Page 183 of Fractured Allegiance
And her.
Lydia.
Standing near the window, wearing a black dress that looks designed to unravel men.
Our eyes meet.
For one second—less than a second—I see everything.
Fear. Anger. Relief. Warning.
Then her expression goes cold. Blank. Like I'm just another one of Drazen's men.
Like I'm nothing.
Dom watches us both.
I don't move. Don't react. Don't let anything show on my face.
"She give you any trouble?" Dom asks.
"Not yet," I say, voice flat.
He grins. "Good. Keep it that way."
He pulls the door shut. Locks it.
Then he does something I don't expect.
He pulls the key from the lock.
And hands it to me.
I stare at it.
"What's this?"
"The key," Dom says, like it's obvious. "In case of emergency. Fire. Medical issue. Whatever." He shrugs. "Drazen wants you to have access. Just don't use it unless you absolutely have to."
My fingers close around the key.
It's warm. Heavy.
And it's bait.
I know it immediately.
This is the trap.
They're giving me the key. Giving me access. Giving me the opportunity to break protocol.
To open that door.
To talk to her.
To help her.
And the second I do, they'll know.
