Vi tapped on the door and waited. Her pulse hammered hard, but she didn’t have a choice. The door opened silently, much like the man inside. She took a few steps in as Dallas wandered back toward the bed. Clad in a pair of jogging pants and shirtless, he swiped his hand down his face and turned. Resignation reflected in his gaze.

“This couldn’t wait until daylight?”

“I’m thinking you already know the answer,” she said. “He claims he’s here to keep me breathing. His nephew’s dad needs a rescue. What do you know about him?”

Her pulse still quickened from the brief time Jud had her pinned against the wall. No one had ever stirred her curiosity or incited her desire so fast, which made sense because he was clearly wrong for her in every conceivable way. Vi had a taste for bad boys, always had. She’d never scratched that itch. She might’ve liked bad boys, but she certainly didn’t turn their heads.

Because I’ve got a sweet tooth for sass, babe, and it’s been a long time since I’ve met a woman who could satisfy it.

God, she was beyond pathetic. She knew nothing about Jud at all. Oh, except he was being coerced into killing her to save Danny. Yeah, that was a great reason to be attracted to someone.

Idiot.

He wasn’t taking the contract, though. He was going to take the assholes down instead.

Or so he said.

“What do you know about him?” She repeated the inquiry into the silence as Dallas prowled toward his bed.

“More than most. Nothing.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “Jud isn’t someone you know. He’s someone you survive.”

“He said he’d take down anyone who goes after us, even his employer,” she said.

Dallas shook his head in disbelief. “No one takes them down, but I guess he’d get closer than anyone else. I sure as hell wouldn’t go after him.”

“Dallas, Mary and I have respected your need to keep those years blacked out, but I can’t risk not knowing, not when it’s come and knocked on our door. Literally.” She knelt on the floor and took the man’s hand.

He’d gone through hell during those years; that much was obvious. He’d come home and fallen into a deeper rut of problems because of Dylan’s manipulative ex. The two brothers had barely reconciled. While Vi didn’t want to push, she didn’t have a choice. She wasn’t letting anyone or anything get near Mary or her teams. Failure wasn’t an option, not again.

“Jesus, you’re worse than Riles,” he muttered.

“I’ll keep it under wraps,” she promised. “I can’t let that dark patch in your life jeopardize everyone here, not if it’s about to rain hell down on us.”

Dallas expended a breath and ran his hand down the back of his head and neck. Gaze averted to the floor, he pulled his hand away. “You’re right. We can’t let that happen. Marshall knows who I was with, but not how deep I’d gotten.”

Few operations were so dark Vi couldn’t find them. Dread seeped into her as she waited through the silence. Each second deepened her certainty that what she learned wasn’t good—not for her. Mary. The Team.

Or Dallas.

“The Collective.”

The two words swooshed the breath from her lungs. She leaned back on her heels and sealed her eyes closed. The Collective. They were the monsters under the bed in the Deep Web, the urban legend bandied about to terrify the worst of the worst. An unstoppable force capable of doing anything at any time with zero repercussions because their influence was marrow-deep within any and every governmental organization. Some believed they controlled the world’s empires from the shadows.

Because men like Jud and Dallas made it so.

And now one of their operatives wanted to stand between her and them. God. She wanted to shove her head in the sand and ignore the fact The Collective was probably behind everything. The contract. Mary’s kidnapping. Hiring Peter.

Everything.

A thousand questions listed in her mind, but the haunted depths of Dallas’s eyes warned her she wouldn’t get answers, not tonight. She reached out and grasped his hand. “Thank you.”

“Did…” Dallas cleared his throat when his voice broke. “Did he say they’d issued the contract?”

“No, but Jian was pushing him to take it. He said the man thought he was the best one to fill it.”

“He is.” Dallas squeezed her hand. “The Collective operates in layers. I started off on the outer shell, sank a couple layers deeper over the years. No one ever penetrates to the center, the core of who makes the decisions and runs the organization. Rumor within the group was that the Judge was their personal henchman, the one they trusted to do whatever they needed. He served the core.”

That didn’t sound good. Vi swallowed and nodded.

