Page 121 of Wicked and Claimed

Good. If the head of this warped operation was coming, maybe they could blow this investigation wide open.

He couldn’t wait to hear what else Karliah knew.

For now, he shredded the note and flushed it. Then returned to the suite to find Haisley at the makeshift breakfast table.

“You’re up.” He kept his voice carefully neutral. “Sleep good?”

“Well enough.” Haisley pushed eggs around her plate. “New haircut?”

He nodded. “New stylist.”

“Good for you.”

Yep, she was still pissed.

The silence stretched between them, loaded with things they couldn’t say. He ached to know precisely what she was thinking, to get her alone for ten minutes so he could explain. He could drag her to the beach for a private chat, but he knew Haisley. Until she was ready to cool down, his attempt to work things out would go nowhere. So he poured coffee and pretended normalcy instead.

They passed the rest of the afternoon in strained silence. Nash feigned an emergency in his textile business, typing pointlessly on his laptop while Haisley crashed on the sofa and zoned out with the TV. Every nerve in his body was aware of her every move and breath.

The weight of their forced performance pressed against him. If he didn’t take her to bed soon and start treating her like his “breeder,” this undercover operation could blow up in their faces.

Christ, he had to find the right way out—for Haisley, for the other victims, for everyone trapped in this hell.

Just before six, Nash snapped his laptop closed.

“Where are you going?” Haisley’s voice held a wary edge.

A man who’d purchased a woman would never answer to her, so he raised a brow. “Stay here. I’ll be back.”

Then he slammed out the door, hating when he saw her flinch.

Goddamn it, something had to give.

Her aloofness worried Nash all the way to the spa, where he found Karliah waiting in the cool evening air just outside with a sunny smile.

He played his part, wrapping his arm around her and nuzzling her neck. “Know somewhere private we can…talk?”

She giggled, batting her lashes over big green eyes. “You tell me.”

In other words, no. “Walk on the beach? The waves are beautiful tonight.”

“I’d love that.”

They strolled arm in arm until they reached the shore. Their body language looked flirty for the cameras, but once the waves crashed over their conversation, it turned serious.

“Tell me what you’ve got.”

“You saw my note?” When he nodded, she went on. “Black Velvet is coming to address a recent security breach. Apparently, a woman escaped the island a few weeks back.”

His pulse leapt. “How?”

“I didn’t get details, but she managed to commandeer a boat and almost made it away from the island. Security hunted her down.”

“Where is she now?” He’d love to question her.

“Dead. Rumor has it, Black Velvet was furious about the lost merchandise and isn’t happy with Gray.”

Fuck. But that proved escapewaspossible. It would simply have to be planned with precision. That woman’s escape route would be sealed off now, but the fortress had weaknesses. He, Kane, and Karliah just had to find and exploit them.

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