Pulling into the office car park, I eased into my spot outside the back entrance. My breath released for what seemed like the first time since leaving the warehouse. I’d driven over in auto-pilot, numb from the neck up. My mind was blank. Unable to feel and unwilling to think.

A few minutes passed by before I caught myself staring out of the windscreen. I glanced at my bloodstained hands gripping the steering wheel. The knuckles shined white against the blotches of dried red. My mind’s eye flickered through the memories.

The weight of the cold blade in my fingers. The smell of fresh blood pooling on the floor as it dripped and poured from his lifeless body. I saw Darryl slumped forward in the chair as if he was in front of me. His warm corpse twitching with the last remnants of life I’d taken from it.

The numb fog dissolved in an instant. An ache engulfed my chest with a sickening force. I gasped at the intensity. A howling cry erupted from deep within. My body folded forward, attempting to ease the pain which wrenched my heart. I cried like it was the first time I’d killed.

I was a murderer. A monster. I’d slit his throat, and I’d be condemned to remember this pain. This torment was my punishment, and I deserved to live with it.

Trying to shake the images from my mind, I covered my eyes with my hands as if it would stop them appearing. It didn’t help.

My father’s cold voice snaked into my head.

Pull yourself together, girl. We do what’s needed in this business.

I drew a breath and slapped my face. Using the pain to bring back my focus and distract from the agony that gripped my chest. My sobs subsided, and I wiped the tears from my eyes as I glanced at the entrance and across the car park. Thankfully, no one was around.

I couldn’t let anyone see me in this state; weak and vulnerable was not good for business. It was important to stay strong.

The frustration pinched at my temples. How could I let myself cry, here of all places?

I checked my eyes in the rear view mirror. They were puffy and red. My bright green irises were dull and listless.

Shit. I’d have to run to my office and hope I could avoid Milena for an hour.

I unfastened my seat belt and climbed out of the car. The rush of cool air kissed my damp cheeks. After the events of this morning, I longed to be far away from here; more than usual. Somewhere alone in the country would’ve been nice.

Instead, I was stuck in the centre of London chasing paper trails for my father.

Locking the car, I headed up the stairs to the back office entrance. Swinging open the outer door, I listened for signs of life on the first floor. It was quiet, but that didn’t mean much.

My father only had a few choice people working for him in the office. It was mainly Milena and I who ran the day-to-day stuff, but we had specialists in for payments and distribution over the Dark Web. I prayed they were working from home, or at least out taking an early lunch. The rickety stairs creaked as I climbed.

“Olivia, is that you?” My sister’s shrill voice pierced through my ears and placed needles behind my eyes.

Fuck. “Yes, Milena, it’s me.”

I rounded the top of the stairs and turned into the main office. She was waiting for me as I entered the soulless workspace. Her wiry lips pursed together in an arrogant stare which made her cheekbones severe. She looked like our father when she scowled, the same cold grey eyes which peered right through you. The same thin jaw clenched with frustration. Only her long dark hair and perfectly groomed eyebrows would set them apart.

“What’s going on with…” Her face dropped before she could finish her sentence. “What the fuck?”

She was staring at my chest. I glanced down and saw the blood spatter covering my shirt. I’d forgotten about Darryl coughing over me. The pain slivered icy fingers into my heart as I pictured him twitching in the chair.

“Not now, Milena. Please,” I hissed through gritted teeth, knowing full well she wouldn’t let me be. The pain was raw, and my brain too fried to handle a volley of questions.

Her eyes were wide as she glanced over my blood stained clothes. “What happened to you?”

I gestured at my shirt. “Jam eating contest. I got strawberry.”

She narrowed her eyes and gave me the don’t fuck with me look.

“What do you think happened? It’s blood, he’s dead.” I pushed past her and headed towards my small office at the back of the main room.

One developer peered over his monitor to watch the drama unfold. He averted his gaze as soon as I gave him a curt nod and a forced smile. The other two busied themselves with anything which wasn’t in my direction.

They were aware of what we did here, to a certain extent. Now, they’d seen more than enough to scare them into keeping their mouths shut.

