Page 57 of His Enemy's Daughter
“If we die tonight, I’m blaming you for the terrible planning.”
Regina’s voice crackles through my earpiece as I watch Sabino’s convoy pull away from the estate, taillights disappearing into the darkness like embers fading. Three hours. That’s all we have to break into a fortress designed by a paranoid monster and steal ledgers that could destroy his entire empire.
“My planning is flawless,” I counter, checking my watch for the third time in as many minutes. “Your father’s the one with terrible timing. Who schedules mandatory meetings at ten PM?”
“A man who never sleeps and trusts no one.” Her tone carries bitter familiarity. “The eastern families demanded this sit-downafter your press releases started circulating. He has no choice but to attend.”
I scan the estate through night-vision binoculars from my position in the tree line. Security lights paint everything in harsh white, cameras tracking in preset patterns Regina mapped out days ago. Twelve guards visible, probably another six inside, all armed with weapons that would make military contractors jealous.
“Talk me through the security upgrades again.” I lower the binoculars, focusing on her voice—steady, professional, showing none of the fear she must be feeling about returning to this place.
“Father installed additional motion sensors after I escaped. Pressure plates on the main stairs, infrared beams across the second-floor hallway, and a new biometric lock on the vault door that requires fingerprint, retinal scan, and a twelve-digit code that changes daily.”
“And you know today’s code how?”
“Because I’ve been receiving his security updates through a backdoor I installed in his system two years ago.” Pride enters her voice. “Paranoid men create patterns. Father updates codes at 8 PM every night, same routine, same predictable algorithm. I’ve been cracking them for months.”
The admission makes something warm bloom in my chest—not just respect for her capabilities, but genuine awe at howthoroughly she’s been preparing for this moment. “You’ve been planning this heist longer than you’ve known me.”
“You gave me a reason to accelerate the timeline and someone capable of executing it with me.”
The word choice—someone, not just an ally or accomplice—settles between us like an unspoken acknowledgment of what we’ve become. Seven weeks ago, she was an intelligence asset. Five weeks ago, a strategic alliance. Now she’s the woman I’d burn the world for, and that shift in priorities should terrify me more than it does.
“Security shift change in ninety seconds,” she says, pulling me from dangerous thoughts. “That’s when you move. East side entrance, third window from the corner—I disabled the sensor a few days before Giordano helped me escape.”
The mention of Giordano makes my jaw tighten. We still don’t know if he’s alive after that video Sabino sent—beaten, bloody, used as a message to make Regina come home. Another name on the list of people who’ll pay for touching what’s mine.
“I’m moving.” I slip from the tree line with practiced silence, every step calculated to avoid sight lines and motion sensors. The night is cooperating—cloud cover obscuring the moon, wind covering small sounds. But cooperation only goes so far when you’re infiltrating a fortress designed by a man who survived decades in this world by being more paranoid than his enemies.
The window Regina indicated is exactly where she said—third from the corner, sensor disabled, lock mechanism simple enough that my picks have it open in under thirty seconds. I slip inside, immediately cataloging the space through my night-vision goggles.
Regina’s bedroom. Perfect entry point because no one would expect her to come back of her own volition.
“I’m in. Moving to your position.”
“Second floor, east wing, last door on the right.” Her breathing picks up slightly—not panic, just adrenaline. “I’m ready.”
The hallway is a gauntlet of cameras and sensors, but Regina’s intel proves flawless. I move through blind spots with the precision of someone who trusts his partner’s information absolutely, and five minutes later I’m standing outside her door.
She opens it before I can knock, and the sight of her steals my breath again. She’s dressed in black tactical gear that fits like a second skin, dark hair pulled back, face devoid of the makeup and masks she usually wears. This is Regina stripped to essentials—dangerous, focused, absolutely breathtaking.
“Stop staring,” she whispers, but there’s heat in her green eyes. “We have work to do.”
“I’m memorizing you like this.” I step inside, closing the door with careful silence. “In case this goes wrong and I need something beautiful to think about while Sabino kills us both.”
“Morbid.” But she’s smiling as she checks her own gear—lock picks, small flashlight, and the unmarked Glock I gave her three days ago. “Though I appreciate the compliment buried in the death threat.”
I cross the room, unable to resist pulling her close for one moment of contact before everything becomes dangerous. “If this goes sideways—”
“It won’t.” Her hands find my chest, steady and sure. “We planned for every contingency. We have three hours. And I know this house better than Father knows himself.”
“Regina—”
“Stop.” She rises on her toes, pressing a kiss to my jaw. “Stop looking for reasons this will fail and start believing we’re good enough to make it succeed. We’re in this side by side, remember? That means trusting each other even when it’s terrifying.”
She’s right, and I hate that she’s right, and I hate even more how easily she’s learned to read my concerns.
“Side by side,” I agree, releasing her with reluctance. “Lead the way to your father’s vault. Let’s steal everything that bastard values and implode his fucking life.”
