Page 81 of Devil's Azalea

No, she fucking didn’t.

Surely Stacey wasn’t aware or she would have told me. Right? But she’s the director—that sort of decision wouldn’t be able to go through without her explicit permission. There’s no denying she knew while I was sitting right there in her office, mere inches from her, discussing my next fucking mission.

So why didn’t she tell me? Was it her goal to make me feel blindsided?

A stinging sense of betrayal settles at the base of my spine.

“No. She gave me a new mission instead.” A mission I don’t fucking want. And what would be the point anyway? If I poison the Albanians like she asked… what then? Would I take the fall for it when she or whoever she’s getting orders from changes their mind again?

Fuck.

I blow out a breath as I open my eyes, my gaze landing unerringly on my azaleas.No.I’m not going to do it.

My mind flashes to Rafael’s coat, still tucked away in my closet… then to the car ride earlier tonight… followed by his words in the supermarket the other night:

Because it’s you, Emilia.

It feels like that moment happened a lifetime ago now.

I know he’d never forgive me this time if I go ahead with Stacey’s orders. Hell,Iwould never forgive myself. The Albanians are far from innocent, but they have no dog in this fight. And if I’m to take them down, it will be through legal means, not by sneakily poisoning them. The people I use my azaleas for are the absolute scum of the earth, the bottom-feeding monsters of the criminal world.

“A new mission? What’s our new assignment?” Katie’s voice breaks through my thoughts.

I turn to face her again, watching her expression carefully. “Killing the Përmetis.”

Her jaw drops. “Holy fuck. What?”

We’ve never been explicitly told to kill anyone before. It’s always an arrest, and if one or two people died along the way… well, it couldn’t be helped. But an actual kill order? Never. What changed this time?

It can’t just be because they’re allies with the Nightshades. There’s something more I’m not seeing.

“Fuck.” Katie presses her index and middle finger to her temple, as if trying to physically hold her thoughts in place. “This day has been one fucking train wreck after the other. I need to sleep.” And without another word, she turns on her heel and stalks back to her room, slamming the door behind her.

I stare at the closed door for a moment, a small smile playing at the corner of my lips despite the situation. Classic Katie.

Maybe I should try to get some sleep too. But I doubt I’d drift off easily after today’s events. It’s been one emotional rollercoaster after another, topped off with too many unanswered questions crowding my head and unresolved anger with nowhere to direct it.

I briefly consider calling Stacey, but she’s probably on her jet back to Virginia by now. And even if she weren’t, my emotions are too raw, too close to the surface. I might say something I shouldn’t.

So instead, I head to my room and grab my bike keys. A refreshing ride is probably the only thing that could wind me down enough to eventhinkabout sleep.

28

RAFAEL

“Sergey Volkov is back home.”

My head snaps up at Enzo’s announcement as he walks into my office. “What?” He and Jason were arrestedlast nightand they’re releasing him already? Emilia almost lost her life for this? My fingers curl into a fist on my desk.

“Either the Russian’s lawyers are miracle workers, the FBI couldn't find anything on Sergey, or something fishy is going on.” Enzo sinks into the chair across from me. “What do you think?”

“I know for a fact his lawyers aren’t that good. And the FBI always has a dossier on everyone. So I’m leaning towards the latter.” I close the reports tab I’ve been reviewing to give him my full attention. “What about Jason?”

“Well, he’s the one they were specifically after, so he’s still in their custody. For now.”

Of course. But I have no doubt he’ll be released soon too. If experience has taught me anything about these government agencies, it's how much they love striking deals. And Jason comes off as exactly the kind of spineless politician who’d sell his own mother to save his skin.

I’ll need to handle him carefully moving forward. Because the one thing that seems to be making the agency hard as fuck right now is me and my brothers. Could Sergey have cut a deal as well?