Page 60 of Stiletto Sins

Obsidian:So, you’re just going to say, “Sorry, officer, we had to break into this place for an illegal hacking club on the dark web and just take a file?” Yeah. He’d lock you up so fast you wouldn’t even get to ask for a lawyer.

Oblivion: I don’t know if I can just ignore this.

Blackhawk:You have to. As far as MKG is concerned, he left a month ago. We have no connection to him. From this point forward, we don’t talk about him. He left our team because of his mistakes that almost cost you Oblivion. We have another mission tonight. I’ll take point. You can be security this time, Oblivion. You’ve earned the break. Do we all agree?

Obsidian: I’m good. You’re right. He hasn’t talked to any of us. There’s no way to know if it’s him, so no use concerning ourselves.

Blackhawk: Little hacker?

Oblivion: Yeah, fine. No more thoughts.

Blackhawk:We reconvene in four hours. Be ready.

I clicked on a few more, barely reading them as my mind processed the new information. Fin had briefly mentioned that they’d been a foursome at one point, but she hadn’t said why they weren’t at the end. Could this be the masked man who had attacked her? Coming back for vengeance after all these years? I skimmed through the messages, but the more flirty they became, the more I felt like I was invading her privacy. Copying all the files onto my own drive, I exited the site with the intention of returning to bed.

Something nagged me during the conversation, though, and I clicked onto one of the secure Order servers of back missions. After an hour of scrolling through files, my eyes closed, and I decided to call it quits. Just as I was about to shut the computer, my cursor moved over a folder, and I blinked, thinking I was reading it wrong.

Magnolia safe house-explosion

Opening the folder, I read the report but found no information that made sense. If it was a safe house, it couldn’t have been the same place Fin had broken into. Right?

Crawling back into bed, thoughts plagued me as I tried to put the pieces together. Something wasn’t right, and I was determined to figure it out. Fin’s life might depend on it.

Twenty-Two

RYKER

I watchedon the screen as they walked the complex. I’d been watching every single move since they’d arrived yesterday. I was fascinated by them. Every little thing they did made me wonder, and I pondered what it meant. Finley had always been a curiosity of mine, and having her resurface after all these years had me even more desperate to learn as much as I could about her. I hadn’t realized how much I’d needed her until she’d disappeared.

Our games had been fun, and I’d gotten back a part of myself I thought had been lost years ago. And after all this time, it seemed like we’d finally be face to face. Nerves filled me, and I didn’t know why. I shouldn’t be this nervous, but I was. We’d come so close to meeting before, but things were different this time. It wasn’t on my terms, but it was necessary. Someone was trying to hurt her, and I couldn’t hide any longer.

When they entered their apartment, I knew it was time. Standing, I smoothed down the black button-down shirt. It wasn’t what I usually wore, but it felt like I needed it. Though, paired with my black jeans with holes in the knees and combat boots, I didn’t know who I was trying to fool with my shirt. Maybe myself more than I realized.

I’d looked into the other two guys who’d tagged along, needing to know who my competition was. Milo was a descendent of a Council family, but based on what I found, he was clean, never having participated in any of their criminal dealings. I could respect a man who’d bucked family tradition to find his own path. I knew firsthand how difficult it could be to turn away from the sinister side of things. With his recent doctorate and killer fashion sense, I felt intimidated by the man I’d never even met. He had the wealth and prestige to provide a good life for Finley and a respectful career path.

But it was Asa who struck me as the biggest obstacle. While Milo had wealth and an honorable career, Asa was her boyfriend. He was clean-cut, an all-star hockey player, and had connections to her best friend. They’d been dating for almost a year, and I knew he cared for her. I just wasn’t sure how much and whether that could be tested.

Cohen was a surprise for me. I’d known him for years as his handler, a fellow trainee of the Order, and even longer online as Chaos. Our relationship was long and filled with pitfalls that would need to be dealt with. I knew it would be a surprise for him when we came face to face. The secrecy had felt necessary all those years ago, but now I wondered if I hadn’t kept it from him for other reasons. Seeing him holding Finley’s hand, though, had sent a spike of jealousy through me I hadn’t been prepared for.

Knowing I couldn’t put this off any longer, I sucked it up and moved toward the door. Walking through the hall, I blanked my face, needing to keep my features neutral amongst the others. Only a select few knew my true role in the Order, and I wanted to keep it that way.

Imperium in Imperio,or the Order as we called it, had been created as a way to bring order to all the agencies around the world. As our founders had known, any time power was involved, it could be easily corrupted, morphing the organism into something it was never meant to be. The Order was there to bring balance back to the fold. And we’d been doing it undercover for decades.

Nodding at a few people, I turned down the hall toward their quarters. This was it. I stopped in front, debating if I should knock or just enter. With my position in the Order, I had access to every room, but I didn’t know if I wanted them to know that yet. Letting out a deep breath, I raised my fist and knocked on the door, the chatter inside stopping at the sound.

Footsteps sounded, my trademark smirk crossing my face as I heard the handle turning. A retort to reprimand them for not using the camera crossed my mind, but I held it at bay. This would work better anyway. I wasn’t sure if Cohen would open the door if he saw my face.

The former Council heir was the one on the other side, assessing me as he opened it. “Can we help you?” he asked.

I didn’t drop my smirk, the role too comfortable to let go of. “I’m here for Finley.” It wasn’t what I meant to say, but it was true.

His eyes narrowed as he tried to decipher my meaning. Whether or not he took it as the threat it was, was up to him. I would make Finley mine.

“Name?” he asked, not moving, making me respect him.

“Ryker Jenson.”

“Don’t let him in,” a voice said behind Milo, and I peered up to find Cohen staring me down. I looked around him but still didn’t see my little hacker anywhere.