“Private?” She scoffed. “Justin, this looks like the setting of a horror movie.”
He ignored the jab. “There’s a lot you don’t know, Victoria. And I didn’t want anyone listening in.”
The weight of his words settled in, pressing against the walls of her mind. She took a slow breath. “Then talk.”
Justin studied her for a long moment, his expression carefully blank. “You’re being watched.”
A cold weight settled in her stomach, but she forced herself to stay composed. “I know,” she said, keeping her voice steady. “Yeah. I noticed. Black hoodie. Black car. Real subtle.”
Something shifted in his eyes. Not shock, not worry. Something she couldn’t quite place.
She stepped closer, her pulse hammering as she searched his face. “Do you know who’s following me?”
There was the briefest hesitation, just enough to set off alarm bells in her head. “No,” Justin said. Too late. Too measured.
Liar.
She saw it in his eyes, the way they didn’t quite meet hers. The way his body held just a fraction too still.
Her pulse thundered in her ears. He was hiding something.
She swallowed, her voice steady despite the tightness in her throat. “Have you heard anyone put an order out?”
Another pause. “No.”
And yet… his eyes told a different story.
Something cracked inside her. Justin, the one person she’d always thought she could trust, was he playing her?
She forced herself to stay calm, to keep her breathing even, her expression controlled. “Then why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me everything?”
Justin sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “Victoria, I’m trying to protect you.”
She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “By lying to me?”
“I’m not?—”
“Don’t.” She took another step back, the chill in the air finally settling into her bones. “You brought me out here for a reason. So tell me the truth. All of it.”
He hesitated. Too long.
And in that moment, Victoria knew. Whatever Justin wasn’t saying?
It was big.
And it was going to change everything.
Chapter Twenty-One
Victoria's footsteps echoed on the cracked concrete as she followed Justin deeper into the warehouse. The place was dimly lit, casting shadows across rows of trucks, sedans, and sports cars lined up as if they were part of some underground showroom. Some looked brand new, others vintage, but all carried the air of being hidden away for purposes far from legitimate.
Is this a stash house?she wondered, glancing at the dusty covers thrown haphazardly over some of the cars. Something about this place screamed shady deals, like a forgotten chapter out of a crime novel.
Finally, Justin stopped in front of a beat-up wooden crate, turning to face her. He looked a little worn out himself, eyes shadowed, tension hanging in his shoulders. Victoria crossed her arms, determination and curiosity battling inside her.
“Alright, Justin. Spill.” Her voice was sharper than she intended, but she couldn’t hide her frustration. “I need you to start from the beginning. How did you get involved with the Lockes? And what the hell is really going on?”
Justin exhaled, his hands raking through his hair as he took a hesitant step toward her. “Vic, you have to believe me, I didn’t know what happened to you. One day you were just…gone.No trace, no explanation.” His voice was raw, edged with something like guilt. “I looked for you. For months.”