Page 6 of Duchess

Alan had over twenty million in that hidden bank account, and I had just gained access to it. He had been skimming off the top of every deal made. He’d been stealing from the Turks for years. Small cuts. Fractional amounts. But it added up. A fortune stared back at me, all soaked in blood. And a betrayal that guaranteed death.

Something must have gone wrong on this last transaction for it to have gotten him killed. The Turks did not forgive easily when it came to money, love, and family. I learned that quickly. Whatever Alan had done was bad, really bad, and now I had access to it.

That last meeting? It had Caleb written all over it. No struggle. No broken locks. Whoever killed Alan had been let in, offered a drink, maybe even a smile. Then they pulled the trigger.

I knew Alan had secrets. I knew he was hiding more than women. Something darker. Something heavier. I’d catch him talking to himself at night, adding locks to the doors, checking the street late at night. His nerves were fried. His skin was always damp with sweat. He was unraveling.

Alan never told me what kind of debt he owed Caleb. Just said it was a life for a life. Said it with that crooked smirk and a glint in his eyes that always made me feel like I was being played. But I stayed. I believed. And maybe that made me just as much a fool as he was. Caleb didn’t believe in favors. He believed in leverage. And Alan? Alan was a pawn in a game he never had the brain or the balls to win.

I had a feeling that his death had been a setup, or a lesson, and Caleb Killic had something to do with it, but at this point, I didn't give a shit. My priority was to get the fuck away from the Turks. Alan left me in the hands of the devil, and I wasn't going to let him win.

I sat back, mind racing. This wasn’t just about money. This was about survival. If they found out, they wouldn’t ask questions. They’d slit my throat and dump my body in the ocean. I couldn’t return the money. That would still paint me as guilty. And I damn sure wasn’t about to let them take it.

I could easily return it and the product, but what good would that do me. It wasn’t like these people wouldn’t look at me and say I wasn’t in on it. And besides, I wanted to escape them. I needed an out and twenty million was beyond that.

I needed to know who he was selling this shit to, and I needed to move this product quickly and quietly without the Turks finding out. The money was in a secure account for now, but I needed that moved as well and there was only one person I could think of, who could help me with creating a new account and securing that money in a place where the Turks wouldn’t find it.

Twenty million was a lot of money and if they ever found a trail it would be my head on the chopping block. I thought for a second as to what I was doing. I was a smart woman who knew she should run, but instead I decided to take a risk. Either way my life was in danger. I could go to my father for safety, but I wasn’t sure how he’d respond. It was probably best that I handle this on my own.

The less people who knew about this, the better. And with twenty million in my pocket, I had a whole new life ahead of me.

No one had to know.

No one would be the wiser.

I could leave quietly, without a trace.

I slammed the laptop shut, the click of it echoing louder than I expected in the tense silence. My pulse pounded in my ears as I scanned the room, my eyes sharp as I searched for cameras or wires. There weren’t any blinking red lights in the corners. Just the stale remnants of his secrets and a pounding in my chest that wouldn't stop.

I didn’t feel safe.

My fingers trembled slightly as I tucked the laptop beneath my arm, cradling it against my ribs. Every nerve in my body screamed for me to move, to run, but my boots felt nailed to the floor. This wasn’t just a machine. It was damning evidence worth millions. I could feel the weight of it. Twenty million dollars and twenty million ways to get myself killed.

Whatever Alan had been doing, he’d gone too far. And now I was left behind, holding the final piece of a puzzle no one else had figured out.

Yet.

I took the laptop, tucked it beneath my arm, and headed out. Whatever Alan had been planning, whatever betrayal he thought he could get away with, it died with him.

But the fallout? That was all mine now.

And if Caleb Kilic thought I was going to roll over and let him fuck me over the way he fucked Alan, then he didn’t know a damn thing about the woman he was playing with.

A noise broke the silence and I froze. That heavy silence fell over me. It felt measured. Intentional.

My breath caught.

I spun around, adrenaline surging, heart thundering in my chest. But I didn’t even get the chance to scream.

A hand caught me, and another wrapped around my waist. I was hauled backward, slammed against the wall hard enough to rattle the drywall and send a shudder through my spine. My shoulder ached from the impact, the laptop slipped from myarm, but I didn’t let it hit the floor. My boot caught the edge, and I kicked it away toward the far corner, where I knew he couldn’t grab it without going through me first.

His body was a wall of solid muscle, and the unmistakable scent of expensive cologne and danger hit my nose. Then my eyes locked on the man pinning me against the wall.

Caleb.

His breath ghosted over my cheek, his voice growling low at my ear. "What the hell are you doing, Duchess?"

My fingers curled into fists, but my body betrayed me. Heat surged through my veins, tangled with fear and fury. My skin burned beneath his touch, and I hated it. Hated that even now, I noticed the strength in his grip, the warmth of his chest pressed flush to mine, the way his voice made something in me snap.

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