Page 88 of The High Priestess

“Yes.”

We end the call, and I toss the phone on the sofa while letting out a frustrated growl. “The asshole! God!”

“You handled it very well,” Knight praises me.

“Jesus, I wanted to reach through the phone and rip his throat out. The arrogance! Seriously, why is it so hard for men to accept a woman can do the job just as well as them, if not better?”

Knight takes hold of my shoulder and tugs me closer to him. “I don’t know, but you did good, Cassia. You just saved tens if not hundreds of lives.”

“I know.” Only then does it sink in that I actually brokered a deal with the bratva. “Oh my God. I did it.”

A smile spreads over Knight’s face, then he says, “I’m so fucking proud of you.”

With Mom being killed, I didn’t think I’d hear those words again. They fill my chest with warmth, acting as a soothing balm to my grief-stricken heart.

“What?” he asks as he tilts his head.

“My mom used to always tell me she’s proud of me.”

He nods, understanding filling his eyes.

I let out a sigh before saying, “It’s so frustrating that I have to have a man at my side to be taken seriously.”

“It doesn’t matter to the alliance or me. We’ll show the rest of the world you’re a force to be reckoned with, and in time, they will all accept you for the badass woman you are.”

I appreciate his words of encouragement, but I know there will always be a man out there who refuses to talk to me. That’s part of the reason I made Knight my second-in-charge.

I take a deep breath, and as I exhale, I think about the piece of information Nikitin let slip.

Where I should feel heartbroken, there’s only anger.

“I know who the traitor is,” I tell Knight.

Surprise flashes over his face. “Who?”

“Savvas.” I shake my head.

“How do you know?”

“Only four people had access to the organization's bank accounts. Dad, myself, Michail, and Savvas. Nikitin said the man who made the deal with told him he would have access to the money after the attack.” I rub my palm over my face. “Nikitin is on top of everything. He would’ve heard of Michail’s death by now, but he said he spoke with the traitor this morning. It can only be Savvas.”

Knight places his hand on my shoulder. “How do you want to handle this?”

“I want him dead,” I murmur, my tone emotionless as I shut the door on any love I ever felt for the man who had my family killed.

“I can take him out within an hour. Just say the word.”

I appreciate that Knight isn’t just running out of here to kill Savvas but waiting for my command.

“First, I want to talk with him,” I say. “And then I’ll pull the trigger. I have to kill him myself.”

Knight steps closer to me. “If you can’t pull the trigger, just give me a nod, and I’ll do it.”

“I have to do it.”

He pulls me to his chest and wraps me up in a tight hug. “Take a moment to savor the win you just had.”

I nod again, my cheek brushing against his shirt.

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