Page 223 of Indulge
We take our seats. Bella between Theo and Reggie, me on Reggie’s right. Declan’s ready to talk, but the door bursts open with a bang.
“I made it!” Conan yells, completely unapologetic.
Finn checks his watch without missing a beat. “No, Conan. You’re ten minutes late.”
Conan rolls his eyes. “Nah. I’m one minute early to the time I set myself. I knew you’d all be chatting before the big man speaks.”
He nods toward Enzo, who’s trying not to laugh. Most of the time, he keeps his exterior ice cold. Yet, Conan is usually the one to crack that. And I’m then the one who gets in trouble for laughing at Conan.
There’s a short silence before Declan sighs, already exasperated. “Yes, Conan. Enzo and Theo flew in from different countries and still made it on time.”
Conan grins. “Wow. Impressive.”
I have to bite back my laugh. Bella catches my eye and smirks. She’s trying not to giggle too, which makes it worse.
“Thank you all for making it here,” Enzo says finally, cutting through the noise. His tone is sharp enough to slice steel. “Reggie, how’s the shoulder?”
“Fine,” Reggie says, in that tone that meansabsolutely not fine.
Bella puts her hand over his, thumb brushing the back of his palm. Her way of calling bullshit without saying a word.
Declan nods. “Good. I’ll pass to Drago for the update.”
Drago sits forward, calm and terrifying as always. His eyes land on me first, then flick toward Bella.
“I’ve spoken to my contact in Moscow. The name and club Bella gave us were a gold mine of information. Confirmed connections to Abram.”
A ripple moves around the table. Abram. I can’t say it’s one I recognize.
Drago’s voice stays even. “For those who don’t know, Abram ran a network in Russia years back. He’s dead, but his sons aren’t. They’ve got ties to The Preacher.”
I lean back, jaw tight. That name again.
“So we follow the trail,” Drago continues. “We choke every vein of their operation until we reach the heart. No survivors.”
Finn’s voice breaks through the tension. “Do we have names?”
Drago nods. “A few. Enough to start. But they’ve already started infiltrating Inferno. Lyla was a recruit of Madame Eve.”
The air goes cold. My stomach flips just hearing her name.
Enzo’s eyes narrow, murder simmering just beneath the surface. “You’re sure?”
Drago’s tone doesn’t waver. “One hundred percent.”
“So, how many others do we have right under our noses?” Reggie asks, looking directly at Enzo.
“We’re looking into it,” Enzo confirms.
Declan leans forward, palms flat on the table. “We have no choice but to shut it all down. Effective immediately. Inferno and Decadence both. Family only until we’ve cleared it.”
Enzo nods slowly. “I agree. Family safety comes before business. I’ll have my men lock down Inferno and start vetting staff. No one in or out without direct clearance.”
It’s starting to sound like the start of a war.
Finn speaks up next, calm but firm. “We’ll need medical checks on every girl who’s worked under Eve’s roster.Psychological evaluations, blood tests, full documentation. Anyone showing recruitment markers gets isolated and debriefed.”
Drago looks to Enzo. “I’ll need Mikhail Volkov and his family ready for this; it depends how deep our Russian search needs to go.”
