Page 116 of Between Passion and Revenge: Part Two

I stare at Axel hard, my mind struggling to compute what the fuck he’s suggesting.

Listen to them.

With tight lips, I say, “Why?”

Axel and Riale share a look, and Riale nods at the other man.

“This is bigger than Lakeland, Storm. Way bigger. And I think you know that,” Axel says. I roll my eyes. Of course, I know this is all bigger than Lakeland. I’ve known that for years and have intimate knowledge of most of his business workings.

I know about the trafficking, the guns, the drugs.

“And?” I burst out. “Listen, there’s gonna be evil whether Lakeland’s on this planet or not. I might as well take out the direct threat and work on the rest later.”

“You’re trippin’, Storm.” This comes from Axel.

I want to hit my head against a wall.

“I think Keystone’s not just a bank. It’s a front, a shell, or a node. Something critical that connects everything. I think there’s something hidden within the company, something beneath all the obvious shit that anyone with a few weeks of coding camp could uncover. And Lakeland needs that,” Axel continues.

“Okay,” I say blandly.

“I think when Shae delayed the acquisition, he got into some seriously hot water. I think he’s moving around so much because he’s running from his bill collectors. We won’t see him settle in unless he can cure his debts to whoever he owes. The only way he’ll be able to do that is by getting the Keystone deal over the finish line.”

“But he wants it specifically through Orisun—why? There must be something, or someone, linking him to Shae’s company beyond you,” Riale says.

I hum, trying to stay focused on the conversation.

“Then he’ll have the direct access to money needed to go hyper-speed on funding his crimes,” I say.

Axel spreads his hands out wide, as if to say,Exactly.

I shake my head.

Slumping in my chair, I press two fingers to my left temple. This just got fucking complicatedquickly.A flash of an overheard conversation between my father and Lakeland, just a few doors down in my dad’s office, comes to mind.

“You trust those people like they wouldn’t hesitate to eat your Black ass alive…I don’t want any favors from you…or from them. You’ve done enough, and their help doesn’t come without a price. You know this,”Dad had said.

At the time, I thought Dad was talking about the general connections made on the island. Could he have been talking about something more? Something even more of a mindfuck?

“Bottom line: Getting rid of Lakeland isn’t gonna solve anything as long as the Keystone deal is in limbo,” Axel says.

I shake my head.

“We kill Lakeland, we end the direct threat,” I say.

“Kill Lakeland without handling the rest of it, and you’ll just spread the infection,” Riale rebuts.

I stare at both of them for a heavy moment before sliding my eyes closed.

This entire situation is enraging, overwhelming. How do I keep my family safe from an invisible enemy?

“Regardless of anything, Shae, Tempest, and Raiden are untouchable.” Tension grows so thick I could choke on it. “On my life and everything holy, they are to stay safe. Understood?”

Axel takes a deep breath, and Riale looks grim.

Neither of their expressions offers comfort.

It takesme a minute to cool off, so I grab my trunks out of my room and jump into the pool.