“But it looks like the Syndicate had already put things into motion. They gave him my location before I ever had his. By the time I got to Volkov’s place, he was already headed to mine.”
As if that night is fresh on her mind, fear flicks through her gaze. She’s quick to shake it off, but I regret putting her in a position to be afraid in the first place.
She nods at the computer. “What else did he send you?”
We go file by file, scrolling through everything Remi left behind. Kill lists, financial records, coded transmissions, and the damage they carry hits like a freight train.
When Callie finds a message from another hitman and reads it aloud, a chill slithers through my bones. “They don’t kill to protect. They kill to bury the truth.”
“Goddammit,” I mutter. “We were led to believe we were working for the good guys… That we were the vigilantes dismantling the corrupt and saving humanity, but the Syndicate has been the real enemy all along.”
I slide the laptop toward her, watching her brows furrow as she picks through the files. One of them opens into a folder markedDecommissioned Assets.
“You’re right. Most of these people they’ve killed aren’t criminals,” she says. “They’re whistleblowers, lawmakers, journalists, evenkids. But… why?”
I have her click open another document, one with pages full of fraudulent bank transfers. “Because they’re using shell accounts to launder money and using people like Isa to scrub them without knowing what they’re doing. They’re sitting on trillions of dollars, with investors in every pocket of the world working with them. They’re powerful. And they’ll eliminate anything that threatens that power.”
I point to a familiar photo. “This is Isa’s former boss. He’s the one who ordered the hit on her for asking questions.”
“So when Remi said they hired Volkov, he meant that he wasn’t acting alone,” she murmurs.
“Right. I thought Volkov came after Isa out of revenge because I killed his brother, and I thought he came after me forthe same reason. But he was acting under orders from Carmine the whole time.” I shake my head. “Now, with this rebellion wearing my name, he won’t stop until I’m dead.”
“Because The Reaper resurfacing means you’re more than a threat.” Her brows pinch. “Not because of what you know, but because of what you represent.”
“Exactly.” I rest my elbows on my knees, head in my hands.
We stare at the screen in solemn silence.
Her hand finds my knee, and I take it in mine like a lifeline.
“Callie,” I say, kissing her knuckles, then pressing them to my cheek. “You’ll never know how sorry I am for dragging you into this.”
Her face softens. “I went into thiswillingly, Jaxon. And I’m not going to abandon you or Leo now.”
I pull her onto my lap, holding her with hands that have taken lives, whether it was deserved or not. The same hands she’s washing clean every time she chooses to stay.
I don’t deserve this woman, but I will torch the goddamn world for her.
“We need a plan,” I murmur while tucking her hair behind her ear.
“We already have one.”
That little smirk makes my dick throb. “Tell me.”
“They want you to disappear, so disappear. I say, let’s kill The Reaper and let the rebels take care of the rest.”
I kiss her bare shoulder, lowering the thin strap of her pajama top, then the other. “I’m listening…”
“We fake your death,” she says. “Let them find the body. Or the footage. Or whatever proof we decide to give them. Make thembelieveThe Reaper’s dead. That you’re no longer a threat, and meanwhile, the rebellion keeps rising—without you in the crosshairs.”
“And let the Syndicate take all the credit for killing me?” I grin against her breast, nipping at her supple skin.
“Exactly.” She huffs a laugh before moaning softly. “They know there’s a rebellion, but they think taking you out is the endgame. If they knew how many were actually involved, they’d be a hell of a lot more aggressive.”
I buck my hips beneath her when her nails graze my scalp. She tugs at my hair, tipping my head back with the kind of sexy confidence that unravels me.
“And if that’s not enough?” I exhale a throaty groan as she grinds on my aching cock.
