Page 135 of Bride By Coronation

"Let's go," Sean states.

I don't reply as I hurry to his vehicle. I slide into the passenger's seat.

He gets in on the other side and takes off.

"Fill me in," I order.

He lowers his voice, but the disgust is still there. "Lev flipped on Gavin." He turns and accelerates onto the main road.

"Gavin who?" I question.

He grinds his molars, then relays, "O'Malley."

I shift in my seat, offering, "Sorry to hear that," knowing how difficult it is when your own blood is on the opposite side of you.

Sean grips the wheel tighter. "Never really cared for the prick. The day he arrived in Chicago from Ireland, I told Uncle Killian I didn't trust him."

"Why not?"

Sean shrugs. "Gut feeling."

"And you're sure about him?" I question.

Sean weaves around a car and merges onto the expressway. "I might not love the guy, but he's still blood. You don't think I'd double-check what a Petrov claims?"

My pulse creeps up. As much hatred as I have for most Petrovs, I'm still one. It's a fine line of loyalty and loathing.

Sean adds, "Lev claimed he secured an abandoned building on the South Side. The Petrovs already paid him $50,000 for a down payment to kill Fiona. The total contract was $500,000. He gets the remaining $450,000 once the demands are met. I hacked into his laptop. It's all in the chatterbox."

My gut flips. I already know the answer but still ask, "And what were the demands?"

The color leeches from Sean's face. He keeps his eyes on the road, gritting out, "They wanted my sister's rape and murder streamed on the darknet."

I curl my fists into tight balls, hating the blood that runs through my veins more than ever. I take a few deep breaths and demand, "Who's behind the hit?"

Sean shakes his head. "We haven't found out yet. Lev and Igor were supposed to take part. They aren't very high up. Their clearance level only involves taking and implementing orders. My guess is that Gavin isn't any higher up on the totem pole."

"Then do your job and hack into whatever you have to so we know who's behind this!" I roar.

"As soon as we kill this motherfucker, I will. I thought it was more important to track this bastard down."

He's right, but I don't say anything, turning toward the window. The thought of vile things being done to my new bride while being broadcast all over the darknet makes me ill.

And ready to kill.

Several minutes of tense silence fill the car.

Sean finally says, "I knew Dante and my mom were flipping out, but that was pretty bad back there."

"No shit."

"What's your plan to fix it?" he asks.

I turn, crossing my arms. "Not sure. You want to give me some insight?"

He doesn't take his eyes off the road, veers off the ramp, and doesn't stop at the red light, going through it.

I add, "Glad you're full of ideas."

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