Page 30 of Veiled Vengeance

None of them react.

“Oh, we’re fuming, Angel. But we don’t have the right to scream here, you do. She hurtyou. She soldyou. Not us.”

Betrayal spreads through my heart. It’s accompanied by grief, then fury.

“She has to pay—I have to make her pay for what she did.” My voice cracks.

“We can help with that,” Rio assures me.

With their support, I recount the rest of the details I can remember about the last few days, and the box with the perfectly fitted lid bursts open. I share every moment I thought I was about to watch Asher die, what it felt like when all those men took turns with Dahlia, and every minute I waited for the worst.

When I’m done, my hollow body bends, and I finally sit back down, surrounded by unconditional love. My eyes are swollen from expelled tears, but I feel lighter at the same time. Not once did they judge me. Not once did my men tell me to get over it.

My exhausted mind is ready for sleep, but I can’t just give in just yet.

Then Asher takes his turn. My chest aches as he recounts watching Pierce coming close to assaulting me. I’m ripped apart when he admits to the fear he felt each second we were in Anthony’s hands.

By the time Asher’s done talking, the sun is coming up, my eyelids are heavy, and I’m sagging against Asher’s chest. Rio is lying on his side with his head in Zane’s lap, and Zane’s face is calculating.

“Where’s the list?”

I groan in Zane’s direction. “How are you still so awake?”

Rio grumbles with his eyes closed. “Zane and Asher are like robots. They can stay awake by literally commanding their bodies to do so. It’s like some freaky law enforcement gift.”

A small chuckle slips out. “Were you not blessed with the same gift?”

“I think it’s about time to put the children to bed,” Asher teases.

Zane ignores us. “It wouldn’t be a physical list. Something like that would degrade over time, so it’s probably on a jump drive or something like that. We know he still hasn’t found it, and he needs it back—he tore this place apart looking for it.” He stands, causing Rio’s head to jostle.

“Ay dios mio,” Rio complains.

Zane paces the room. “I bet they’ve already torn apart the brownstone, but everything you brought there is in your . . .”

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. He better not have . . .

Jumping out of Asher’s arms, I sprint across the room to my duffle bag, which is currently resting by the front door. My men surround me as I dig through the bag until I find what I’m looking for. The cold of the ceramic freezes me.

“You son of a bitch. I swear if you—” Before I finish the thought, I remove the lid and reverently set it aside.

Zane shines a light from his phone inside Abuela’s urn. A reflection from a small piece of silver metal shines in my eye. I reach my hand into the ashes of the person I miss the most and fish out a flash drive.

My body shakes involuntarily. Holding back an enraged scream, I push out through gritted teeth, “That motherfucker.”

CHAPTER 13

ASHER

Spencer is ready to explode—her body is practically vibrating. If Spencer could set Anthony on fire with her mind, she would have summoned the fires of Hell by now.

Rio grabs the urn and replaces the lid, setting it aside, as Zane helps Spencer to her feet and slips the flash drive out of her hands. He digs his laptop out of his gym bag and gets to work at the breakfast bar. Spencer’s nostrils flare as she breathes in and out.

I grab her by her upper arms and turn her to face me. “Hey, look at me.” Her face turns to me, and the pure fury there promises pain. She’s itching to bring down a world of agony on Anthony.

“He has to pay. He can’t get away with this . . . Abuela’s ashes! He put that damn list in her ashes!” Her voice gets louder and louder.

My hands move to her shoulders. “He will. We can make that happen.”

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