Page 140 of Scarlet Angel

Listen to them.

I silently plead with my eyes and my touch.

“You want me to work with these blokes?”

I nod and lick my lips. My mouth and throat are dry. He’s got to do this. But he’s not alone.

“I’ll help, too,” I whisper.

The muscles below his cheekbones flex, and his lips flatline. My grip on his wrists lowers to his hands, and I squeeze, holding his hands in mine, my thumbs grazing his knuckles.

His jaw clenches, but then he softens.

“What exactly do you want me to do?” Nick asks the room.

“Work your connections,” Leo answers.

“You heard me tell Dorian I’m out.”

“Yes, but you’ve still got your contacts. Mansueto, Droga, Pearson… They won’t alienate you. You have aligned business interests. Plug them for information. Besides, I’d bet they aren’t buying into this shift in direction. Best case, they can give you insights. Worst case, you fracture the syndicate further,” Leo says.

“Angel stays out of it,” Nick says. “She doesn’t need more enemies.”

“They won’t trust her anyway,” Leo says. “Best to keep your relationship with her on the down low.”

“Can I get a look at this intel you’re working off of?”

Nick avoids my gaze, but he lifts one of my hands and presses his lips to my fingers before releasing them and moving closer to the computer.

“He did it. The bounty has been rescinded,” Sophia announces.

“That was fast,” says Leo, or maybe it’s Jack. The two men sound similar to me. “Would you have really posted a bounty on the old man’s life?”

“To end the madness? Yes,” Nick says without an ounce of remorse.

My mobile rings through one of the bags. Nick’s eyes narrow accusingly. “You have your mobile on?”

I scramble for the bag, searching. “I thought I turned it off.”

“I thought you threw it out,” Nick grumbles.

The weight of my mistake settles heavily in my chest. One careless oversight could have led them right to us. After everything Nick and the others risked to help me, I'd nearly compromised our safety over a mobile.

By the time I locate the device in my backpack, the call has gone to voicemail. There’s a string of messages, all from Orlando.

Are you ok?

The news shows a terrorist attack near the Ivanov estate. Are you okay?

You’re scaring me. Respond. Pls.

The news says it was on the Ivanov property. Scarlet?

I show the screen to Nick, my hand slightly trembling. “I’m going to call him. Okay?” I need to make this right, starting with using proper security protocols.

“Should she call on her mobile or yours?” Nick asks. “She’s calling her cousin. Apparently, news of the explosion traveled to Italy.”

“BBC has been covering it. It’s everywhere,” Kairi confirms. “You should be fine in the van, but to be safe, use our lines.”

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