Page 20 of Imperial: The Corvidae Family

Chapter

Twelve

Emir.

The city was quiet at this hour. Not truly silent because Crescent Falls never really slept but out here the only sounds present were the crunch of gravel beneath my boots, the faint sound of security cameras rotating, and the low murmur of Yair’s voice in my earpiece.

"All clear. You’re good to go."

I slipped through the gate behind Calvin Mendez’s house.

The fucker thought he was slick. For the last few months, shipments of firearms had been off.

Not the whole shipment, but a few select crates at a time.

Just enough to go unnoticed at first, but enough to piss off the right people once it started affecting their money.

I didn’t give a damn about arms dealers but I did care about the contracts they secured with me.

I had been paid to figure out if Mendez was the one behind this shit, and if so, he wouldn’t be around for much longer.

If he was the one stealing the guns, someone was feeding him just enough information to snatch what he wanted without setting off alarms.

Smart.

But not smart enough because now I was inside his house. I moved through his home, quietly, with my gloved hands sliding over surfaces, searching for what I was paid to be here for.

Mendez wasn’t sloppy. He had money, but was new to this kind of game. People like him thought having cash meant they didn’t have to move with caution and that was a mistake.

Yair’s voice sounded through my earpiece. "You’ve got ten minutes before he gets back."

I was already on my way to his office.

“Plenty of time.”

I moved inside and my eyes scanned the space. The room was neat which I appreciated because I damn sure didn’t feel like wasting my time digging through a bunch of shit. I bypassed the drawers and cabinets and went straight to the bookshelf.

The second my fingers ran along the edges, I found the gap between the wood paneling. I pressed, a soft click sounded, and the panel popped open just enough for me to slide it free. There was a hidden compartment filled with files, ledgers, and a locked tablet.

Bingo. That’s what the fuck I’m talking about…

"Five minutes, Emir," Yair reminded me.

I pulled my phone out, snapping photos of every document before slipping the files back in place and sliding the panel closed. Then I removed my backpack and lifted the tablet I arrived with and swapped it for the one Mendez had. It was identical but wouldn’t turn on.

That would buy some time. He would assume it was a glitch.

His was locked, but Yair would break into it by morning and the people paying me would have what they needed.

I dropped it into my backpack and yanked the straps over my shoulders again then turned to leave.

Before I escaped, something on the desk caught my eye.

A handwritten note on the back of an invoice which I lifted and frowned when I caught the name. Jordan Lyons.

My smirk deepened. Looks like I just found his contact.

"He’s pulling up," Yair’s voice cut in. "Get the fuck out of there, Mir."

I slipped back into the hallway, moving with calculated ease, making sure nothing was disturbed. By the time Mendez’s front door opened, I was already out the back, ghosting into the night.

"You’re always fucking pushing it," Yair said annoyed as I stepped through the back gate.

“You said ten minutes. I had thirty seconds left.”

“Too gotdamm close, Mir.” He groaned then dropped off.

As soon as I hit the highway, Yair called and my Bluetooth pick up.

“Everything’s erased and his system is reset. No issues.”

I relaxed, swerving between two cars. “You sound impressed.”

Yair chuckled. “I’m always impressed but with my skills, not yours muthafucker.”

I switched lanes again, weaving through the empty streets. “Stroke your dick not your ego, Yair.”

“Fuck you.” He laughed. “Anything important in there?”

“Mendez isn’t just taking product, he’s got someone feeding him intel from their own supplier.”

Yair muttered a curse. “Insider?”

“Yeah. Name’s Jordan Lyons.”

“Lyons? Shit. That explains a lot. I’ll run his name and see what else comes up.”

I nodded to myself. Lyons was known for doing anything for a decent payout. “Don’t bother. As soon as I send what I found out, they’re going to give me the green light to get rid of them both.”

I was about to shift the conversation when my phone notified me of another call.

I glanced at the screen, noticing it was Baylyn.

She’d gone out with her girl tonight, which worked in my favor since I accepted this job.

I saw her post but didn’t bother reaching out because I was working and planned to when I was done.

It was late and she probably just had a few drinks, was feeling nice, and wanted some dick.

I let it go to voicemail because I was going to pull up. Yair kept talking, but barely a minute later, she called again.

