Page 100 of Dangerous Men

“Rip off the band-aid, you’re killing me,” I urge.

“When I was in Empire City, the team shared some surveillance pictures with me.” Alec’s eyes flick over to Sebastian, his gaze laced with concern. “Annika is back.”

With that one name, it feels like all the air has been sucked out of the room. My eyes fix on Seb as he stiffens, shoulders tensing. He stares out the window behind Alec’s desk, his fingers tapping rapidly against his leg.

Fuck.

“I think she’s the one behind all of this,” Alec continues, speaking more to Sebastian than me. “She knows more about Dante’s organization than anyone. And she has her own score to settle with us.”

Sebastian shakes his head. His jaw is clenched so tight, I’mworried he might crack a molar. “No. No, that doesn’t make sense. It wouldn’t be her.”

Alec looks to me, then back to Seb. “I know you want to believe?—”

“‘Hesaid his name was Dante,’” Sebastian interrupts with a snap.

When Alec and I only glance at one another, not speaking, he continues. “That’s what Giovanni said to Viper. We all heard the recording. ‘He said his name was Dante.’ Not she. Giovanni dealt with a man.”

Alec’s face is unreadable.

“No one else on your list came up on any of our security footage,” Alec says. He reaches into a drawer and pulls out a glossy 8.5x11 photo, tossing it onto the surface of the desk for Sebastian to see. “Only her. Only Annika.”

Sebastian is quiet as he stares down at the image. Unnaturally still.

“I know what you want to believe, Doc,” Alec says with a heavy sigh. “But if she?—”

“She’s looking at the camera,” Sebastian says.

Alec frowns as Sebastian steps forward and taps the photograph. “She’s looking directly into the camera.”

“What does that?—”

“It means she knows where the camera is,” Sebastian stresses, finger pressing hard against the image as he stares Alec down. “And if she knows where the camera is, why the hell would she let herself be seen by itunless she wanted us to see it.”

I glance between the two of them, baffled as to where he’s going with this.

But what he’s saying clearly makes Alec reconsider. His brows knit together, and he looks at the photograph as if just seeing it for the firsttime.

“Annika isn’t behind this,” Sebastian insists, tapping the image of her face.

I look from him to Alec, frowning. “Then who the fuck is?”

“I don’t know, I need to think. I —” An alarm sounds from Sebastian’s phone, and he swears as he fishes it from his pocket and silences it.

“I have to go, I have to…” Sebastian stops. Tightening his jaw, he slides his phone back into his pocket. “I have somewhere else I need to be tonight.”

“I need your attention on this,” Alec reminds him as he turns to leave. “Your full attention, Doc.”

Sebastian pauses at the door, his back to us and face hidden when he answers.

“Where else would it be?”

34

SEBASTIAN

The sun isa violent shade of orange as it sets over the back of the Book Boutique and Bakery. I glance at the time on my phone. Nearly 8 PM, which means Sydney will be locking up soon, shutting the store down and heading back here, to her apartment.

I’ve been watching her come home almost every night since my impromptu visit a few days ago. But this will be the first night I’ll let her see me.