Page 71 of Fallen Empire

Nic looked at me hard.

“But one thing’s non-negotiable. Savannah needs someone on her atall times. He’s already come for her once. Next time? He won’t leave without ending her life for good.”

“Reaper is on security,” I said. “And we’ve got several agents on deck, watching every angle. Plus, I’m not leaving her side. ”

Ben scoffed. “Yeah. A lot of good that did. He’s already been in once.”

His voice was sharp, but I knew it wasn’t just anger. It was guilt. And it was eating at him.

I turned to Nic. “Does the team know he’s a target?”

She shook her head. “No. I was waiting to send the photos out until I had confirmation.”

“Well, you’ve got it,” I said flatly.

She nodded. “Once they know who they’re looking for, he won’t be able to get past them. Not again. Reaper sure as hell won’t let him get close.”

Nic crossed her arms, hesitation flickering across her face. “We could send in Layla.”

Ben’s head snapped toward her. “Absolutely not.”

“She’s already in Manhattan,” Nic pushed. “I had her watching affiliates the last few days. She’s local. Prepped. And she’s played this part before.”

“You mean bait,” Ben snapped. “That’s what you’re suggesting? That we send her in as one of the women Koslov cycles through like fucking room service?”

“She knows the drill, Ben,” Nic shot back. “She’s posed as worse—for men who made Koslov look like a choir boy. And they never suspected a thing.”

Ben’s head turned sharply. “Do you hear yourself?” he snapped. “The man wasface to facewith us. Jax held him by the fucking throat—and we never even knew who he was until what... ten fucking minutes ago?”

Nic’s arms folded tighter, jaw clenched. “It only took me a few hours once I had something to look for.”

Ben gave a dry laugh. “Yeah? And what if we never had?”

“I wasn’t looking for him,” she shot back. “I was too busy tracking someoneyoulost.”

The room went still.

My gaze bounced between them. They didn’t usually take shots like that, especially not with this kind of heat. Ben never backed down from a mission.

But now?

He wasn’t just fightingforLayla.

He was fightingagainstsending her.

And that meant something.

Nic finally looked at me. “She can handle it.”

I stayed quiet a moment too long.

The kind of pause that carried weight.

“If anyone can... it’s her,” she added.

The silence that followed said it all.

We were out of time. We needed eyes inside, and we needed themnow.