Back-to-back calls. My brows pulled together in a deep frown. Something wasn’t right. I was the persistent one, she wasn’t.

“I gotta go,” I told Yair, already lifting my hand to switch the calls.

“Everything good?”

“Not sure. I’ll hit you back in a few.” Without another word, I ended the call and answered Baylyn’s.

“Where are you?” She asked sounding nervous, not tipsy or playful. Something was wrong.

“Heading home, where are you?”

“I’m in your driveway.” My frown deepened. Baylyn wouldn’t just show up unannounced. That was more of my thing.

“What’s wrong?” I asked carefully.

“I didn’t want to go home.”

That was all she needed to say. Whatever had her rattled she would tell me when I got there. Right now, she just needed to know she was safe.

“Alright, baby. Go inside. You remember the code?”

There was a slight pause before she admitted, “No.”

“Seventy-one eighty-four,” I told her, keeping my voice level. She was already stressing and I damn sure didn’t want to add to that. “Go in. Lock the door behind you.”

I could hear her moving. The subtle shuffle of her bag, the car door closing and then the sound of her typing in the code.

“Um, how long before you get here?”

“I’m already on my way,” I assured her. “You’re safe there. Once you’re inside, set the alarm the same way I showed you before.”

She had only stayed with me once but I handed over all the access she needed without a second thought. Baylyn was mine before I ever touched her body but after…

That was a fucking wrap.

“Okay.”

I pressed the gas a little harder, needing to get to her as fast as I could.

What the fuck had her so rattled and who the fuck was going to have to see me because they had my baby shook?

By the time I pulled into my driveway, Baylyn was safely inside.

The house was dark except for the light filtering from the living room.

I barely shut my car door before unlocking the front door and entering my spot.

The minute I did, she was on me. She crossed the space between us in seconds, crashing into my chest.

I caught her easily, wrapping my arms around her, letting her press herself against me, burying her face into my neck.

Her breathing was shallow, but the second I held her, I sensed her body relax.

I kissed the top of her head and one hand moved up and down her spine.

“I got you, beautiful.” My voice remained low, steady. “Tell me what’s going on.”

It took a minute before she pulled away. I let her take her time and breathe me before she shifted enough to look up at me.

“There was a guy watching me tonight and before that, someone sent us drinks. I thought it was you at first. I even posted them, thinking they were from you.”

I stiffened.

That meant whoever the fuck it was knew me well enough to have her assuming I was the one. Baylyn swallowed hard before continuing, “But the part that really freaked me out…” She hesitated, then looked up at me. “When we left the lounge, there were black roses on my car.”

I stilled. Black roses. The fuck?

I pulled back just enough to see her face fully. “What do you mean?”

“They looked just like the ones you sent me before,” she said. “Only…they were wilted. Like someone let them die before leaving them on my car.”

My jaw clenched and my entire body went cold. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, clearly trying to process everything as she said, “Rachelle was freaked out. She thought it was you at first, but I told her you wouldn’t do that.”

“Nah,” I confirmed. “I wouldn’t.”

“I didn’t think so.”

She was still tense but better now that she was here with me. I studied her for a second, then asked, “The guy who was watching you. What did he look like?”

She bit her lip with her brows pinched as she tried to recall. “Tall. Light brown skin. Short locs. Had this look like he knew exactly who I was but I have never seen him before.”

Before she even finished I knew who the fuck had been stalking them tonight. Trent.

My jaw tightened. She was watching me and reading my reaction. “You know who it is.”

It wasn’t a question. “Yeah. I do.”

Baylyn pulled back more to look at me and tensed.

“Who is he?” Her voice was tight.

My tongue glided over my my bottom row of teeth while I considered my options because I didn’t want to tell her about Trent just yet. The less she knew, the better.

“Someone who should’ve never had eyes on you.”

Her frown deepened. “But he does.”

I hated that I hadn’t caught this shit sooner but there was really no way to link Baylyn to me, or so I thought.

She was trying her best to stay calm but I could see her stressing. “I need to show you something.”

I watched as she pulled up Skroll and switched to her notifications. She swiped for a second before stopping, then turned the screen toward me.

“This isn’t you, right?” she asked, watching my face. “I thought it was at first, but…”