Page 16 of Rivals & Revenge

I’d learned long ago the quieter I spoke, the more it seemed to unnerve those around me. A tactic I had used in business for nearly a decade, and it worked on everyone. Everyone, that is, except Connor. To my great annoyance, she seemed to be immune to my scare tactics.

She arched her brow, mimicking my expression as she sipped on her drink. “Well, I guess the main thing is that you’re sitting here all broody. I don’t think you’d be pouting like someone shot your favorite puppy if this had been your idea.”

I brought the glass to my lips, taking a long slow sip as I allowed her words to wash over me, buying myself a few extra moments to respond.

“She’s not my problem anymore.” I finished, pushing out a long, heavy breath, raising my eyes to meet hers.

“Mmmm.” she hummed, nodding as she raised her glass again.

Her spine straightened, and she continued blinking slowly, the corner of her lip quirking up into the barest whisper of a smirk.

“Don’t get cocky, Connor. It’s not a good look on you.”

“Teasing aside, Ahren, she needs medical attention.” She sat her glass on the side table and scooted to the edge of her seat.

“She doesn’t know anything about her injuries or how to care for herself. It’s dangerous. The broken ribs could puncture something. Hell, the internal bleeding alone could kill her.”

“She won’t listen to me. You didn’t see it. She looked at me like I was the damned grim reaper.”

My head dropped back against the high back of the chair, a dry laugh breaking free. “It’s not like she’s wrong.”

“So you won’t go talk to her?” she asked quietly, her eyes accusing me of things her lips dared not to speak of.

“You’re this upset she left, but you’re not going after her.” This time, there was no question in her statement, only a quiet urging for me to reconsider.

“That’s what this is for,” I retorted, lifting my glass and offering her my finest smirk.

“I don’t know everything. Not even close, but I have a piece of the puzzle; one she doesn’t have.” I murmured.

“And you’re trying to decide whether to give it to her?” she asked, her brows scrunching together in confusion.

I shook my head slowly. I had been wrestling with finding the right words to explain it to myself, to lay out the potentially endless string of things that could go wrong.

“This is heavy.” I said, pushing out a harsh breath as I began explaining.

“My tech guy found a fingerprint on the sim card, it led back to the broker. A little more digging and he was able to find encrypted files. Most of it was a waste of time, but there was a purchase order for a batch of phones that included that one.”

“Ok.” she said, rising to her feet, bouncing lightly on her toes. “So, you find this broker person and kick his ass. Or I guess in this case it's kill his ass. Right?”

I shook my head, the ghost of a smile playing on my lips, and pushed myself to my feet.

“Not quite that simple.” I said, holding up my first finger. “First, the broker is anonymous. No one ever meets or sees him in person. All communication is encrypted. Untraceable.”

She arched her brow, cocking her head to the side. “But you already tracked him down ages ago and know exactly where he is. Next.” she answered, completely dismissing my objection.

Of course, I had tracked him down. It would have been complete idiocy to have done otherwise. Hell, any hitter worth their salt had probably done—I froze. A chill worked its way down my spine. Tierney. She would know exactly where the broker lived.

“Fuck!”

My eyes snapped to hers, and she nodded, a sad smile on her lips.

“That’s not even the worst of it. It’s not just taboo to attack the broker, it’s forbidden. She would be designated kill on sight.”

I turned away, facing the fire. “If that wasn’t enough, it just feels—I don’t fucking know. Maybe just a little too—”

“Convenient?” she finished for me.

I nodded my head.

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