Page 155 of Wilde and Deadly

“What about the contract on my head?”

“I’ll remove it.”

“And Rowan’s family will be safe?”

Stirling exhaled like this was all a big annoyance to him and waved a dismissive hand. “I have no interest in them.”

Davey uncrossed his arms, trying to look casual despite the adrenaline roaring through him. “You’re not getting Cade. What else do you want?”

Stirling leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “Your bravado is impressive, but since we’re being ‘real’ with each other, at least admit you don’t trust him. You want him gone. It’ll make your life easier.”

“Maybe, I’m not giving him to you like a goddamn Christmas gift.”

“Okay, then fire him.” Stirling spread his hands. ”It’s win-win. You get rid of him, and it gives me the opportunity to recruit him.”

Davey forced himself to stay loose, tilting his head slightly as if considering the offer, like he might actually be weighing it. But he wasn’t. He was watching, waiting, searching for cracks in Stirling’s carefully constructed mask, all while keeping Raines’s gun in his periphery.

One wrong move, one miscalculation, and Raines would pull the trigger just to prove a point. The bastard was itching for an excuse.

“You really want Cade that bad?”

No reaction.

“You could’ve gone after him years ago, but you didn’t. Why now? What changed?”

It was subtle, but Davey caught the barest flicker in Stirling’s expression. A shift in his posture. An almost imperceptible glance toward the black-clad soldiers stationed by the door.

Gotcha.

Davey laughed, genuinely amused. “If you think you can turn Cade into one of your mindless drones, you don’t know him. He doesn’t do orders. Or rules.”

Stirling’s smile simmered with irritation. “As I said before, my reasons are inconsequential. What matters is your answer.”

Davey let the silence stretch, enjoying the way Stirling’s mask slipped by degrees as each second ticked by. Then, finally, he inclined his head. “I could agree to your terms, but Cade is family. To betray family, I’m going to need more from you.”

Stirling’s eyebrows rose. “More than your lives?”

Davey didn’t blink. “Yes. Because we both know Rowan and I are already walking out of here alive. Killing us in your suite would start a war with Praetorian on one side and WSW and HORNET on the other. Don’t need to be a psychic to figure out how badly that would end for you. It’s why you haven’t done it already. So, yeah, I want more. I want a full list of Praetorian’s moles inside WSW. And if you have any in HORNET, I want their names, too. Every last one. Names, locations, and confirmation they’ve been pulled out. And I want proof that no further action will be taken against us or our families.”

“That’s ambitious.”

“It’s non-negotiable. You want Cade? Then I want to know I’m not getting another knife in the back next week like I got tonight.”

Stirling tapped his fingers against his glass again, considering, then set the drink down with a loud thunk. “You already have Broderick O’Connell.”

Davey leaned forward, his voice low. “Brody is dead. And if you don’t pull the rest of your operatives, I’ll make sure you lose every fucking one of them.”

Raines stiffened, his grip on the gun tightening as if waiting for a signal.

Stirling raised a hand, stilling him. “What do you think, Rowan?” He turned his attention to her, ignoring Davey’s threat. “You think we’ll go to war over you?”

“Not over me.” Rowan rose from her seat to stand beside Davey, and he felt her hand brush his. It steadied him, reminded him that they were in this together.

Hatred burned in her eyes when she refocused on Stirling, but her smile was ice cold. “But I do think you’re lying when you say you don’t care about my family. They scare you, and they should.”

Stirling sat back, his fingers steepled in thought. “Your terms will take time.”

“You have twenty-four hours,” Davey said.

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