Page 75 of The Mercenary's Hidden Heir
Eyes wild.
Hands shaking.
She slams the door behind her and leans against it like she’s holding back the whole damn planet.
"Traz," she rasps, her voice shot to hell. "We got a problem."
I grab her elbow and steer her toward the table before she falls over.
Kelli’s already moving, setting a cup of water in front of her.
"Talk," I bark.
Silpha takes a long gulp, coughing rough.
Then she slams the cup down so hard it cracks.
"Petru’s lost his godsdamned mind," she croaks.
I narrow my eyes.
"Define lost."
She drags a hand through her matted hair.
"He thinks you sold him out," she says, voice raw. "To Voltan’s crew."
Kelli stiffens across from me.
"Voltan’s dead," I snap.
Silpha lets out a broken laugh.
"Doesn’t matter," she spits. "Petru’s convinced you're working with someone. That you’re building an army to come back and gut him."
I grind my teeth so hard my jaw pops.
"Stupid bastard," I mutter.
"Stupid and dangerous," Silpha hisses. "He’s torturing anyone who so much as looked sideways at you. Shaking down half the city."
Kelli’s face goes pale.
"What about..." she starts, voice breaking.
"The twins are still off his radar," Silpha says fast. "But if he keeps tearing through the streets like this, it’s only a matter of time."
I slam my hand down on the table, rattling the cracked plates.
"Damn it."
"He’s offering a bounty now," she adds. "On you. On Kelli. On the kids."
The room drops into silence.
Thick.
Suffocating.
