Page 35 of Imperial: The Corvidae Family

Chapter

Twenty-Two

Emir

The room was quiet, the only sound was the soft rhythm of Baylyn’s breathing.

Moonlight filtered into the room, painting her skin in shadows.

The sheet had slipped low, twisted around her hips, leaving the rest of her bare.

After I removed my phone and caught a few pictures, I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, taking in the sight of her.

Peaceful.

Safe.

Mine.

The thought settled in me heavier than it should’ve been. I spent my life avoiding attachments, keeping my world simple. No liabilities. No weaknesses. But looking at her now, I had to accept the truth.

She wasn’t temporary. This woman was the only thing I had worth protecting outside of my family.

I pushed off the frame, crossing the room, drawn to her like I had no choice in the matter.

Leaning down, I pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder, letting my lips linger against her skin. She sighed softly but didn’t wake.

I forced myself to pull back, digging my phone from my pocket and leaving the room. The living room was dark, but I didn’t turn on the lights. Moving by memory, I reached for the bottle on the bar and poured a drink before dropping onto the sofa.

I scrolled through my contacts, found the name I needed, and hit call.

It rang twice before Yair picked up. “What’s up, Mir. You good?”

“Yeah, I’m straight.”

“Sis good?”

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. Kades and Yair now considered Baylyn family. “Yeah, she’s good. Send me everything you found on Trent.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’m speaking to Shadow Court in the morning. I need to end this shit.”

“Trent reached out tonight. I was going to hit you in the morning.”

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”

“’Cause you said you needed today. Kades told me to let you have that.”

Yeah they really fucked with Baylyn heavy. Enough that they didn’t want to fuck up our vibe today. I respected that.

“What did he do?”

“Check your recent job requests,” Yair said. “It came through the network. The last one that came through is him.”

I set my glass down, grabbed my laptop, and flipped it open, navigating to the secure portal. The job request sat at the top of the queue, unread. I clicked it open, scanning the details.

The job came through as an encrypted message like always, buried beneath layers of security, routed through multiple dead drops and anonymized channels.

It was a high-profile mark. International arms dealer. Deep pockets. Dangerous, but an easy, clean job.

I scanned the details with my mind already working through logistics. Contracts like this came through every now and then but were mostly the type I took when I wanted a high payout for a quick job.

But something about it was off.

The payout was high. The job wasn’t much of a challenge, but the client was new. I didn’t know them and with a payout that high in our world, that was a problem.

“This is Trent.”

“Yeah, hang on.”

A few seconds later, a message popped up.

Trent thought he was smart enough to bury the source under enough layers to keep me from finding out it was him because typically I wouldn’t check unless something was off about the job.

Yair found a routing signature from a transaction Trent made months ago, a tiny thread leading straight to him.

Yair continued. “He set this up thinking you wouldn’t check but I traced the transaction. He layered it well, but he left a signature in the routing. He knows you wouldn’t refuse this kind of job. That’s how he planned to get to you.”

“This is exactly why he’s in this shit now.”

“Yeah, sloppy work,” Yair confirmed.

“I’ll hit you in the morning.”

“You good?”

“Yeah, I’m straight. Just ready to get this over with.”

I ended the call with my brother and sent a message requesting a meeting with Shadow Court.

Twenty minutes later I had a time and location.

Once I got their approval, I was ending this shit.

Even if they refused me, I was still putting a bullet in Trent’s head.

He wanted my attention, now he fucking had it.

I was annoyed at the location I was sent for the meeting. I pulled into the abandoned parking lot showcasing cracked asphalt with weeds and nothing else around. I would basically be fully exposed, which was intentional on their part.

Two black SUVs sat idling in the center of the lot with their tinted windows keeping the people inside hidden. Outside one of the vehicles, four men were posted up and heavily armed, dressed in all black. They were just as intentional as the location with their presence offering a silent warning.

Do something stupid and die.

I cut the engine, grabbed my laptop from the passenger seat, and stepped out of the car. My stride was confident as I approached the SUV. The men moved immediately, blocking my path. One of them stepped forward to pat me down.

I didn’t resist. This was the procedure.

After a quick but thorough search, he nodded toward the backseat of the SUV, pulling the door open.

I slid inside and frowned hard as fuck. Carter was sitting in the backseat across from a Shadow Court member.

The vehicle interior had two rows facing each other instead of the typical interior.

I damn sure hadn’t expected that.

Carter’s expression was stoic when his eyes locked onto mine with the same measured calm I was used to with him but there was something different today.

Something heavier. Before I could ask, he grinned.

“Having a family doesn’t change who I am,” he said easily, keeping his voice level.

“But it does change how I choose to exist. I have a new position.”

I narrowed my eyes on him then glanced at Atteir Dominic. “You’re Court?”

Carter nodded. Didn’t see that coming. With his uncle being the head of the Angels of Death I naturally assumed he would go that route.

After years of not knowing his connection to them, they were finally in a good place.

But I guess Carter meant what he said about not being attached to that world.

Shadow Court was very different but equally important.

He motioned toward my laptop. “What do you have?”

I pushed past the distraction, flipping the laptop open and pulling up the files Yair compiled, then handed it over.

Carter and Atteir, one of the higher-ranking members of the Shadow Court, scanned the information, remaining neutral while they processed the data.

Atteir was the first to speak. “And this is all verifiable?”

I leaned back against the seat, keeping my eyes steady. “Yeah. You see it. If you want your people to waste time chasing it down on their own, they can. But this is Yair’s work and you already know he’s fucking good. That’s all verified.”

Atteir delivered a hard stare to Carter, who gave a single nod.

“That won’t be necessary,” Carter said.

Atteir’s frown deepened. “This is a serious matter. If that’s not legitimate and he kills Trent, then that challenges the Black Code and we have to deal with the fallout. It creates problems. Members will start killing other members, unsanctioned, every time they get in a dick swinging contest.”

Carter’s expression darkened as he turned toward Atteir. “Understood, but I’m making the call on this one. I’m trusting that it’s verified.”

Atteir’s jaw clenched. “You’re willing to put your name on the line?”

Carter didn’t hesitate. He glanced at me, then nodded. “For him? Yes.”

I felt that shit. Carter wasn’t just signing off on this. He was putting himself in the middle of the decision. If the information was wrong and Trent wasn’t in violation of the Code, it would be his legacy on the line.

Atteir held his gaze for a long moment before finally nodding. “Then handle it.”

Carter turned to me. “You have our support.”

I closed the laptop as he handed it back to me. “I will get it done tonight.”

Without another word, I exited the SUV, shutting the door behind me. The men outside didn’t speak, just watched as I walked back to my car.

I slid behind the steering wheel with my mind already on what was next.

It was time.

Trent wanted a trap? He was about to fucking get one, only it wasn’t going to end like he planned.