Page 50 of Bound By Her

Procrastination.

And she hated herself for it.

She wouldn’t admit it to anyone—not even Eric—but Bryson made her nervous.

His father was an unpredictable sociopath, and experience told her the apple rarely fell far from the tree.

Except…

There was something in Bryson’s eyes.

The way he looked at her when she suggested he was loyal to his father. The way his jaw twitched. The way his posture tensed.

Revenge had felt great in the beginning. But after three weeks with Seth and Kaydon, it felt less realistic.

The problem was, despite her reputation, she didn’t stable unwilling men.

She let the familiesbelieve she did. Let them fear her methods. Let them assume she turned captives into mindless pets. The rumor served its purpose.

It kept her relevant.

It ensured she remained a serious player in the Nine.

But the truth was, most of her business was completely legitimate.

She had kept some of her father’s gambling rings, dabbled in illegal trade when it suited her. But mostly, she was a high-end procurer—tracking down hard-to-get items for the wealthiest bidders.

And if the Triune wanted information on a high-profile figure? Well. The submissive sales afforded her an extensive list of people to talk to.

And when that didn’t work, she always had X.

Adria didn’t abduct men off the street.

She didn’t break them.

Not in the way people assumed.

It was a fact she had reiterated to Eric many times as they finalized the new itinerary for training.

And yet, here she was.

The mind games with Bryson? Those, she had no problem with. He was fair game.

But Seth and Kaydon?

They were starting to feel more and more like collateral damage.

She had tried to talk to Eric about it, but he had been blunt as ever:Any one of those three wouldn’t hesitate to kill you if they got a sanctioned chance.

He was right.

And now that X had secured a buyer willing to sabotage Callen’s land prospects in exchange for Bryson’s sale, there was no more room for hesitation.

She was a Federov.

It was time she acted like one.

Bryson shuffled behind her, the weight of him pressing into her awareness.

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