Page 77 of Envy

“Confirmed,” he says. “Silas, it has to be her. We’re monitoring, but the moment there’s an opening, we’re going in.”

“I’m on my way.”

“I’ll drop our location.” He pauses, and I hear the hesitation in the quiet before he exhales. “I told Tempest.”

“You what?” I hiss, trying to keep my voice down, but then I catch sight of Evie in the doorway, my shirt thrown over her shoulders, hanging to mid-thigh.

“She deserves to know,” Erik snaps.

It’s the first time he’s sounded serious in years. “I got her to promise to stay put, but I couldn’t keep her in the dark.”

Evie holds my gaze as I bite my tongue about keeping Tempest safe. I won’t survive the loss of another sister if she changes her mind and follows us. But judging by the lift of Evie’s chin and the firm press of her lips, she’s already guessed what this call is about. And she’s on Erik’s side.

“Okay,” I grit out, cutting off Erik’s lecture mid-sentence. “Evie is coming too.”

Ihear the sirens first.

“Hold on,” I say into the mic. Evie braces, her back pressing against me as I speed down the abandoned street, weaving through back alleys until the Devil’s Lair comes into view. Red and blue lights flash against downtown buildings as people in black with guns drawn cluster in front of our place of interest.

“What’s happening?” I ask, slowing my bike as I find an outcropping a few streets up. I can’t see the back alley, but I can at least monitor the cars from here. “Cops?”

“Maybe,” Erik replies. I hear the purr of his engine spring to life. “We’re not sure.”

The sirens go quiet, wariness pricking along my spine. It must’ve been a sign, because the group scatters, swarming the building. I recognize their formations, groups fanning out to cover every exit. They’re clean. Anyone watching would assume it’s a standard police raid, but these men move like they’ve worked together for years.

“Mavros thinks they might be special ops,” Erik says. “Noctis is checking and monitoring from the roof.”

My gaze cuts to the building across the street. It’s tucked in shadow, providing the perfect place for a sniper.

“The rest of us are headed your way,” Dom adds.

The ground vibrates moments later as my brothers round the corner, switching their lights off to conceal their movements. Erik and Mavros pull up beside me, watching as a team of three men slip around the back of the building and vanish from view.

“Dom, Bane, Adrian,” I say. I don’t like the idea of splitting up, but I need eyes on every possible escape route.

“On it,” they reply, slipping through the streets, keeping to the darkness. I scrutinize the movement of the so-called cops, brows furrowing as I realize the ammunition they’re packing isn’t standard issue.

“They’re not local” I murmur, hoping someone will contradict me.

“No,” Noctis confirms, and I know he’s looking through his scope, cataloging every detail. “The cop cars have the same emblem as the uniforms. Most wouldn’t notice, but they’re wearing military grade gear complete with Kevlar jackets, silencers, the works.”

“How many?” Mavros asks.

“At least a dozen,” Noctis replies. “Maybe more if there are still soldiers in the cars.”

“Too many,” Dominic mutters. “There’s an SUV in the back. Black, tinted, and filled with another half-dozen decorated the same.”

“But they’re against the people who have Morana,” Evie says, her soft voice unsure as she speaks.

“She’s right,” Dominic replies. “They just busted a window?—”

Gunshots ring out, silencers curbing the blasts.

“Shit,” Dom curses, his voice muffled as engines roar in the background.

“What’s going on?” I ask, leather gloves flexing around the handlebars, ready to move at a moment’s notice. Lights flash in the garage windows. Two more blasts ring out, and then the garage door lifts, revealing half a dozen men sprinting toward the cop cars—one carrying a thin woman with dark brown hair thrown over his shoulder.

Morana.