Kill Order Kiss Novel Chapter 13

Kill Order Kiss Novel Chapter 13

Marco’s cooperation was both a gift and a grenade.

He’d resurfaced after two years off the grid, looking like he’d spent most of that time in places where sunlight was optional. But his mind was sharp, his information current, and his motivation clear.

“I’m done,” he told us in the secure debriefing room, his wrists resting on the table, no cuffs-a sign of good faith. “I went back to Dante six months ago because I had nowhere else to go. What I found was a man I didnt recognize anymore. The new partners he’s brought in-the Volkov syndicate-they’re into things that make the Castellanos look like shoplifters.”

“And you grew a conscience?” Torres asked skeptically.

Marco’s eyes were flat. “I grew a survival instinct. Dante’s ship is sinking, and I’d rather testify than drown.”

I sat in the observation room, watching through the one-way glass, my arms crossed. Marco glanced at the mirror once-directly at where I was standing-and gave an almost imperceptible nod.

He knew I was there. Of course he did.

Over the next three weeks, Marco fed us everything. Locations, codes, schedules. The compound’s security had been overhauled since my time there, but the bones were the same-Dante’s study, the basement vault, the server room behind the kitchen that was disguised as a wine cellar.

“The master ledger is in the vault,” Marco confirmed. “Digital copy on an encrypted drive, physical backup in a fireproof safe. Dante keeps the key on him at all times.”

“Then how do we get it?” Torres asked.

“You don’t. I do. But I need a distraction-something that pulls Dante and his security detail away from the compound long enough for me to access the vault.”

The team spent days planning the operation. I was supposed to stay in the command center, monitoring communications, analyzing data in real time. Supposed to.

The night before the operation, I couldn’t sleep. I stood at my window, watching the D.C. skyline, and my

phone rang.

Unknown number.

I answered.

“They’re going to betray you.” Dante’s voice-not broken this time, but urgent, sharp, the voice of a man used to giving orders in crisis. “The Volkovs know about Marco. They’ve been feeding him false information for

weeks. Tomorrow is a trap.”

My blood chilled. “How do you know this?”

“Because I’ve been watching you, Valentina. Not to hurt you-to protect you. The Volkovs want to send a message to the FBI, and they’re planning to do it with body bags. Marco’s, Torres’s, and anyone else in that command center.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because whatever I am, whatever I’ve done-” His voice broke, just barely. “I will not let you die. Not for my

sins.”

“Dante-”

“Get your people out. Cancel the operation. I’ll handle the Volkovs myself.”

“That’s suicide.”

“Maybe. But I’ve been dead since you left anyway.”

The line went silent.

I stood there for ten seconds, my mind racing through every possibility, every angle, every trap within the trap.

Then I called Torres.

“Sir, we have a problem.”