“I didn’t know him very well, obviously. My last operation was a disaster. The operative I was paired with was out on a personal vendetta and set me up to take the fall. Jud was dispatched to handle the situation. To handle me.”

“The core ordered a hit on you?” Anger raised her voice. Oh hell no.

“He assessed the situation and reversed the decision.” Dallas snapped his fingers. “Just like that. He told me I was clear to walk away.”

“He gave you an out.”

“You don’t get it, Vi,” Dallas said. His voice lowered. “There is no out, not with The Collective. But in the space of an hour I went from being in their sight lines to breathing free, all because of Jud.”

Wow. Vi added another hundred or so questions to her mental tally and took a couple deep breaths. Jud was the real deal then, the veritable monster in the shadows.

And he wanted to protect her.

“I guess you don’t have a full name or anything to offer about his family.”

Dallas chuckled. “I’m surprised he has family. The Collective doesn’t operate in the light of day.”

“Thank you for trusting me,” she said.

“Don’t dig, not into his mud pit. Leave the still waters alone, Vi,” he warned.

She nodded, though she suspected he knew the impossibility of his command. Digging was tantamount to breathing for her. She wasn’t happy if she wasn’t mired in muck. “Get some rest. We’re white boarding the dad’s abduction, then Jian.”

“I’ll let everyone know to be there,” he said.

“That’s not necessary. We’re more productive working alone.” We meant her, Mary, Bree, and Rhea. Addy and Riley assisted by keeping them sufficiently hydrated and supplied with whatever they needed. They were a female brain trust jokingly called The Pentagon, but they’d recently expanded to six, which made the name even funnier. Dylan was the token male, mainly because he enjoyed watching Mary work. They didn’t need all the rest of the Mason squad involved.

“If Jud’s there, we’re there,” Dallas announced. “No option on this one, Vi. He said he’s here to help, but six million is a lot of reasons to change someone’s mind.”

Whatever. She’d sort out the chaos in the morning. “Let Marshall know we’re postponing application testing tomorrow.”

“He won’t be happy.”

“That’s why you’re telling him and not me.” Vi waved. “See you in the morning.”

The Collective. Vi had a name. With a name she could bring down anyone and anything if given enough time. She had all night to dig. She should have asked for Danny’s last name. Hell, she should have asked for Jud’s full name. And Jacob’s. At least he was in town and not under the same roof for now. Trusting a veritable stranger—one who fully admitted to being the best assassin to fulfill the contract on her—was a huge risk, one she wasn’t necessarily okay with. But she’d learned long ago the best way to handle the enemy was keeping them close.

Vi called up HERA when she arrived back at the small cottage she now called home. Though the hour was late, Addy had left a lamp on in the corner. Vi sat and called up the surveillance cameras they’d put up in Resino a couple weeks ago. The small bed and breakfast was a new addition to the town, a welcomed one everyone hoped would bring tourists to the area. She didn’t think there was much to draw tourists to the area, but she admitted she hadn’t exactly nosed around with a tourist mindset.

A rental vehicle sat out front of the small establishment. She ran the plate, and hacked into the rental company’s records.

Judson Jensen.

Talk about a fake name. Ha. She smiled at the screen as she started her search. No matter how good someone was, there was always, always a footprint. It might not be anything more than a whisper in the wind, but it would be there. And she would find it.

Someone was out for blood and Jud was an unknown.

Not for long.

* * *

“Kabul, Afghanistan is sixteen and a half hours from San Antonio by plane,” Jacob offered. “Flights are pretty limited.”

Jud looked over at his nephew. He’d started a master’s program at MIT a few months before, which had spurred his dad’s decision to take the contract gig overseas. Danny’s sole focus was providing for his son, making sure he had everything he needed to continue his trek toward a bright future.

Gotta take this contract, man. It’s only a couple weeks over in the sandpit. I’ll show the newbies what’s what and be back with enough bank to get Jacob through graduate school.

Jud remembered the conversation well—it’d been the last one he’d had with his brother-in-law. The only time they’d ever argued. Danny left the next day.

Jud and Jacob had spent the morning going over whatever intel they could get on Danny’s disappearance, but information was sparse.

