Page 137 of BounBound By Scars

My Lia is alive.

For a brief second I allowed my body to react. My chest heaved, but I was quick to mask it.

He grinned. “Thought that would get a reaction.”

I clenched my jaw. “And the second thing?”

“Oh, just a favor. I need you to get your team to back off. They’ve been sticking their hands where they don’t belong. Sloppy, childish.”

“They’re not my team,” I said flatly. “Not anymore.”

He tilted his head with mock sympathy. “Come on, Cipher. You think I don’t know you’re trying to play both sides? You think I didn’t plan for that?”

He stood, casually circled his desk like a predator, and stopped inches from me.

“You don’t think I know aboutDaLia?”

I didn’t blink. Fine. He knew. That wasn’t the real game.

The real game was who played their hand wrong first.

I stepped forward, invading his space. “I’m here, Romano. I left. You don’t need to hold a gun to my head to pull the puppet strings.”

I threw my hands out like I was welcoming the blast. “I’m all tethered and ready.”

He scoffed at my bravado and stepped back, dismissive. “Use whatever leverage you need. You know them well, don’t you? Use it.”

He turned and sat down again, flipping through something on his desk like I wasn’t still standing there.

“Close the door on your way out.”

I left.

My heart was hammering, but I didn’t let it show. I didn’t know what my next move would be. I just knew the message had to be delivered.

Blackthorn would soon hear from Cipher.

Not Kabir Gill.

Cipher—the man who betrayed them.

Cipher—the one who’d tell them to stand down or die.

Cipher—the rogue asset.

???

I’d finished recording the video and packaged the files. Tomorrow morning, I’d send them to Blackthorn Security.

I had no idea how they’d respond.

Would they actually back off?

I highly doubted that.

My team was many things—but cowering wasn’t one of them. They weren’t built to retreat.

If anything, they’d double down.

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