“Olivia, don’t walk away from me. I need to know what went on.” Her voice louder the more insistent she got, and the needles inched deeper behind my eyes.

I opened the door to my room and spun to face her before I went in. “Then maybe you should have gone yourself. How about getting your manicured hands dirty for once?”

She curled her nose up. “I’m no good with that stuff.” She stopped and stared into my eyes. The perfect arch of her brows skewed as they furrowed. “Have you been crying?”

A groan hung in my throat, and I turned into my room. There was no use bothering with the door, she’d only follow me in.

“Why have you been crying, Olivia?”

I slid past my desk and opened a door on the built-in closet which lined the back of my office. Then stood there pretending to choose a clean shirt so I could avoid her glare. “I haven’t.”

“I’ve not seen you cry since… you were six. It must be something pretty fucking awful.”

“Hay fever.” I pulled out a shirt and stomped past her. It was too much. I couldn’t think with her hounding me. I needed to get away if only for a minute.

“You don’t have allergies.”

I called over my shoulder as I left my office. “Time of the month, hormones and shit.” The guys in the main room couldn’t hide any further behind their desks.

She chased me along the corridor and down to the toilet. “Olivia, for fuck’s sake, will you stop and talk to me?”

I stopped in the door frame and held her there. “Will you show me a modicum of consideration and get the fuck out of my face!”

Her eyes widened as I slammed it shut and bolted the latch. I leant against the door to rest my head on my hand. I couldn’t deal with the questions. All my effort focused on getting my own thoughts in order, never mind appeasing hers.

It was a stupid move to come back to the office. It would’ve been a lot smarter to head home and hide from the world. If I’d have registered where I was going, I would have.

I hung my shirt on the hook and dragged myself to the sink. My reflection was waiting to greet me in the mirror, and it pained me to see it. I was covered in blood. It was smudged over my face, making my olive skin appear white and pale. I didn’t look healthy.

The dark circles below my puffy eyes, and the hollow of my gaunt cheeks made my high cheekbones almost as severe as my sister’s. The blood had dried into my hair, causing tattered clumps to hang limp and stick to my jaw.

No wonder Milena freaked when she saw me.

I washed up and changed my shirt, hoping the process would rid me of some guilt. It didn’t.

The door creaked as I opened it. I half expected my sister to be stood waiting. The coast was clear, but she wouldn’t have gone far. She wasn’t one to back down from an argument. I walked into my office and found her sitting on my desk holding a cup of coffee.

She held the cup towards me. “Peace offering.”

I scoffed at her uncharacteristic gesture, but accepted it. She let me sit in my chair and settle before twisting to face me—starting round two.

“You don’t need the doctor then?” Her tone was soft.

I blew across the coffee cup and took a sip. “No.”

“I called him when you were in the bathroom. He hadn’t set off.”

“Good.” I stared up at her as I placed the cup on the desk. She was being too nice. It wasn’t like her to think of anyone else. I figured she was buttering me up to find out what happened.

She kept her tone light. “I’ve spoken to Gary.”

I shook my head and flicked my fingers in the air. “Who the fuck’s Gary?”

“The guy who was working Darryl over last night.”

My heart upped its beat. “Oh, the thug.”

She was bound to find out. I would’ve had to tell her regardless, but I couldn’t shake the apprehension. Her knowing was the start of a whole new set of problems.

“Yeah, him. He said you killed Darryl.”

“We’ve had plenty of people killed.”

“Yeah, but you killed him. Without our father’s say so, I might add. What the hell were you doing?”

“I slit his throat.” There was no use in pussy footing around it. I liked the way she blanched at my admission. It was as if she’d heard nothing so graphic before.

She swallowed away her unease and glared at me. “Why?”

I hadn’t thought so far ahead. Darryl had made some big accusations, and I couldn’t tell my sister what they were. His son’s life hung on my silence. If Milena found out, then our father found out. I had to keep this one close to my chest until I figured out what Marcus was planning for the Syndicate, and why he stole our shipment. Then, maybe I could figure out what he’d done with Darryl’s boy.

“Olivia?”

