Page 123 of Ripped Veil (Ripped Bratva)

First, though, I head back to my office. I need to scour through my investigation, try and get my head back in the game. I’ve been out of focus lately. And I have only Elyssa to blame.

But the moment I enter my office, I know something is not right.

Someone is in here.

“Hi, there.”

I turn to find a dark-haired woman standing against my investigative wall. She’s wearing shorts and a strappy blouse. And she looks perfectly at home.

“Charity,” I growl, relaxing slightly—but not completely.

“Were you about to kill me?” she muses.

“I still might.”

She smiles as though the threat means nothing to her. “Before you do, I’d like to talk to you.”

“How’d you get in?” I ask, ignoring her previous statement.

She shrugs. “Isn’t it obvious? I picked the lock. It’s not that elaborate a skill to learn. Comes in handy.”

I give the room a quick scan. Nothing seems out of place but that is meaningless. All my files on Astra Tyrannis are right here, in this one room. And I have no idea how long she’s been in here snooping.

“This is quite the investigation you’ve got going,” she says, gesturing to the wall behind her without actually looking at it.

Her face is looking much better now. The bruises are well on their way to healing and she’s got two functioning eyes. Apparently, it’s done wonders to restore her confidence.

“Maybe a tad bit creepy. Definitely obsessive. But thorough.”

“I’d watch how you proceed,” I tell her, sitting back against my desk as I regard her with cool detachment. “You’re on shaky ground.”

“So are you,” she counters.

I raise my eyebrows. “Is that right?”

Her expression hardens and her eyes turn to flint. I sense a threat coming. But what she says instead takes me by surprise.

“Elyssa is a good person,” she says quietly. “And she doesn’t deserve to be fucked with.”

I narrow my eyes. “What exactly are you trying to tell me?”

“I’m telling you that, if you hurt her, you’ll have to deal with me.”

“What makes you think I’m going to hurt her?”

“Because that’s what men like you do,” she says. “You use and discard. But she’s not some random hooker. She’s not like me. She’s… better.”

“Better,” I repeat. “In what way?”

“In every way! She’s the best person I know. And she’s a lot stronger than she seems. So I wouldn’t be fooled by the big brown eyes if I were you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“You broke into my office to threaten me about Elyssa?”

“There’s no better reason,” she says.

“Is that the real reason?” I ask, looking around. “Or just a convenient cover?”

“Listen, I know you don’t think much of me,” she says with a shrug. “But I don’t care. Think of me what you will. I just want Elyssa to be okay.”

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