Chapter 214
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AARON
Lucas Derrane’s name was barely out of his mouth before the metallic taste of anger hit my tongue — cold, measured, razor-edged. I leaned back just enough for him to feel the space between us shrink, the weight of my attention locking him in place. His breath hitched.
“You staged an interaction to make it look like I was cheating on my wife,” I said.
Lucas’s shoulders snapped tight like a man bracing for a blow. “I didn’t stage anything,” he blurted. “I—I was paid to put some kind of substance in the air conditioning. That’s it p>
Connor’s jaw flexed beside me. Colton didn’t move, but I felt him lean forward – the subtle shift of a predator catching a scent.
I kept my voice level. “Who was your partner p>
“P-partner?” His confusion looked real – but fear often did.
“There were two of you in the footage,” I said. “Don’t test me, Lucas p>
He flinched. “I swear, I don’t know who he is. They said someone would meet me in the lobby and hand me the package. We didn’t talk. We just planted it and left p>
Lies clung to the edges of his tone. Not full ones – the slippery kind built from half-truths and convenient omissions.
“You didn’t know the woman either?” I asked.
He shook his head quickly. “No. Never saw her. They told me no direct contact. I didn’t even know what they were planning until I saw the news p>
I watched him closely. Trembling hands. Dilated pupils. Quickened breathing. Not a hardened operative. Someone hired for convenience – expendable, forgettable.
“And who hired you?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he insisted. “No names. No faces. Just a burner account on a darknet marketplace. Instructions posted there. Payment in cash. Coordinates to a locker after the job. That’s it p>
Colton muttered, “”That’s it’ is never it p>
Lucas swallowed.
“If I knew this had anything to do with you with the Sinclairs – I would’ve run,” he whispered. “I’m not
suicidal p>
That part, I believed. He wasn’t built for this world.
No one with sense willingly painted a target on themselves the size of my family.
But belief didn’t mean trust.
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“Give me the locker address,” I said.
His breath stuttered. For a second, I thought he might refuse. But then the reality of the room sank in the reinforced walls, the absence of cameras, the three men who would walk out of here even if he didn’t.
He gave it up. A location in the 11th arrondissement. Locker 04-B. Temporary numeric code.
Connor had already sent it to Jane in Paris before Lucas finished speaking.
“And when did you pick up the money?” I asked.
“The morning of the 17th p>
Connor logged it.
Lucas looked up with wet, desperate eyes. “I didn’t take your daughter. I swear to God p>
I leaned in, slow and steady, until his knees shook against the chair.
“I never mentioned my daughter was taken. How did you know p>
He started to shake. “I saw it on the news, I swear- I swear I p>
“You’re connected to the people who did,” I said quietly. “And that’s enough p>
He inhaled sharply, trembling.His eyes filled with a terrified sheen. “I don’t know anything else. I’m telling you everything I p>
“You’re telling me everything you think will keep you alive,” I added. “That is not the same as the truth p>
My patience was thinning. Three days of dead ends. Three days of watching Venus hollow out. Three days behind ghosts.
I forced myself back to focus.
“You said you never met your employer,” I said. “How did they contact you p>
“I told you p>
“No.” My voice cut cleanly through his. “Who contacted you p>
His eyes flickered. The smallest tell. A memory. A detail. Something he shouldn’t have.
I stilled.
“You know something,” I said.
“It’s nothing,” he whispered quickly. “Just… just a small thing p>
“Tell me p>
Colton stepped forward. The effect was immediate.
“They… they always ended their messages with a phrase,” Lucas stammered. “Every single time p>
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Connor stiffened. “What phrase p>
Lucas’s breath shook.
“Distance is clarity p>
The words fell into the room like a dropped blade.
Connor froze. Colton’s eyes flicked toward me, reading the shift in my entire body.
Lucas sat shaking, clueless to the landmine he’d triggered.
I didn’t answer immediately. Because that phrase wasn’t from an organization. Not a syndicate. Not a ghost network.
Connor whispered, “Aaron… no. It can’t be p>
“It is,” I said.
Because I knew that phrase. Intimately. Painfully.
“Say it again,” I told Lucas.
“D-distance is clarity p>
Connor exhaled sharply. “That’s p>
“I know.” My voice was lead.
He’d heard that phrase more than once growing up beside me.
George Sinclair. My grandfather. His favorite line.
I hadn’t heard it since the day he died.
I turned to Connor. “Tell Jane to approach the locker with backup. No one goes alone p>
“She won’t,” Connor said. “Paris team is shadowing her p>
I nodded.
“We’ll keep him alive p>
Lucas sagged in relief- too soon.
I leaned close again. His relief curdled.
“Alive doesn’t mean comfortable p>
His pulse spiked.
I stood. The scrape of my chair echoed like a verdict.
“Connor,” I said, “pull every record tied to that phrase. Every mention. Every ghost. Dig everything up p>
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He nodded sharply.
Lucas looked like he might faint.
I didn’t care.
I walked toward the door, the weight of the revelation pressing into me like a physical force. My hand paused on
the steel handle.
“Lucas,” I said without turning.
He made a sound something between a gulp and a cry. “Y-yes p>
“If I find out you held anything back – anything – or you were lying, the people who hired you will envy what I do to you p>
His breath faltered into silence.
I stepped out. The door slammed shut behind me.
The hallway outside felt colder.
Colton caught up. “Aaron, wait. What the hell does that phrase mean? Why did you and Connor react like that p>
“My grandfather used to say it,” I said.
He exhaled. “But he’s dead p>
“Exactly p>
“Think someone who knew him is behind this p>
I didn’t answer.
Because the truth was darker.
That phrase wasn’t public. Wasn’t recorded. Wasn’t something anyone outside the family should know unless-
Unless they were close. Unless they wanted to rattle me. Unless they were sending a message they knew I’d hear.
Only a few people knew what my grandfather meant to me.
And I think I know exactly who is behind this.
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Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.