Page 31 of Heartless Enemy

“So…” I raised my eyebrows. “Do we have a deal?”

She hesitated for only a second before reaching for the money. “Yes.”

Her hand had only just reached the stack of bills when Levi grabbed her wrist. She yelped in surprise and tried to pull her arm back. Levi only kept his iron grip on her.

“If you breathe a word about our involvement to anyone, you and I are going to have some serious problems, Vera.” Levi’s gray eyes glinted like sharpened steel as he leveled a commanding stare on her. “Is that clear?”

“Y-yes, Mr. Arden,” she stammered. “I swear, I won’t tell anyone.”

“Good.”

He held her gaze for another few seconds before finally releasing her wrist. She flicked a nervous glance between the two of us. I gave her a nod.

Moving more carefully this time, she gathered up the money and the drawing I had brought and then slowly backed away. I watched her leave while a villainous grin spread across my lips.

While I did feel a little bad for Marla, it was better for everyone if she left Ulric. He would be devastated by it, and she would not be caught up in the fallout from the shitstorm that was about to hit soon.

Leaning back in my seat, I drank some more whiskey.

Who would’ve thought that doing vicious evil things was so much fun?

Chapter13

Restless impatience swirled behind my ribcage like a crackling storm. We were coming up on two weeks now. According to Eve, the white boot invasion was most likely still another week away, since Ulric Smith wanted to change some of the things that Wright had planned. But still. It wasn’t enough.

I hated myself for not being able to handle that damn tunnel. It had been twelve years since I left that fucking place behind. And since then, I had killed and blackmailed and threatened my way to the top until I was so far above everyone else that they trembled at the mere mention of my name. But the scars were still there. Carved deep into my soul.

Everyone in Malgrave saw me as this untouchable villain, someone larger than life with limitless power and no weaknesses, because that was the image I had cultivated over the years. But the truth was that I was human. Just like them. And no matter how much I tried to convince myself,forcemyself, to believe that I could handle crawling through that fucking endless tunnel, I knew deep down that I couldn’t.

So unless I wanted to bring my entire army to the north and attack the parliament building openly, there was no way for me to corner the parliament members all together like that.

I ground my teeth in annoyance as I stalked down the street. Dark gray clouds swirled in the heavens above, mirroring my foul mood. A few shopkeepers bowed their heads in respect as I passed them. I barely had enough presence of mind to nod back as I ran the same useless plans through my head again and again.

Ambushing the parliament while they were in session was out since I couldn’t sneak into the building. And there wasn’t enough time to find someone to blackmail who was influential enough to stage a party and make sure that all of the parliament members or their loved ones would be there in such a short amount of time.

I ran a hand over my jaw as I turned the corner and cut through a darkened alleyway.

What if I sent simultaneous strike teams to all of the parliament members’ houses in the middle of the night?

Dropping my hand again, I shook my head in frustration. That would never work. There would be too many variables. Too many things that could go wrong. And I would have to rely too much on far too many other people.

No. If I wanted—

Shock pulsed through me, and I froze mid-step as the cold edge of a blade suddenly appeared across my throat.

“You lied to me.”

Dread washed over me like a bucket of ice water.Fuck.

Making sure to keep my tone nonchalant, I said, “You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“Oh, you know exactly what I’m talking about,” Christian White replied from behind my back.

I glanced down at the knife pressed against my skin, trying to calculate whether I would be able to touch my hands together before that damn worldwalker could slit my throat. Based on our previous encounters, the odds would not be in my favor.

“When I left your piss- and alcohol-stinking city, I stationed a spy here,” White went on. “Because I wanted to hear all the glorious details of your downfall. Of how your people rebelled against you after you killed your own. So imagine my surprise when my spy returned with the news that you were not dead, but in fact more powerful than ever.”

“That really shouldn’t have come as a surprise.”

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