Page 58 of The Villain

“We found what we came for. We should head back before it starts to storm.”

She nodded gingerly and let me lead her out of the room. Now that we had the invoice—the information we needed—being in the house felt like being held underwater with no oxygen—with nothing else to focus on except the past and the truth I’d hidden from her.

“If you find him…”

“This’ll all be over,” I promised.

And I’d have to find a way to walk away from her all over again.

Chapter Eleven

Dare

She’s gone.

The funeral is next week, and I don’t know how…I just don’t know how I’m going to do this.

She’s gone, Darius…and I’m afraid you are, too.

“Dare.”

Ty’s voice reached out from behind me, but I stood rooted to the ground until the elevator doors closed. Rob met Athena and me right as we returned from her house, and I quickly suggested my sister take Athena back to the cabin so I could touch base with Harm and see what Ty found on the address.

I needed to cool my fucking jets from…whatever the hell that was back at her house.Her torture by tongue.It was timeto distract myself with purpose rather than the promise I’d have to keep when all this was over:to walk away from Athena once and for all.

I turned to Ty. “What is it?”

He was waiting, half in the hall and half in his office, his expression creased. As I reached him and followed him into the room, my head jerked to the side as though to snap the invisible string that wanted to pull my gaze back to the last place it had seen her. Golden hair. Trembling chest. And eyes that brimmed with questions I didn’t have answers—good answers—to.

“You alright?”

No, I’m a fucking fool.

I’d needed to stay away from Athena. After the night in the bath, I needed to get control of myself and treat this situation like I swore I would—like every goddamn case we’d tackled. Without emotion. Without attachment.Without want.

And at the first instance to prove I could do that, I’d gone and kissed her again.

“Fine,” I answered because ignoring his question would’ve given away the truth; I was as far fromfineas fucked got. “Is that address owned by Ivans’s alias?”

“It’s a stack of shell companies holding the property; it’ll take a few days minimum to tunnel through them all.”

I didn’t have a few days. I wouldn’t survive a few more days around her.

“Alright”—I drove a hand through my hair—“I’m going to head over there and check it out?—”

“Wait.” His word hit me like a gavel, sentencing me to stillness.

His jaw muscle clenched hard, vibrating all the way onto his skull, and my eyes narrowed. His expression was pinched.His heavy pulse was knocking on both sides of his neck. Something wasn’t right.

“What’s going on?”

He hesitated, moving from where he stood back behind his desk.Avoiding the question.Jesus, when had Ty ever avoided…anything? He was more resolute than Harm. Older than all of us. Perpetually resigned to handle whatever life threw at him with the same emotionless expression. Except this—whatever the hell it was.

“Ty…”

“It’s about Athena’s ex.”

“Brandon? Did they find him?” I folded my arms, feeling the stack of envelopes crinkle in the pocket of my jacket, and I stilled. “Is he dead?”

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