“Define ‘work.’”
He leaned back slightly, assessing me again. “I’m his systems partner. Digital infrastructure, logistics, and threat assessments. Everything that keeps us one step ahead of the people who might find out who we are and what we do.”
“Lawyering?” I deadpanned.
“Yep. Dangerous world. With very sharp teeth.”
I tilted my head. “So you’re a tech guy with a gun?”
“I write code that keeps us all safe. Sometimes that means firewalls; sometimes that means firepower.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Multitalented.”
“I prefer not to get shot while debugging code,” he added with a shrug.
I snorted. “You always greet guests with a gun?”
“Only the ones who gut our firewalls for fun. And even then, I usually bring coffee.”
Before I could respond, the door slammed open with a force that rattled the hinges. Caleb shot to his feet, and I stood too, instinct kicking in.
Killian stormed into the space, eyes already scanning, jaw tight, and his jacket still halfway offone shoulder. Everything in him stilled like someone had slammed on the brakes when he saw me. The silence stretched. Then snapped.
“Are youinsane?” he roared at me. “You set off alarms at the club, you killed three men? What thefuckis wrong with you?”
His anger was delicious, it was heady. I wanted all of it.
He turned his ire on Caleb. “And you! Why the hell did you let this murdering pyromaniac into my home?”
“Arsonist,” I corrected.
“Shut the fuck up!” Killian shouted.
Caleb held up a hand. “I didn’t let him in.”
“Nope,” I said, “I hacked your security.”
Killian spun on his heel and stalked into the kitchen, vibrating with so much fury he looked as if he might explode. He slammed his palm down on the counter, then pressed his thumb to a hidden biometric lock built into the cabinetry. A gentleclickechoed in the quiet, and a concealed drawer slid open.
He reached in, pulled out a matte-black SIG P226 and gripped it tight, his knuckles bone-white.
He pointed it at me.
The fury in his face was wild and sharp-edged,making it clear he didn’t know what else todowith it. Not with me here. Not after what I’d done.
Caleb stepped between us as if he might stop a train wreck with his body. “Killian, I thought you said you were working with these guys?—”
“Stay out of this,” Killian snapped without taking his eyes off me.
“He’s good, okay? He’s broken systems I thought were unbreakable!” Caleb added, but that didn’t slow Killian down. “I was right, this guy is DaemonRaze.”
“Get the fuck out, Caleb!” Killian bellowed, his voice cracking like a whip through the tension-choked room.
“Killian—”
“I don’t need your calm voice and logic right now. I’ll handle this! Get. Out.”
Caleb, ever composed, took a slow breath and placed a hand on Killian’s chest—not in defiance, but as if he were grounding a live wire. “Do I need to call a cleaner? Because if you’re planning on turning this place into a crime scene?—”