“I’m thinking they’ll use different means to get there than commercial flights, bud.” He turned the vehicle into the entry road leading to The Arsenal. Two armed guards flagged him through without conversation. Unlike the previous night, he was expected.

Dallas and one of his brothers stood outside a patch of parking spaces cordoned off for visitors. He took the one nearest the building. Jacob had his backpack in hand and jumped out before he could stop him. To say he was a bit excited to be in the hallowed work area of the Quillery Edge was an understatement. Add that to his determination to find his father and Jud worried the kid would have a panic attack any moment. It’d been a few years since he’d had them, but they’d been an ongoing problem since Danny’s capture the first time fifteen years before.

He left the keys in the vehicle and placed himself between Jacob and the Masons. Dallas’s jaw twitched as he tracked the move.

“We aren’t thrilled about you being here, but we wouldn’t hurt a kid,” Dallas said.

“I’m not a kid,” Jacob argued. “I’m nineteen and working on a master’s at MIT.”

The kid puffed his chest up and met Dallas’s gaze dead-on. “I’m gonna be just like the Quillery Edge in a few years.”

“That’s good,” the man beside Dallas said. “They’re the best in the business. I’m Jesse, let’s head inside so you can meet everybody. Vi and Mary are going to be along in a bit.”

Jud let Jesse guide his nephew into the building since there was clearly a divide and conquer mission of some sort going down. Jacob looked over his shoulder.

“You good, Uncle Jud?”

“I’m fine, bud. Head on inside. I’ll be there in a bit.” The lanky kid plodded alongside Jesse, matching his long-legged stride easily.

“What’s your play here, man?” Dallas asked. “Vi and Mary are off limits.”

“I’m not here to fill the contract if that’s what you’re wondering,” Jud said. “No one’s going to mess with them as long as I’m around. Beyond that, we’ll know soon enough.”

“They involved with the hit?”

“Probably, but they’d be stupid to take Danny. The only thing I have is that kid and his dad, my family. Them still in my life was a reward I earned a few years ago, one I protect fiercely and they know that. The Collective also knows I’ve got a connection to the Quillery Edge through Danny. Them messing with those connections wouldn’t be smart, but they’ve done dumber things.”

Jian was neck deep the contract, but he was the middleman for a lot of people. The situation stunk.

“You care to explain that connection?”

“I figure it’ll come out in a few minutes. The kid’s been through enough. I’ve gotta get inside, see to him. Panic attacks are in his history.” He glanced at the doors Jacob entered moments ago. “Whatever beef you have with me, contain it around him.”

It was the only warning he’d give. Dallas grunted, but motioned toward the building. Jud followed the operative he’d put his ass on the line to save once. Apparently what’d gone down back then wasn’t a bullet point on the agenda today, which was fine with Jud. He never cared for trips down memory lane anyway.

So far The Arsenal was impressive. It was set far enough from town to spotlight strangers wandering where they shouldn’t. Drones circled in seemingly randomized patterns overhead, something he’d noted from his reconnaissance mission a few days previous—one he did via long distance across the highway. Smaller drones lurked in the corners of the hallways when they entered. None of the doors were labeled and all hallways resembled one another to the point a layman would get lost in the winding mess.

Slick.

Jud followed Dallas down a shorter hallway then followed him left. The area opened up into a series of what he assumed were meeting rooms. The doors weren’t as close together. The one on the right was a frosted glass offering a hint at shadowed bodies in the interior. Dallas opened the door and motioned him inside. A rumble of disapproval rose in him as his gaze swept over the crush of people—fifteen including him and Jacob. The large standing style table had a dozen high-backed leather stools around it. Addy stood with two men book-ending her in the far corner.

“Okay, everyone. Grab a seat, we’ve got a lot to go over,” Vi ordered. “For anyone who hasn’t met him, this is Jud, aka The Judge, and his nephew, Jacob Ralters.”

He froze hearing his nephew’s last name, one he hadn’t shared yet. A grin spread on his face. She’d been digging. The woman avoided eye contact as she introduced everyone in the room. He expected most of them to be present, except for Addy, Gage and Fallon—who were apparently Arsenal team leads—and Bree and Rhea. He made a mental note to dig up some more background on them as he sat beside Jacob at the table.

