Page 69 of Brick's Retribution

Brick takes the medallion from my trembling hands, examining it with his trained eyes.

"Tracking device," he confirms grimly. "Sophisticated one. Probably GPS and audio capability."

This necklace, this precious connection to my mother, has been turned into a weapon against me.

Someone took the most sacred thing I own and violated it, used it to hunt me like an animal.

"They could have been listening," I say, horror washing over me. "This whole time, they might have heard everything we've said, everywhere we've been."

Brick's face goes deadly still. "Who had access to this? Who could have modified it?"

"Diego," I whisper, the pieces falling into place. "When my apartment was broken into six months ago, he insisted on having all my jewelry checked and cleaned. Said it was a security precaution."

"Son of a bitch," Brick growls. "He's been tracking you for months. Setting you up, waiting for the right moment."

This isn't just about Diego selling information or taking money from my father's enemies.

This is something he’s planned for a long time, a cruel way he’s manipulated me, a chess game where I've been the unwitting target from the beginning.

"We need to tell Amara," I say, though part of me just wants to smash the medallion against the wall.

"We will," Brick agrees. "But first..."

He moves to the window, opens it wide, and without even thinking, throws the medallion as far as he can into the darkness beyond the club.

I watch it disappear, carrying with it the last connection to my mother—and to the people who've been hunting us.

The loss should devastate me.

Instead, I feel strangely liberated.

Like I've finally cut the last tie to a life that was never really mine.

"I'm sorry," Brick says, turning back to me. "I know that meant something to you."

"It did," I agree. "But it wasn't really mine anymore, was it? The moment they put that tracker in it, it stopped being my mother's gift and became their weapon."

He sits beside me on the bed, pulling me into his arms. I melt against his warmth, letting myself take comfort in his strength.

"We'll get you another one," he promises. "When this is over, we'll find one just like it. Something that's really yours."

The gesture touches me more than expensive jewelry ever could.

This man understands that it's not about the monetary value—it's about the connection, the meaning, the love it represented.

"Thank you," I whisper against his chest.

The immediate danger is gone—the tracker is destroyed, our location is secure.

"If Diego's been planning this for months," I say eventually, "then this trafficking operation isn't just some opportunistic grab. It's targeted, personal."

"Which means they want you specifically," Brick agrees. "Not just any cartel princess.You."

The thought is chilling, but it also confirms what I already suspected.

My investigation into their financial networks made me a threat.

Now they want to eliminate that threat—or turn it into an asset.

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