle. “So now he has Liam—a witness he needs to get rid of before he can disappear.”

“You have to prepare yourselves for the possibility he already killed Liam,” Rowan said gently. Davey’s vision blurred for half a second, but then Rowan was there, gripping his arm, grounding him. “I know what you’re thinking, but we don’tknowthat yet. Until we do, we keep moving. Liam needs us.”

Davey nodded stiffly, forcing himself to push past the doubt clawing at his mind. His chest tightened, the burn of frustration settling into something heavier—fear. He dragged in a slow breath, steadying himself as the thought of Liam already being gone twisted like a knife in his gut. The idea of losing another brother, another member of his family, was a weight he didn’t know how to carry. He didn’t like playing by someone else’s rules. Especially not someone who had been under his command. Brody had been one of theirs—a trusted asset, a man who knew how Wilde Security operated from the inside. That made him dangerous. Potentially desperate.

And desperate men made the most reckless choices.

That was what scared him the most.

“We need to find?—”

The door opened, and Davey broke off, turning to tell whoever it was that this was a private meeting, but the reprimand died on his tongue.

Elliot.

He looked like hell. He was still pale, and he was moving more slowly than usual, but the glint in his blue eyes was pure defiance.

Dom followed him in and gave a helpless shrug. “Sorry, Davey, I tried to stop him. But you know how stubborn he is. I figured it was either let him walk in here or tackle him, and I’m not in the mood to wrestle a stubborn jackass today.”

Elliot smirked. “Please, Dom. You couldn’t take me on my worst day, let alone now.”

Dom scoffed. “Yeah? Keep talking, and I’ll put that theory to the test.”

Sabin snorted. “I’d pay to see that, honestly.”

Davey sighed. “Are you done?”

Elliot lifted his chin, his usual smirk flickering for just a second before hardening into something more serious. “Not even close. But for now, yeah. So, fill me in.”

Davey hesitated, studying his brother. The stubborn determination in Elliot’s face didn’t quite mask the exhaustion underneath. He shook his head. “You need to go home and?—”

“If you say rest, I will punch something. All I’ve done is rest while this whole shitshow is my fault.”

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