Page 101 of Forbidden Empire

He left, boots echoing in the hallway, and then it was the four of us and the air bristling with old grudges, exhaustion grinding down whatever patience I had left.

“Okay, we’ll be in touch. Thank you for coming.” I moved toward the door, needing space, needing distance, but Zeno spoke, cutting through the haze.

“Aidon. A word?”

I stopped, turning to face him.

However, my gaze flicked to Thal and Esme, dismissing them.

They slipped out the door, closing it behind them.

“What can I do for you?”

He studied me, his focus intense. “Listen. Esme can be a problem, Aidon. She’s unpredictable and fucking wild half the time. The rest, she’s plain stupid.”

“She’s your sister,” I shot back.

He smirked, not the least bit offended. “Yeah, and I know her a hell of a lot better than you do. I’m just saying: call it however you want, let her come or not. But if she gets in the way, you’d better know what needs to be done.”

His gaze cut straight through me, cold, expecting.

Rage tore up my spine, hot and sudden. My hands balled into fists at my sides. I stepped in, close enough to smell the smoke of his threat, my eyes locked on his, daring him to look away, daring him to test me.

“Zeno,” I bit out. “I don’t give a fuck who you think you are. If you touch even one hair on Esme’s head, you won’t live long enough to regret it.”

His eyes darkened, pupils blown wide with fury.

Every word I said, I meant, loud and raw and right between us. The tension was electric, a current snapping in the air as Zeno stared me down, chest rising and falling, lips pressed thin. This dance between us was old, practically ritual by now, and neither of us ever knew how to let it go.

“We can end this now, if that’s what you want, brother.”

The words came out sharp, biting, almost a dare. I wanted him to take the bait. Needed it, truth be told. After everything with Esme, my nerves were shot to hell, and the anger roiling inside me was a live wire, sparking and begging to be unleashed.

I raised my chin, meeting his gaze, refusing to blink first.

For a second, he looked like he might lunge.

Instead, Zeno pivoted, boots heavy over the floor as he stalked out, leaving me alone with the fire raging in my blood. I huffed out a breath, a jagged smirk twisting my lips. The fury had nowhere to go, not yet.

But it was still there, burning.

I stalked to the balcony, staring down at the club.

It was a riot tonight, the crowd wild and oblivious, drunk on music and booze and the illusion of safety. No one below had a clue what was being plotted above their heads.

If we pulled this off, everything would change. There'd be no going back. Vegas would bear new scars, and half these people would find their lives turned upside down by morning.

The risk loomed large. I clenched my jaw, my eyes fixed on the target. Rhea had to go. There was no other option. I would see her destroyed or die trying.

Esme came up without warning. One moment I was alone, the next her arms closed tight around my waist, a blindside, a comfort, and a demand all at once. I closed my hands over hers, our fingers locking together.

I drew in a breath, and the world steadied. Christ, the things she did to me. How the hell could she light me up like an inferno and, in the same breath, soothe me to the bone? I’d never get used to it. I didn’t want to.

She slipped past me, forcing me to look at her. That face: gorgeous, battered, defiant.

Her eyes locked on mine, electric, and for a second, I couldn’t breathe.

She’d been through hell, and she was still here, shining up at me. The storm inside me stilled, went calm, and I knew what I had to do.