Page 174 of Heartless Beloved

“Senator Delacroix.” Every single emotion running through my body mere moments ago, everything Alex can make me feel is gone. I’m cold as a stone. As dead as the lives of the people I cut short.

“What the hell is thi—”

“Shut up,” I cut him off in a harsh tone. “It would be a shame for your daughter to take a bullet to the head just to protect your pride.”

Tamar closes the office door behind me as I keep Alex in front of me. I feel her shaking, but I’m sure she’s not crying. No, I finally fucking did it. I made her as dead on the inside as me.

She’s spent weeks attempting to light up my soul with her bright light. Instead, I snuffed out the flame inside her. Killed it with my own brand of darkness. How ironic for someone they accuse of being an arsonist.

“Sit over there, Senator,” I say, pointing at the sofa with my chin. I nudge Alex, forcing her to sit there too. Tamar locks the door to the office and keeps the key with her.

“I’m going to have a look around. You two stay put."

I don’t bother tying up Delacroix. His phone is on the desk, so he’s got no one to contact, and he can’t go anywhere. He’s not strong enough to take me and there’s also the threat of his daughter’s life. So I’m safe. Plus, Tamar is keeping an eye on them.

It takes me less than a minute to find the safe he keeps hidden under the wood flooring. I’ve robbed enough houses to know where to find money and secrets.

“Code,” I say simply. I don’t want to be here any longer than necessary. Not because of the risk of getting caught, but because I can’t take the betrayal on Alex’s face. Every time my eyes dart to hers, my heart bleeds.

I swallow past my taut throat, my patience thinning by the second.

“The fucking code, Senator,” I repeat. “Before I blow your daughter’s brains out. It’s a bitch to clean off. Trust me on that.”

The glare he gives his daughter bothers me. It accuses her instead of me. It puts the blame on the woman with her hands cuffed behind her back rather than the man holding the gun.

Victim blaming at its finest.

I grab Alex by the hair, making her cry out as I drag her off the sofa and onto her knees in front of her father. My hands are shaking doing this, and I have to try my best to calm myself so Delacroix doesn’t catch it.

“The. Code. Now.” I seethe as I press the gun to her temple.

His nostrils flare. "Your fucking boyfriend, huh?” he says, looking down at her. “Now you know why he was dating you.” The disgust in his voice curls my stomach.

“You knew?” she gasps.

“That you were seeing a thug from the North Shore? I know everything, Alexandra. You’re the one stupid enough to think you can hide anything from me.” The fucker dares look down at the queen she is.

“The code!” I bark as my gun goes from her to his forehead. “If you don’t give a shit about her life, maybe you like yours a bit more?”

“2371A”

“Atta boy.”

I kneel by the safe and open it. All that’s inside is a burner phone. I grab it, but it’s locked. This man clearly only uses this for things he doesn’t want anyone to know about. Murder maybe. That would be useful.

“What is that doing here?” Delacroix grunts. He plays the shocked part well.

“Let’s do this again,” I huff. “Password.”

“I don’t have it,” he says right away.

“Don’t bullshit me.”

“That phone…that phone shouldn’t even be here. My security guard keeps it, and the password, from me. For instances like this. I can’t give a password I don’t know. He doesn’t stay at night.” A beat before he adds, “It looks like we’re stuck.”

“Do you think you’re talking to the fucking rookie gangster of the year?” I growl. I give the phone to Tamar. “Be quick.”

She pulls her laptop out of her backpack and sits at his desk. I stand behind her, watching her work while she starts attempting to breach the security barrier.

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