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“Hello?” she calls out.

Fuck, she’s so close. My stomach twists, and my cock twitches, my heart pounding loudly in my ears.

Part of me wants to grab her and drag her out of here, stop the meeting before it begins. Another part needs to see how Vin handles this and what exactly she wants.

My adrenaline levels morph into something sharper, more controlled as the elevator dings announcing Vin’s arrival.

I step back into the shadows, a murderous calm settling over me.

8

Siena

Ican’t believe I’m back in this building, but I’ve certainly made it farther than I did last time. This suite isn’t even listed on the placard in the lobby. It’s possible that One Pearl Park was on the flash drive because of these offices, so coming here could serve two purposes: solve a mystery from the flash drive and get the help I need to get into Emily’s phone.

When the main door to the suite is buzzed open, I step through, stuffing my gloves into my pockets. I start to take off my hat when Vin’s voice cuts through the silence.

“Don’t get comfortable, princess. You’re not staying.” He’s standing in the doorway to a separate office, watching me with a smirk on his face.

Scowling, I leave my hat on, rub my palms on my leggings, and yank down the hem of my sweater dress. Great. This is going to go well.

“Thank you for meeting with me,” I say, hoping politeness will ease the tension.

Itdoesn’t.

“Don’t thank me. I don’t trust phones, and I don’t trust you. What do you want?”

This is not the vibe I’d hoped for. He barely glances at me as he turns and strides deeper into the office, forcing me to follow. This space is decorated elegantly but sparingly, the walls painted a warm gray, softly lit by steel lamps that branch out like trees.

His heavy boots thud against the floor until he stops behind an oversized desk. Papers are strewn across its surface, and he begins to rifle through them.

He looks up, leveling me with a harsh glare. “Siena. What. Do. You. Want.”

I take a steadying breath, trying a different approach. “Why did you agree to meet me if you don’t trust me?”

He scoffs. “I’m just here to make sure you don’t fuck over my brother. Anymore than you already have, anyway.”

“Ifuckedhimover?” The words explode out of me before I can stop them. My hands curl into fists, nails digging into my palms to anchor me. A swift surge of anger threatens to pull me under.

Is this guy delusional? Does he not know Matti threw me out like yesterday’s trash? Or is he just as much of an entitled ass as his brother?

“I shouldn’t have come,” I bite out, turning to leave.

“Take off your clothes.”

His command stops me in my tracks. Slowly, I turn, my sneer barely masking my outrage. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”

He drops into the chair behind his desk, rolling back a bit as he clasps his hands behind his head, a slow shitty grin spreading across his face. “You heard me. I need to make sureyou’re not wearing a wire.”

I blanch. He’s serious. “I’m not wearing a fucking wire. If I were, I’d be incriminating myself as much as you.”

His eyebrows shoot up. “Good to know. But you wouldn’t be the first person to entrap someone to set them up. So. The order stands.”

When I don’t respond, his grin gets bigger. “Unless you want me to search you like our boy, Matti, did. But I promise you, princess, I won’t be nearly as nice.”

Heat rises to my face as a mix of fury and humiliation pumps through me, but I refuse to let this asshole get to me.

Instead, I pull Emily’s water-damaged phone from my bag and place it on the desk. “I don’t need anything from you except a number. That’s it.”

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