Page 10 of Hell Hath No Fury

He sighs loudly, his eyes still on Antoinette as he replies, “Oh, I had a couple of minutes and figured I’d swing in and say hello. Earn me some greatly needed brownie points, right?”

Brownie points? What in the—

Luckily, I’m saved from having to reply as Camilla says, “I think I see your man at the door is looking for you, so it seems you’re out of fucking time, right?” He turns his attention to Camilla, squinting briefly, and it’s like he’s having an inner battle with himself that he’s not sure he wants to win or lose. Likely because, at this point in the game, there is no winning or losing. Then Camilla repeats firmly, “Right?”

Darius blinks, the tension coiling in the air since he first turned to Antoinette suddenly easing up as he nods shortly. “Right.”

Then he turns, pivoting away from Antoinette, likely because he can’t bear to look at her before walking out. Knowing he has no choice but to walk away from her without looking back.

But that’s exactly what he does.

6

A Ship in the Late Morning

Lilith

Ofalltheoverpricedlunch spots in LA, he had to walk into this one.

As soon as I saw the look of panic on Camilla’s face through the cameras, I knew something fucked up was about to happen. And then, once Agatha turned in the direction Cami was looking and ended up with a matching expression, I knew the likelihood things were gonna go to shit was high.

Sure enough, as soon as I saw that familiar head and that familiar stupid fucking suit, my stomach dropped. Because only Darius Hughes would be running some kind of super-secret undercover operation while still dressing like a fucking accountant.

I switch my voice COM over to the channel the guys are on and whisper-shout, “Are you fucking seeing this shit?”

I’m met with a chorus of cursing, so obviously, they’re seeing it. And then, Tony answers, “Kaian is on it.”

I sit there helplessly and watch the screen as Agatha manages to shake her shock enough to get to her feet and intercept him before he can reach the table. But to my surprise, he doesn’t attempt to get around or plow through her. Instead, he stops in front of her, greeting her warmly. Also, surprisingly, she reciprocates in kind, a testament to how much his appearance has thrown her off her game.

Maybe if I didn’t know Darius as well as I do, he would have me fooled with his nonchalant demeanor, but even through the camera, I see the wildness simmering beneath the surface. He’s doing a superb job keeping it tethered, and I hope he can maintain this even keel long enough not to completely fuck up the plan.

“He seems to be okay—” Matt says somewhat hesitantly.

“For now,” Tony interrupts. “Maybe we should all go down there in case we have to lasso that fucker.”

I sit back in the chair, inhaling deeply as my pulse begins to steady, and then I respond, “No, I think he’s gonna be okay. But definitely keep Kaian inside the doors just in case.”

“You think so?” Tony asks hurriedly.

“Yes. Darius won’t risk possibly losing her again.”

“But how would he lose her if he just snatched her now?”

“He knows if he did that, we would also lose any leads on where she’s been,” Matt answers. “Regardless of what that fucker has been up to over the last few months, he’s gonna know one of the main objectives is eliminating the enemy.”

“Any leads on this Dmitri?” I ask, my eyes still glued to the screen. Darius is speaking calmly to Antoinette, the smile on his face genuine and tinged with longing. My heart cracks in my chest for them, my need to know what the fuck went wrong and where everyone has been increasing exponentially.

He turns back to Agatha and Camilla, and I can’t quite make out what he’s saying as he’s speaking quietly, likely because he knows there’s a recorder there.

“Should Kaian follow him?” Matt asks.

“No,” Tony answers. “Lils, get out there and see if you can grab him. Or, if nothing else, have a three-second conversation with the fucker.”

I toss my headset on the table, making a beeline for the back of the van, where I quickly exit, closing the doors behind me. Not knowing which direction he’ll go once he exits the restaurant, I don’t bother attempting to hide around a corner. I stand outside the door, my back pressed against the wall, attempting to act as nonchalantly as possible under the circumstances.

Which is basically suspicious as fuck.

The door opens, and then there he is, a beast of a man moonlighting as a lamb.

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