Page 39 of Royal Deception
Our fingers brush when I take it from her, but she doesn’t react.
“Morning,” I reply, struggling to keep my tone even.
Needing some distance to clear my head, I step into my office, settling down to begin working, burying myself in reports and calls.
Several hours pass, and I start to believe that I might actually get through the day when my phone buzzes. Lucky’s name flashes across the screen, and my stomach sinks. Lately, he’s only been calling to deliver bad news.
“What is it this time?” I growl, impatient to hear about whatever world-ending catastrophe has come our way.
“There’s been a leak,” he says, his voice devoid of emotion. “Veridex had information leaked to their competitor, Nexera. My sources tell me the Russians are behind it.”
My grip tightens around the phone. “How bad?” I ask, my jaw clenched.
“We don’t have all the details yet, but this is big. The Russians are escalating. They’ve moved from their usual games to something much more serious. We need to act fast.”
I exhale slowly, trying to rein in my anger. Ever since we got into bed with the company, Veridex’s problems have become our problems. Some part of me thinks maybe it was a mistake not to cut Mark Veridan loose after the stunt he pulled—withholding information about his ties to the Russians—but I let my pride get in the way, and now I can’t back out of the deal.
That’s always been my worst flaw, my biggest weakness—my pride.
I exhale through my nose, my fingers tapping restlessly on the desk. Danny’s death still stings, knowing that I was the onewho put him in the position to have to take a bullet for that bastard Veridan.
I trusted Danny. He was one of my best men and in the blink of an eye, he was nothing but cannon fodder in this never-ending fucking war with the Russians.
I know the rules of this life, this world we’ve built for ourselves. Amassing power means that sometimes, you have to do what’s best for the good of the many. Sacrifices have to be made.
But knowing that doesn’t make the guilt any easier to carry. I have a duty to protect those under me, and the weight of every life lost sits heavily on my chest.
On top of all that, we have a leak now. Fucking Russian assholes. I’m so irritated that I stand up, starting to pace.
They know our weaknesses now. They know where to strike. I can’t help feeling like we’re walking the knife’s edge. Those Bratva bastards will stop at nothing to prove they’re the biggest and baddest in town.
I need to find out exactly what information has been compromised and find a way to stop it before things get out of hand. This is exactly how we lost the fight last time. We didn’t stem the tide, and all sorts of information came out about our side in the press, who had a field day smearing our names.
“I need to see you in my office, Clary. Now,” I say as I press the intercom button.
Just a few moments later, she stands in front of me, her eyes trained on mine. “There’s been a leak,” I tell her, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Veridex’s biggest competitor has intel on them. It came from somewhere, so we need to find out where. We know the Russians are behind it, but we don’t know how or why.”
She nods, her expression serious. “What do you need me to do?”
I hesitate, trying to weigh my options. “I need someone I can trust to investigate this, someone who can get answers without tipping off the wrong people. We can’t afford to make any mistakes.”
She meets my eyes, her gaze unwavering. “I’ll handle it,” she says, her voice firm. “I’m the best person for the job.”
The words hang in the air between us for a moment, and I can’t help but feel a flicker of admiration for her confidence. But I push it down, my mind racing with the urgency of the situation. “Get me Miles O’Malley, or maybe Niall Gallagher,” I say, quickly moving past her offer.
But Clary steps forward, a steely look in her eyes. “I can handle this, Rory,” she says, her voice firm. “I have a theory that it’s probably an inside job. Someone at Veridex had an agenda, and they’re the ones who sent the information to the Russians.”
“It could have been a hired gun,” I push back. “The Russians know we’re protecting Veridex now, so they have all the motive to hack Veridex’s systems. They’ve done it before, too.”
“I disagree,” she persists, leaning forward to place her hands on my desk. “If we dig deep enough, we’ll find the mole inside the company. I’m certain of it.”
For a long moment, I just stare at her, my jaw flexing as it tightens. Clary’s sudden surge of confidence is almost unnerving. For a fleeting moment, I find myself questioning my instincts.
But she’s not wrong to want to look deeper. And there’s something about her assurance that makes me feel like I’m underestimating her.
“Fine,” I say, my voice breaking the silence. “You want to handle it? Then I expect results. And no mistakes this time.” The weight of those last words lingers between us, a reminder of how she overlooked a crucial detail just recently, the one that got us into this mess in the first place.
Clary blows out a breath, as though holding herself back from saying more, and instead nods. “Understood, Mr. Brannagan.”
