Page 52 of Shadowed Sins: Nitro

I cross my legs under the table. The friction makes me bite my lip. Through the earpiece, Jax's breathing changes—he knows something's wrong. Not with the mission. With me.

I'm the hunted now, not the hunter.

"Vitals spiking," Jax's voice comes through the earpiece. "Talk to me - what's happening in there?"

"There's something else."

Sasha produces another photograph. Alexei standing outside a warehouse I recognize.

"He's using the racing circuits for transport. Moving product through Lynch's network."

Jax's world. He's pulling Jax's world into this.

My blood freezes. But between my legs, the ache intensifies. Because danger makes me think of Jax. Everything makes me think of Jax.

Rage and protectiveness war in my chest. Bad enough that Alexei wants to destroy me. But threatening Jax?

That's where his mistake becomes fatal.

"The warehouse address is on the back. He'll be there tomorrow night."

I slip the photos into my clutch, mind already calculating angles of approach.

"What's the price, Sasha?"

His smile is cool and businesslike.

"The intelligence is solid. What happens next is your decision."

All those missions. All those kills. He knew exactly where I was.

"You're lying."

My voice sounds steady, but my hands want to shake. I keep them flat on the table, calm intact.

"Am I? Think about it, little star. Your first contract after leaving Prague… who recommended you to that arms dealer in Berlin?"

No. He couldn't have.

"A mutual friend put in a good word. Said you had potential for discrete work."

The room spins slightly. My entire career, built on recommendations that led me exactly where someone wanted me to go.

"Alexei has been cultivating your reputation. Guiding your targets toward his competitors and enemies."

I've been his weapon all along.

"He knows you killed Mikhail. He's been waiting seven years for his 'creation' to come home."

Never. I'd die first.

But even thinking it, cold certainty fills me Alexei was always brilliant at reading people, finding their weaknesses.

"What's his endgame?"

"Racing circuits, entertainment venues, high-end trafficking networks. He's built an empire while waiting for you."

Sasha leans forward, enjoying watching me piece together the scope of it all. "Every venue you've investigated, every contact you've eliminated, you've been clearing his path to total market control."