CHAPTER TWENTY THREE (ELI'S POV)

We know what you’ve done.

The words stared back at me from the burner phone’s screen, cold and merciless.

For a moment, my mind refused to process them. For a full five seconds, I forgot how to breathe. My heart slammed into my ribcage like it wanted to break out, my brain was running a million thoughts a second.

No.

No, this couldn’t be happening.

I just sat there, gripping the phone so tight that my knuckles turned white. My breath was coming out shakily as I panicked. My vision narrowed as dark spots began to dance at the edges.

Then, another notification appeared.

One New Message.

My stomach twisted, nausea pushing vomit up to my throat, threatening to come out. With a deep breath and shaky fingers, I tapped on it.

Did you think we wouldn’t find out? There was a mic in Ryan’s mouth. We heard everything.

Everything?

Everything?!

I felt the blood drain from my face. My hands went cold. My chest tightened as well as my fingers around the phone, it was so hard that I heard the plastic crack.

Ryan.

The interrogation.

The torture.

The kill and then—

The after.

I read the message again.

Than again 

And the third time, just to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me.

And then, everything inside me snapped.

My hands shook as I locked the phone and dropped it onto the desk with a dull thud. My vision blurred.

They were going to kill me.

A mic. There was a mic inside this mouth and that means they heard it all. There was no denying it. They heard all the pleasure, and whispered between Luca, Matteo and me.

My entire body locked up.

A buzzing noise filled my ears, drowning out the rational part of my brain as my mind spiraled, rewinding through the last two days at a terrifying speed.

Every moment.

Every breath.

Every moan.

They knew.

A wave of nausea slammed into me. I staggered back, my knees hitting the bed, but I barely felt it.

Another message popped up.

"You are a disgrace."

Another.

"You have been dismissed."

Another.

“We have abandoned you."

Another.

"You are on your own."

Each line went into me like a gunshot.

I sucked in a breath, but it felt like there wasn’t enough air in the room.

They weren’t just cutting me off.

They were erasing me.

I had no backup, no resources, no safety net.

I was done.

 "Watch your back. You know how we work. We’ll be coming for you before you can expose us."

My heart stopped.

The very people I had dedicated my life to, the people I had trained under, the people who had made me who I was today.

They were going to kill me. I was now a target. My own people were coming for me.

I barely noticed when my legs gave out, my knees hitting the floor as I pressed the heels of my palms into my eyes, as if I could block it all out.

The panic clawed up my throat, fast and relentless, wrapping around my ribs and squeezing. My hands shook as I grabbed the phone, stuffed it into the drawer, buried it under my clothes. My mind raced through every possible option.

I had no backup, no allies and no resources that could get me out of this situation.

This was real.

I had no way out.

I needed to think. I desperately needed a way out but there was no one. The panic had gotten to my throat at this point and wrapped its claws around it and squeezed.

I had nowhere to run.

No escape, except…

My mind went to something. Someone. Some people.

Luca and Matteo. They were criminals, murderers and dangerous but they had given me warmth. They had made me feel wanted and they had let me in.

And I still wanted that, I couldn't lose it. Fuck, I craved it at this point.

A small, desperate voice in the back of my mind whispered that maybe, just maybe, they wouldn’t turn me away.

Maybe…

Maybe they could protect me.

I sucked in a shaky breath, forcing myself to my feet.

My hands were still trembling, my pulse erratic, but my mind had cleared.

I had no other choice.

I had to tell them.

Everything.

Now. I had only one shot that I couldn't screw up. If I told them they truth, they might kill me or not but if I didn't, I would be hunted like a fucking dog. I forced myself to take a deep breath and steady myself to prepare myself to go meet them 

I turned toward the door and froze.

Because standing in the dimly lit hallway, leaning against the door frame with crossed arms and an unreadable expression—

Was Luca.

His dark eyes flickered from me to the slightly open drawer, his face showing nothing. He pinned me with his gaze and I knew that look.

I knew that he had heard something and from the look in his eyes, he wanted all the answers.

Then, slowly, he pushed off the doorframe and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him with a quiet click.

I swallowed hard.

Every instinct screamed at me to play it cool—to pretend like nothing was wrong.

But Luca? He didn’t do well with lies.

I had been caught and we both knew it.