Page 83 of The Verdict

“A confession won’t matter, Rhys.” I let out a strained cry. “Don’t you get it? The police showed up in Barcelona. They weretherebecause I’d given Saba exact information on when and where to find us. They showed up, had Jupiter and Neptune at gunpoint, and Jupiter still somehow walked away. Free enough to kill Neptune. Free enough to kill Saba. Free enough for him to change his appearance.”

He gripped my chin, forcing my attention only to him. “They won’t walk away this time,” he swore. “Not from me.”

I’d never wanted anything more than to believe him. “How?”

“Because this isn’t Barcelona. They’ve killed on US soil. Assaulted you on US soil. And if the police won’t exact justice, then I will.” He paused and added softly, “Trust me.”

Trust him.

Trust him.

“Okay,” I breathed out, holding his gaze.

“The diamond isn’t a bargaining chip. It’s bait,” he declared, stepping back and facing the others. “We’ll lure them out together.”

“I agree,” Dare said with surprising ease before letting out a sound that was reminiscent of a laugh. A sad laugh. “Just look at him. He’s the only one in here who won’t let her out of his sight.”

My heart stumbled. “What happens then?” I asked. “Even if we get to Jupiter, he has a new face. I can’t connect him to the gang—to the robbery—to anything.”

“You don’t need to. Morte will do that for us.”

Silence rippled through the room as my brows drew together. “What are you talking about?”The other men in theroom shared a look that sent unease slithering like a snake down my spine. “Why would Mercury give Jupiter up?”

Stares ping-ponged around the room, but eventually—inevitably—it was Rhys who turned to me with a solemn expression.

“You said you saw Jupiter kill Neptune…” Rhys said slowly, waiting for my nod and then continuing, “The official story was that he was killed by the police; they took credit for his death.”

“Why…” My brow creased. I hadn’t paid attention to that part. By the time I was done running for my life, the only thing I cared to know about Barcelona was that they hadn’t arrested the gang.

“The man Ramos killed… His name was Juan Morte. He was Sergio’s younger brother.”

Younger brother.

The thought made it even harder to breathe which is why I tried not to think about it. But it was so huge… so heavy… it hit me like a wrecking ball each time.Brothers.Mercury—Sergio had always seemed softer around Neptune, but we all had. He was quiet, sharp as a tack, and kind. It had made me wonder more than once how he’d gotten roped into this. I always assumed he might be a distant relative of Jupiter’s. Now, I knew.

Brothers.

And Jupiter had killed him.

Did Mercury know?He couldn’t.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to defend myself in this,” Imuttered from the bathroom in the hotel, looking myself over in the mirror for the tenth time.

Black. Silk.Expensive. It seemed to have appeared out of nowhere—lying on the bed in the hotel room they’d set up as a command center next door. Dare said something about his sister leaving it for me to wear and then went to unpack their bags of weapons and gear. If it was hers, then the woman was far bolder than I was. I’d been living in the shadows, hunted, for so long that to wear something that so intentionally stood out was… wild.

But,Dios mío,did it make me stand out.

I didn’t have to do anything more than pull my hair back to look the part. The dress had done all the work. The front came up in a halter around my neck, the fabric there encrusted in diamonds, but the back dipped low—so low, underwear wasn’t an option for the evening. And from the back of the collar, a diamond chain glittered all the way down my spine, hooking to two similar chains that draped down the center of my chest, hugging my breasts, before curving around my sides to the back.

It made me feel like I was in gilded chains. A prisoner by design.

“Merritt?” Rhys’s voice followed a firm knock on the door.

We’d arrived in the city an hour ago after spending an entire day planning tonight’s operation. Our home base was the hotel across the street from where the fundraiser was being held. Two rooms. One they’d set up for themselves where Ty, with Talon’s help, would be running coms, and the second room for me to change and get ready.

“Yeah.”

“Are you ready?”

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