Page 101 of Sweet Deception

Pure fiction.

On the seat beside me, Rory pores over the server data. I want to sit next to him and read over his shoulder, but the second we were safely back in the caravan and zooming off the property, my legs gave out. And I’ve been a blob of jelly ever since, too spent to move.

Instead, I watch the expression on his face shift while he analyzes the data and taps furiously through folder after folder, scanning files.

“Find anything?” I manage to ask.

“Oh, yes.” Rory’s fingers never stop typing. “Way more than I expected.”

My heart drops at those words.What does that mean?

“Is it worse than we thought?” Cian cuts in from the front seat.

“You could say that.” Rory fishes his phone out of his pants pocket and initiates a call without even looking at it. He holds the device to his ear, and our entire van goes quiet. “Yeah. You’re both going to want to see this. We’ll set up in the war room the minute we get back… Okay. Understood.”

As the call abruptly ends, I think we can all comprehend our new reality. We’ve retrieved information about Red Hill, but now comes the hard part. Figuring out exactly how we’re going to use it.

Dread knots in my belly as we approach the gates to the Gallagher estate. The sun rising around us—this bright and beautiful day—is at odds with the uneasiness embedded inside me.

So many thoughts race through my mind that I barely remember who I am by the time the caravan pulls back into the garage around eight.

Finally, I sit up, my body heavy as lead.

After Darren helps me out of the car, Rory appears in front of us, waving the tablet I handed over to him. “Let’s go. You’reallgoing to want to see this.”

Somehow, I doubt that.

We gather in the war room with Rory, and while he gets things hooked up and turned on, we settle into our seats. Cian assists his friend with a few cables as Darren squeezes myhand under the table, giving me some much-needed emotional support.

“You were incredible back there,” he whispers, his lips brushing my ear. He’s so sweet, I want to ball myself up under the table and drag him down there with me. But guilt still swims in my gut, stabbing little holes in my stomach lining.

I can only shake my head. “You’re the incredible one.”

I’m just the girl who’s trying to use you…

Before we can say more, the doors to the war room swing open. Finn and his crew march in looking like hell.

He and Darren touch base in gruff cavemen-type grunts. When Shane arrives with Darren’s father Donal by his side, a hush settles over the room. They take their seats at the head of the table.

Donal eyes his son, then Rory and Cian. “Report.”

“Mission success.” Rory stops setting up to answer his superiors. “We were able to retrieve the server data.”

“And damage the operations base,” Finn chimes in with pride. His expression grows bitter as his fingers coil into a fist. “I only wish I’d gotten to pay my respects to Carrot Top personally.”

He can only be talking about Troy Sullivan with that bright orange hair comment.

The guy who almost killed Darren and me a few hours ago…

“Well?” Shane cuts in. “How bad is it?”

“You can all see for yourselves.” Rory fires up the projector, and in moments, all of Red Hill’s dirty laundry graces the screen.

I straighten up in my seat, my eyes going wide as saucers.

Bozhe moy…Part of me is shocked I’m even still in the room for this. Sure, I set up the same access for myself, so I will see this sooner or later, but sooner is good. Very good. And me not having to sneak around to do it is even better.

Rory wasn’t kidding. The server data really does reveal far more than we expected to uncover. Not just the trafficking information, but evidence of corrupt police officers, judges, and politicians on Red Hill’s payroll.