Page 134 of Fractured Allegiance
Drazen’s gaze flicks to me, unreadable.
Ravik chuckles. “Didn’t tell him that part, huh?”
“I didn’t tell him anything,” I say flatly.
Ravik shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. She’s useful. She always was. Until she stopped taking orders.”
He’s baiting me.
And it’s working.
But not in the way he thinks.
I lean forward just enough to lower the temperature in the room. “If you’re here to discuss a deal, discuss it. If you’re here to test my memory, I’d be careful. You were less important than you think.”
That wipes the smirk off his face.
Drazen doesn’t blink.
He lets the silence hang, then turns to Ravik like this was foreplay and now it’s time to get to the point.
“We’ll move the shipment in two nights,” Drazen says. “You’ll get your percentage. But she stays in the loop.”
Ravik narrows his eyes. “You trust her with that?”
Drazen smiles faintly. “I trust her more than I trust anyone.”
And I feel it then.
The double edge.
It’s a threat.
It’s a reminder.
It’s: Don’t make me regret putting you at the center of the room.
Ravik leans back, sips his drink, and nods once.
“Fine. But if she goes rogue again—”
“She won’t.”
I don’t respond.
I don’t need to.
Because I already know Ravik won’t live long enough to see me fall apart.
And Drazen just tightened the leash without ever raising his voice.
When the meeting ends, Drazen doesn’t walk me out. He just says: “Change before you leave.”
Like this was a performance and the show’s over.
But the sick thing is…
It’s not over.
