I nodded at Darrien and stepped out of the room, glancing over my shoulder to make sure that I had everything put back in place before closing the door.
What’s going on ? I kept my tone neutral as I spoke.
Darrien shrugged his shoulder and shoved his hands into his pockets as he looked over at me. I don’t know.
I knew he wasn’t telling me the truth, but I didn’t push it. I was beginning to feel as if I was on thin ice, ice that was beginning to crack underneath my feet.
We walked in silence, each of us deep in our own thoughts. As we reached the meeting room, Darrien pushed the door open and walked in, holding it open as I stepped in behind him. All eyes looked to us and then refocused on Carter and Darrell. We took our seats and waited for one of the two men to speak.
Thank you all for coming in on such a short notice.
A sound of disbelief filled the room, Carter Stephens, crime boss extraordinaire, was thanking us.. damn that girl had more influence over him than I originally thought.
Carter ignored the shock and surprise gasps and continued, As you are all aware, Victoria has taken Lea from the house to, and I quote, get to know her better. I, along with Darrell and the others, he nodded to Darrien, Tony, and Lea’s guards, however, believe that there is something more going on. She has Lynx and Miller with her, but knowing Victoria, she will more than likely have them beaten and sent back to us, leaving Lea vulnerable to whatever it is she has in mind.
I clenched my jaw to keep from confirming how close to being right he was.
Carter ran a hand down his face and looked over each of us, his heated gaze searching for clues in each of our faces. As his eyes landed on me, I forced myself to remain calm, to stay immobile under his scrutiny. I was a trained operative, a former covert assassin for the United States government, but even then, the knowledge that I had of Carter scared the shit out of me. He had been trained as well, not by the great country we lived in, but by his parents and grandparents and by trained assassins that had worked within the organization as well.
He had been taught everything I had been. He was cautious, always on guard. And he only held respect and trust for few people, and that was something that wasn’t given, it had to be earned. I had seen Carter fight on more than one occasion, he was good. Damn good. Only one person had ever came close to besting him, but coming close wasn’t actually succeeding.
He was well versed in the technological side of things as well. I had learned quickly that I had to tread carefully when I was around him, playing dumb as not to raise suspicions with him and Tony. Hacking into the security system had taken some time as well, the firewalls had proved to be a challenge to crack ; Tony was good, but I was better. I had managed to come up behind Carter a few weeks ago as he keyed his security code into one of the systems. I had made a point to memorize the pattern so that I could use the information when the time was right.
Carter’s eyes finally left mine and continued to move around the room, scanning each face, looking for that one movement, that one tell tale sign that would give the mole away.
We have associates on the ground in the area where we believe Victoria is headed. They will be making rounds and reporting back to myself, Darrell, Darrien, or Tony when they are spotted. In the meantime, everyone here is on lock down. All forms of communication will be confiscated. That includes all phones, pagers, computers, and laptops. All pending jobs will be suspended until further notice and no one is allowed to leave the house for any reason.
Carter’s eyes turned deadly, his voice dropping to match the look in his eyes, As of right now, everyone in this house under suspicion of being a traitor, a mole. I won’t tell you what will happen to you when I find out which one of you is working with Victoria and Miguel.
Gasps sounded loudly through the room at the suggestion of Victoria and Miguel working together. A deadly smirk formed at the edges of his Carter’s mouth, But I will tell you, if something happens to Lea, or Lynx and Miller, when I do find out which one of you it is, you won’t live to see another second of the day.
I was frozen in my spot. Why did he suspect that Victoria was working with Miguel ? Did I slip up ? I couldn’t have. I excelled at covering my tracks.
Do you seriously believe that Victoria and Miguel are working together ?
All eyes turned to Levi. He was a low ranking member of the organization, but was quickly rising in rank. He was proficient in his assignments, never making a mistake, always executing the task perfectly.
Yes. I do. Carter’s voice was firm and unwavering.
Holy shit. Jacob sighed out from across the room. We all know, no offense Boss, that Victoria is a bitch and Miguel has had it out for you for longer than some of us have been in the house. What I don’t understand is why would someone want to stoop to that level, to have the two of them to team up.
I have my suspicions. Carter straightened up and glanced around the room.
I think you should do room inspections, Boss. Katherine, a mid level baiter spoke with a slight French accent. I mean, there has to be some way they are communicating without one of you, or Tony, being able to track the calls, right ?
Mummers of agreement sounded through the room. I knew if that happened, I would be made.
We have a plan of action in place. Darrell spoke from beside Carter.
So what does this mean for the rest of us ? Jason, a mid level perimeter guard, folded his arms on the table and leaned up so that he could see past the higher ranking members.
Darrell pushed his chair back and stood next to Carter, It means that you are all under suspicion as Carter previously stated. It also means that we are all vulnerable. Every associate, in every house we own is in danger of being brought down because of one person’s vendetta. It means that each of your loved ones is in danger. And it means that you better watch your back, Darrell’s voice lowered, growing just as deadly as Carter’s had, and you better hope to hell you aren’t the one that has betrayed us.
What about Lea, Boss ? Micah, another perimeter guard, ran a hand down his face, We all know that you care for her. Hell, she has grown on all of us. We would all give our lives for her. Most everyone in the room nodded in agreement as Micah continued, What can we do to help get her back ?
Carter clenched his fist and took a deep breath. Nothing. This test that she is being put through is designed to break her, to find her weakness, to turn her against us.
And if that happens ? Karla’s quiet voice flowed through the room.
Then she will have to be dealt with. Carter’s abruptly left the room, the emotions swirling through his eyes clear as day. I drew in a deep breath to calm my nerves as Carter brushed past me without a single glance
He loved her. He truly loved her.
But even with that knowledge, I couldn’t find it in myself to hate him any less. I had loved my parents and he took them from me. I needed this. I needed an eye for an eye.
Darrell looked over the room once more, his voice cold, I’m going to give the perpetrator one last chance to come forward. You have until midnight to rectify the situation you have put us all in, the situation you put Lea in. If you don’t, I’m warning you right now, if something happens to her or one of her guards, do not expect any mercy when you are found out. Darrell passed one last look around the room before speaking again, Dismissed.
I stood to go, filing out of the commons room with the rest of the members. I had to find a way out of here. Things were getting too deep, to complicated. I knew that coming in here would be dangerous. And I knew trying to find a weakness in a man like Carter could have consequences.
But going against a man like Carter who had fallen in love, that had become suicidal.