Page 84 of Harley & Her Ferals

Now that I’ve met this complex, mysterious man, however, I know that I’m not alone.

Laurent should come with a warning label.

I give a wicked grin. “It turns me on that I don’t know, Sweet Thorn. But I trust you, and more than that, I trust that with you on my side, we can protect our Alpha and Beta. We can show that as Omegas together, the brains and the fangs, we can be the…”

“Knights in shining armor?”

“The bloody avengers who rise up and no regrets.”

Laurent’s lips quirk. “Well, doesn’t that just sound like the perfect summer blockbuster? Count me in.”

My brow furrows. “But what’s our next move? Yesterday, my brother visited Dad with the books, showing him how well he’s been running the pack. He took accounts and business plans. I can’t compete with that. My sister did the same sneaky move, but showing off how strictly she controls the Betas and the household. On the other hand, Fer and I lost the last match of the season. I must be behind on the Heir Contest. Our strategy is fucked.”

“Our strategy simply needs to pivot direction. You’re indeed right that our focus must be on you becoming the mafia heir. We need a single, unexpected move that will turn the entire game. Something remarkable.”

“Riv had the same idea.”

“Great minds think alike.” Laurent lifts his eyebrow. “Who’s your dad’s greatest rival? Who does he fear? What’s his weakness? If you look like you’re trying to take out that rival, then he’ll want you as his heir. We just need to make the move bold enough. Your sister and brother are doing no more than showing him the work that heexpectsfrom them. You need to do somethingunexpected, which goes above and beyond. He’s a big picture risk taker. He’ll choose someone who acts like he does. He wants his child to remind him of himself.”

“The Hades.” My pulse races. Exhilaration rushes through me. “Dad’s rival is Vinnie. Dad believes that he’ll gain some control over him, if my sister marries him. Yet I have the sense that Allegra intends to strengthen the Hades. Vinnie is using Harbinger to try and become the Champion again. He wants to challenge Dad. If I break into the Hades estate and Vinnie’s office in order to steal their records, then it will give Dad a hold over Vinnie. Dad would be shocked and impressed that I’d dared to do that.”

Laurent’s eyes sparkle. “Take me with you, Harley. I can hack their computers and steal something truly useful.”

I’d forgotten that I had a criminal hacker nuzzling in my arms, while looking like a sweet elite.

Such a perfect man.

Yet I frown. “I don’t want to risk you. Vinnie doesn’t have much security because no one would be crazy enough to break into the Hades’ territory. The people who they’ve kidnapped try and breakoutof there, but they’re held—”

“I’m intimately aware of where they’re held,” Laurent says, tightly. Shit, I’d forgotten that Laurent had been held by the Hades for weeks. It’s fucking brave of him to be prepared to go back there. “It’s not near the office. I know the layout. I have a near photographic memory, which is useful for my chess. Also, useful for memorizing the layout of the biker gang’s estate who kidnapped you. So, I can lead you there, avoiding the security and cameras. Then I’ll hack those bastards. The revenge will be better than therapy.”

I nod.

“When your dad discovers what you’ve done, he’ll choose you as the winner of the Heir Contest. He can use the information to blackmail, extort, or control Vinnie. The Hades will be fucked.”

I whistle. “You’re dark.”

“I am, aren’t I?” Laurent sucks lightly on my lower lip. My eyelashes flutter. “Do you love it?”

“Uh-huh.”

I wrap my arms around Laurent’s neck, mindful of the fact that I can’t manhandle him in the way that I do Feral.

I drag Laurent closer, until his lithe chest is pressed against mine.

Finally, he pulls back.

Laurent’s forehead is still resting against mine, as he stares directly into my eyes.

He’s studying me like he’s about to reveal the truth behind a magician’s trick and is trying to work out whether I’ve already guessed it.

Laurent’s gray eyes become molten. “Do you want to know the secret play, which will put us at least five moves ahead of both Vinnie and your dad?”

“Please.” I can’t resist darting my tongue out along his sweet tasting lips.

“While they’ll be fighting and screwing each other over, focusing on the only information that they think we stole in order to make you heir, we’ll have performed a sleight of hand.” Laurent’s smile is mesmerizing. Has he been in control from the moment that he arrived here? “Because you’ve never actually cared about the succession. That was a distraction, just like getting the information on Vinnie is. When we’re in the office, I will also hack the codes to the main door. It's the only way to escape, you said. Except, no one will know that we have them or that we even wanted them.”

I stare at Laurent in shock. “You’re joking.”

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