Chapter 250
CMWMBB 51
AARON
I hated leaving her.
The feeling settled in my chest the second I stepped away from Venus, heavy and corrosive, like I’d willingly reopened a wound I’d just finished stitching shut. Every instinct I had screamed to stay; to sit with her, to hold her, to guard her from the waiting and the fear and the silence that would creep back in the moment I walked out the door. (1
But instinct wasn’t enough anymore.
Not if I wanted Iris back.
Not if I wanted all of us back.
I closed the door behind me carefully, deliberately, as though the quiet click could somehow soften the damage of my absence. The hallway felt colder immediately. Too empty. I didn’t look back, not because I didn’t want to, but because I knew if I did, I wouldn’t leave.
And I had to leave.
This next part mattered too much.
The car was already waiting when I stepped outside. Engine running. Headlights dimmed. Colton sat behind the wheel, one hand resting on it loosely, posture relaxed in a way that would’ve fooled anyone who didn’t know him. To an outsider, he looked like a man killing time.
To me, he looked like someone coiled tight beneath the surface.
I slid into the passenger seat, the door closing with a solid thud that felt final in its own way.
Colton glanced at me, his expression carefully neutral. “How’s my sister p>
The question landed heavier than he probably intended.
“And how did she take… well,” he paused, choosing his words with uncharacteristic caution, “everything? Is she mad at me p>
I stared straight ahead for a moment, watching the building fade in the rearview mirror as we pulled away.
“She’s fine,” I said finally. “Better than I expected p>
Colton exhaled slowly, some tension easing out of his shoulders. “Good p>
I didn’t add the rest.
I wasn’t supposed to tell her anything. That had been the agreement. No leaks. No reassurances. No deviation from the narrative we were feeding Andrea.
But I couldn’t do it.
I couldn’t watch the devastation on her face the way she’d folded inward when I told her to leave the house-
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and then leave her alone with that same kind of silence again.
It had broken something in me.
Colton must have sensed it, because he didn’t press further. He just drove, eyes on the road, jaw tight.
“How’s the plan coming along?” I asked.
From the back seat, Connor leaned forward slightly. “They took the bait p>
I turned my head. “You’re sure p>
Connor nodded. “Our people are tailing them as we speak. Clean distance. No mistakes so far. They both went separate ways. If one of them does what we think they’ll do, they’ll lead us straight to Andrea p>
“Good,” I said.
The word came out colder than I felt. Inside, everything was razor-edged and restless. Hope was a dangerous thing in moments like this; too easy to grab onto, too easy to let blind you.
Bay Seven loomed ahead, the industrial stretch of warehouses and private docks lit by harsh white lights and long shadows. A place that didn’t belong to anyone officially. A place where things could happen quietly.
That was why we’d chosen it.
Durrane and his partner-Julio, as it turned out-were held there.
We didn’t release them to law enforcement.
Last night, we’d made a show of it. A deliberate performance. We’d let it slip, just loudly enough, just carelessly enough, that we’d “pinpointed” Iris’s location. We’d argued in open rooms. Raised our voices. Left doors ajar.
All the while knowing we were being listened to.
Because someone always listens.
I leaned back in my seat as Colton parked, my mind replaying the pieces again, slotting them into place.
I didn’t believe Durrane was the mastermind. He was too clumsy. Too reactive. A man caught up in something bigger than himself.
Julio, though-
Julio knew something.
That was the problem. And the danger.
“I still don’t trust anyone,” I said quietly. “Not when my family’s involved p>
“No one’s asking you to,” Connor replied. “That’s why the room’s wired p>
They didn’t know it, of course. The cameras had been installed discreetly, disguised as outdated fixtures, vents, anything unremarkable enough to escape notice. Audio, visual, all of it routed directly to us.
We were watching.
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Waiting.
Earlier that morning, we’d taken another calculated risk.
A new maid-one of ours-had served them breakfast. Polite. Efficient. Careful not to linger. On the tray, alongside the food, had been a set of knives.
Julio had slipped one off the tray when he thought no one was looking.
Idiot.
Connor had nearly laughed when he saw it on the feed.
“They’re planning to run,” he’d said. “They think they’ve got a window p>
Good.
That was exactly what we wanted.
Because people only move when they think they’ve regained control.
And when they move, they make mistakes.
We watched as the escape unfolded just hours later. Clumsy. Desperate. Predictable. Durrane panicked. Julio didn’t.
Julio listened.
That was the key difference.
“I hope one of them takes the bait,” Colton muttered now, pulling out his phone to check an update. “If they run to Andrea with what they think they know ”
“She’ll panic,” I finished. “And she’ll move Iris p>
“And that’s when we intercept,” Connor said.
That was the plan.
Andrea believed she was still in control. She believed Venus was isolated. That we were fractured and divorcing. That I was out of the picture and Venus was acting alone, desperate and compliant.
She wouldn’t confront Venus directly now. Not when she thought Venus had no support. To keep Venus obedient, Andrea needed to maintain the illusion that she still had the upper hand.
Which meant threats.
Pressure.
Movement.
“She’ll think we’re scrambling,” I said. “That we’re blind p>
“And she’ll get sloppy,” Colton added.
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I closed my eyes briefly, the image of Iris flashing through my mind-her laugh, her stubborn little frown, the way she used to tug on my sleeve when she wanted my attention and didn’t care if I was in the middle of a call.
“Let them run,” I said quietly. “Let them think they’re winning p>
I straightened as Colton cut the engine.
Now we wait.
I hated playing the waiting game.
Let’s just hope they take the bait.
D
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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.