Page 88 of Brutal Reign

I catch the bag mid-swing and turn to find her standing in the doorway with an expression that tells me my day just got a lot more complicated.

“What’s up?” I ask, grabbing my towel from the equipment rack.

She drops onto a weight bench, crossing one booted leg over the other. From the way she’s dressed, it looks like she pulled an all-nighter.

“Chen made contact with Hope last night.”

My shoulders tense. “What did he say?”

“A lot of bullshit,” she says, rolling her eyes. “He claims the bank finally released her trust fund. Great. But now there’s a new problem. He tells her the government froze Lai King’s assets, so they have to be careful. That part’s true, thanks to you, but her trust fund is in her name, so the authorities can’t touch it.” She swipes her fingers across the tablet. “Here’s the really suspicious part: he’s pushing for an in-person meeting. Says the safest thing is to convert her inheritance into hardware wallets he’ll hand-deliver to her.”

“Over my dead body. I’ll never let her off the compound without me anyhow.” I begin pacing the room like a caged animal. “And what the hell is a hardware wallet?”

“Encrypted USB device that stores digital currency keys. Basically, whoever holds the physical device has access to the money.”

I take a long drink from my water bottle. “Convenient story. How did Hope respond?”

“Cautiously. She told him she appreciates the offer but needs time to figure out a safe way to meet.”

“She can’t seriously be considering meeting him. She doesn’t need the money. I have more than enough.”

Dinara gives me a dry look. “She deserves that money. It’s hers, and it’s her only real power in this world.” She cocks her head to the side. “You could tell her the truth, show her what we found. It’s not a smoking gun, but it’s something.”

My hands curl into fists by my side. “She trusts Chen more than she trusts me. And how do you think she’ll respond when she finds out we gave her a tablet to spy on her?” I exhale heavily. “Until I have solid proof Chen’s working with Simon, telling her will only complicate things.” I roll my shoulders, trying to work out the tension building there. “What’s your take on this hardware wallet story?”

Dinara frowns. “It’s technically possible, but it would take weeks and require Hope’s direct involvement with the bank.” She shakes her head. “This all sounds like the perfect excuse to get close to her.”

“That’s what I figured.” I slam my fist into the heavy bag, needing the release. Because the only reason Chen would insist on meeting Hope in person is to deliver her straight to Simon.

I drag my fingers through my sweat-dampened hair. “We need proof Chen and Simon are collaborating. Remember, Chen was never part of the triad operations. He was only ever Lai King’s lawyer. If he’s suddenly coordinating with Simon, there needs to be a reason.”

“And that reason usually comes down to one thing. I’m going to follow the money trail. If Simon’s desperate enough for Hope’s inheritance to orchestrate all this, there’s money changing hands, and money leaves footprints.”

Dinara rises, and I can already see her brain working overtime, running through every possible strategy. She won’t accept dead ends, which only makes her dig harder.

Before she reaches the door, she turns to face me, one hand cocked on her hip. “By the way, you might be interested to know that Hope reassured Chen she’s safe here and that you’re, quote—‘not a monster’—unquote. I think your wife is starting to warm to you.”

My mouth quirks upward. “I’ll take that as progress.”

“Oh, and Pavel?” I pause and wait for her to continue. She seems to hesitate before saying, “I finally got around to digging up the info about Kin’s paternity you asked me for. I’ll email it.”

My throat tightens. I’d almost forgotten asking her to look into this. Officially, it was about ensuring Kin’s biological father doesn’t surface to cause problems later. But that wasn’t my only motivation.

I keep my face carefully blank. “Thanks.”

Half an hour later, I’m in my office, sitting in front of my computer when Dinara’s email lands in my inbox. My eyes catch on the subject line:Kin’s birth certificate.

When I first made the request, I wanted to be certain of Kin’s paternity. His age meant he was conceived pretty close to our night in London, and when I asked Hope about the father, she was vague, only insisting he wasn’t mine. Part of me was terrified by the possibility. What the hell would I do if he was my kid?

But now, something’s shifted. I don’t care if Kin’s my blood or not. I want to be the one who teaches him to box, who shows up to his school events. Who wakes up early to make him pancakes and play in the garden.

I hover over the email for a moment, then click it open.

The scanned birth certificate loads on my screen, and I scroll down to the father’s name: Daniel Ross.

Disappointment I didn’t expect rolls through me. Maybe part of me had wanted to see Lukas Viklund listed here.

I don’t know if this Ross asshole came before or after me. All I know is that the thought of Hope beneath another man, crying out his name the way she cried out mine, makes me want to hunt this bastard down and gut him.