Page 135 of Royal Bargain
The fear in her eyes wasn’t for me—it was for what he might do if she moved wrong.
I exhale, sharp and guttural, like I’ve just been punched in the gut.
My brain scrambles to reorient.
She’s not the enemy.
He is.
And I can’t take the shot. Not yet.
But I don’t lower my weapon either.
Ana’s eyes flick to mine—just for a heartbeat. Then back to the floor.
She knows I’m here. She knows what comes next.
I give the signal.
A short, sharp whistle. Barely audible. But it’s enough. A second later, three shadows move through the space like ghosts materializing from the walls.
Rory. Kellan. Lucky.
Each one armed, each one silent, spreading out with precision only earned through a lifetime of blood and war.
Anatoly’s men react instantly.
Weapons rise. Triggers cock.
The factory is suddenly alive with the sound of danger. Steel clicking into place. Hearts thudding against ribcages. Every man drawing a line in the sand with the muzzle of a gun.
I don’t move.
Neither does Anatoly.
He smiles, calm as ever. Ana flinches.
Across the space, my brothers lock into position. Rory’s eyes burn straight through Anatoly’s. Kellan’s stance is steady, gun raised but not yet fired. Lucky’s fingers twitch near his belt, eyes calculating—waiting for a window.
Everyone’s weapons are drawn. No one moves.
We’re locked in it now.
Sweat beads down my back. Every muscle in my body ready to snap.
The silence stretches tight—razor-thin.
Someone is going to break. They have to.
I glance at Ana, seeing the fear in her eyes. I know that there’s no way to reassure her right now, so I turn my attention back to her father, holding my gun up as I aim it right at his face.
The second that this erupts into war, I’m taking that man down.
39
ANNIKA
The warehouse air is thick with the threat of bloodshed.
