Page 82 of Always A Villain

“Death Bonds are hard to pass up, Rory, especially when the payment comes from your father,” he explains, his tone utterly bored.

“Payment? For what?!”

“For you. You were always supposed to go to the Dolore. Axe marrying you just slowed it down.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Your father issued me a Bond to deliver you to theDolore. And he paid generously. I guess you can say it’s a win-win. For me, anyway.” He shrugs. “Your father gets his deal, and I get the money.”

My heart shatters.

“No, no,” I sob, the truth dawning on me like a nightmare I can’t wake from. “He wouldn’t do this. He couldn’t…” My voice trails off. “Why?!”

“I didn’t care enough to ask,” he replies, utterly unbothered. “I’m tired of talking, love.” He pulls out a syringe, uncapping it with a flick of his wrist. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be,” he warns, his tone flat.

“Creed, please don’t do this!”

“It’s already done, Rory,” he states, unyielding. “Now, hold still.” Without hesitation, he jams the syringe in my thigh and presses the plunger.

I gasp, my eyes wide with horror. “What the hell?—”

“Sweet dreams, love.”

My body grows heavy, and then everything fades to black.

“Ifound the financial backer of the attack,” Arsen says, sliding a stack of documents across the table.

I don’t even glance at him; my eyes lock onto the pages as I start scanning.

Diego Salazar. The name alone makes my jaw clench.

“Salazar Financial Enterprises—the most powerful arms dealer in Spain?” I mutter, flipping through the files, piecing together the inevitable.

“The one and only.”

The Salazars aren’t just rich; they’re a goddamn empire built on blood and power, entrenched in politics and the underworld.

“Why the fuck is he funding an attack on us?”

Arsen pushes another file toward me. Missing persons report. A teenager, barely seventeen—Lupe Salazar,Diego’s daughter.

“She vanished three months ago. The family hushed it up because of their status,” Arsen explains.

I flip through the report, my mind already working ahead. “So his daughter was taken by the same bastards responsible for the other abductions.” My fingers tighten on the paper. “What does this have to do with the Sovereign?”

Arsen hands me another document. Port logs.

“I took your advice and sifted through shipping manifests at our ports in Spain and Portugal. One ship keeps surfacing.” He taps the name.The Albatros.“Every time it docks, it’s carrying the same cargo.”

Scanning the logs, I grunt, “Weapons.”

“Yeah, but the numbers don’t add up. Weight, dimensions—it’s off.” He points, his finger tracing the discrepancies. “There’s more than just guns on that ship.”

“The Sovereign controls those ports. Any deviation would raise hell.”

“Look at the Sovereign’s signature more closely.”

I pause. My stomach drops.