Page 94 of The Shape of my Scar
And something felt…off.
Thane shifted on his feet, eyes narrowing at the quiet hallway.
Lirian stepped up beside him. “What’s wrong?”
Thane shook his head, jaw tight. “Nothing.”
Except it wasn’t nothing.
It was the dull tug in his chest. The echo of a presence that wasn’t beside him. He realized, with unsettling clarity, that he might’ve become co-dependent on her and didn’t give a damn.
She was in his blood.
Leukov, Anatoly’s Sovietnik, waited by the table.
“Sit,” he said gruffly. “Anatoly is on his way.”
They settled. The firelight flickered across the room. The portrait of the young blonde girl above the mantel stared down at them—Anatoly’s granddaughter, if rumour was right.
Thane glanced at it. Something in his chest pinched.
Leukov gestured. “Begin.”
Thane spoke in an even, professional voice. “The extraction was successful. The rest of the merchandise was secured and transferred to protection. The lead targets are confirmed dead or in custody. We found the offshore funds and traced the laundering pattern; Lirian backed that up with cloud recovery from Malcolm’s server.”
“Good,” Leukov muttered.
The door opened and a gust of air swept in with Dimitri.
“Gentlemen.” He greeted each of them with a firm handshake. “Papa’s with the doctor. He’ll join us shortly.”
His eyes flicked to the portrait above the fireplace then away, jaw tight. “Continue.”
Thane nodded, opening his laptop to pull up the encrypted report. “The central node for the child trafficking syndicate seems to have been wiped, but—”
Thane’s phone buzzed in his pocket.
Leukov frowned.
Dimitri cursed softly. “It will have to wait until…”
But Thane had already turned, eyes fixed on the caller ID.
Faolan.
She had never called him before.
His heart slammed into his ribs.
“Can’t it wait?” Dimitri repeated, irritation creeping in.
“No,” Thane growled, and hit the button. “Faolan?”
Her whispered voice came through—a thin thread of terror. “Don’t hang up.”
Chapter 45
The apartment felt too quiet.