I glanced up at my sister. Her eyebrows raised above her wide, grey eyes. If I didn’t know any better, I’d mistake her expression for concern. “Because he was trying to play me.”

“How?”

“He fed me some cock and bull story about his gang setting him up.”

She tilted her head to the side and studied me. “You didn’t believe him?”

“Of course not. It was him.”

“How do you know?”

“For the same reason you send me to these fucking questionings. I can see when something’s obvious. How unlikely is it that his gang staged this robbery, and he knew nothing about it?”

Milena bit her lip as she narrowed her eyes and stared. I’m not sure she believed me. “So why did you kill him?”

“Goddamn, Milena, can you ease up with the twenty fucking questions?”

“My question is perfectly reasonable considering what you did. You’re not in the habit of killing people.” Her wiry lips curled into a smirk. “Not since Jack, anyway.”

“Don’t go there, Milena.” The guilt was heavy enough in my mind without adding him to the mix. “I don’t need it. Not today.”

Her eyes glistened with mischief as she prepared to poke me with a stick. “What’s the matter, is spilling blood too painful for you? Did killing Darryl bring it all back?”

I stood and slammed my hands on the desk. “Milena!”

Her smile widened as she leant towards me. “Tell me why you killed Darryl.”

My teeth gritted as I growled. “Leave it, will you?”

She shook her head. “You can tell me, or you can tell our father. Which one would you prefer?”

I sighed to ease the frustration wracking my mind. She was right, and it made me want to smack her even more. I shook my head and tried to think of an excuse. “It was an accident.”

That was original.

She laughed. “What? You slipped, fell and cut his throat?”

“Not quite. I was trying to find out where he stashed the shipment. I nicked his neck a little too deep.”

She threw up her hands as she stood and turned. “Fucking hell, Olivia. There’s a reason we have guys to do that shit. So, you don’t know where the shipment is?”

I glanced at the desk. “No. I didn’t find out.”

Anger darkened her eyes as she hissed. “For fuck’s sake, Olivia. It was the whole reason we were questioning him! We need that fucking shipment.”

I shook my head. “He won’t care as long as we’ve got who did it. He’ll write it off.”

She huffed. “Have you met our father?”

“Unfortunately.”

She placed her hands on her hips. “You realise our next shipment is over four months away, don’t you?”

“What? Why?”

She groaned and rolled her eyes. “I told you last week. Our main supplier was taken down. A rival cartel decided it was time to lessen the competition.”

Fuck. I recalled her mentioning it. “Then use another supplier.”

“That’s what I’m doing. I’ve pooled the other contacts, but they can’t produce the quantities we need. Hence, the four month wait.”

I rubbed my face with my hands. This turned the shit shower I was in into a veritable shit storm. My father would not let this shipment slide if we had no stock to replace it, and his blame would rest on my shoulders. I sighed and sat back in my chair.

Milena chewed on her bottom lip and her eyes glazed as she stared past me in thought. “Would it be worth going after Darryl’s gang?”

Darryl had said Marcus killed his guys, but I couldn’t tell her that. I thumbed through the papers on my desk to avoid my sister’s eyes. “No. They would have scarpered as soon as they heard about their boss. We can have our guys try to track them, but it’d be a lost cause. We’re not getting that shipment back, Milena.” I held my breath expecting another barrage of questions.

“Okay.” Her tone was light.

I looked up and caught her smile. “Okay? That’s it?”

She nodded. “What else can I say, Olivia. You’ve fucked up, and I’ll have to sort it out.”

“How?”

Her smile crept across her face and formed a sinister grin. “Will you do me a favour? Next time you question a guy, find out what you need to know before you kill him. It’d really help me out.”

I huffed. “When have I ever made anything easy for you?”

“You’ve been the thorn in my side since you were born.”

I returned a fake smile. “Always happy to hear that.”

She smirked at me then walked to the door. Relief emptied my mind, and I held my face in my hands as I dared to breathe.

“Olivia?”

I blinked to ease the frustrating sting her voice pierced behind my eyes. “What?”

“Clear your afternoon tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“I’m setting up a new client meeting. I need you to sit in on it.”

“Who is it?”

“Marcus.”