His nephew drew his laptop out of his backpack. Jud doubted he’d have reason to use it, but knew it was more of a security blanket in a group of strangers than anything. Cord smiled at him and offered a connection across the table. Jacob’s grin was a mile wide as he plugged into The Arsenal like a part of the team.

Fuck. This was going to go sideways fast and he couldn’t control the spin, not on something like this.

Jacob glanced at him. Wariness reflected in the kid’s eyes, but Jud didn’t have much in the way of comfort to offer. He’d never been in a situation where this many people were discussing or debriefing anything. He operated lone wolf style most of his career. Team was a foreign, four letter word.

Vi caught his gaze, moving her own between his and Jacob as if reading his worry. Her lips pursed, but she kept going with her conversation.

“We have several notable bullet points for today. First, and not on the agenda for this meeting other than this mention, there’s a two-million-dollar contract for my and Mary’s termination. It goes up to six if HERA is secured in the process. Compound security is advancing two levels. Nolan and Dylan will have more on that in a sidebar meeting with you all. For now, we progress to the second and third agenda items. Item two came as a result of said contract. Jud arrived last night offering his…” The pause was obvious and tense. “Protection. We have some information he’s provided, which we’ll review in the final agenda item. Jacob’s father was taken to coerce him into taking the contract, but he’s chosen to approach us for assistance in handling the situation instead.”

All attention settled on him and Jacob. His nephew cast his gaze on the computer in front of him and folded his shoulders and body inward. Jud settled a hand on the kid’s back and took the lead. “Daniel Ralters is my brother-in-law and works for a private contractor offering services in Afghanistan. He stopped field work almost fifteen years ago after being captured. His employer, on occasion, asks him to go overseas to either meet with clients, facilitate new deals or train new personnel. The latter was why he went over recently.”

Vi and Mary were both typing on their laptops. The two froze, looking at one another. Color leeched from Viviana’s face.

“What did we miss?” Marshall asked.

“I…” Viviana stared at the screen. “I hadn’t connected the dots. Sorry, we need a minute. We’ll be right back.”

Jud watched as the two women rose and left the room. Dylan was hot on their heels.

* * *

I’ve got a boy, a brilliant, beautiful boy who scares the crap out of me, Quillery. He’s smart, way too good to have an old man like me. He’s only four, but so smart. It scares me. I know he can light up the world just like he’s lit up my life. I’m so scared of screwing him. What the hell do I do with a little genius?

Don’t feed him the fear. Fuel the genius, let him soar. Be there if he falls, but don’t hold him down. Teach him it’s okay to stumble as long as you get back up and keep trying. Show him courage doesn’t come from winning the battle, it comes from looking impossible in the eyes and kneeing his nuts.”

Vi squeezed her eyes closed. God. God. God. It’d been years. So, so many years. The conversation was one of many that looped in her brain, when the darkness of the night creeped into her thoughts and spread like a virus. He was one of her personal failures, one of the missions that’d gone wrong along the way. It’d been hailed a success because there were no casualties, but Vi knew better. She may have succeeded in the mission, but she’d failed one man that day.

Danny.

“You okay?” Mary asked.

“No. I…” She looked down and paced in the narrow nook leading into the large war room. “I can’t believe this.”

“What am I missing? What’s wrong?” Dylan asked.

Concern filled his gaze as it settled on her. He wasn’t out here solely for Mary. He was genuinely worried about her. Vi took a deep breath and drank in the calm he exuded. “Ghosts from the past. We helped rescue Danny and his convoy back then. I still remember the conversation, how I failed to keep him safe. I should have put the dots together, but I hadn’t.”

“No.” Mary squeezed her arm. “No, that’s not on you. You did nothing wrong. At all. He was already blown up by the IED before we were even on the com to help with an exfil. It’s like you weren’t even in the same theater as me. All these years and you still think you failed him? You kept him breathing. Alive.”

Alive. What a crock of horse shit. There was a sliding scale of what alive meant. He may have been hauled away from hell “alive”, but he wasn’t the man he could’ve been if she’d reacted faster, done more.

“I should have done more,” Vi whispered. “Sorry, it all hit me again when I glanced at my notes from the mission. It was like I was there again.”

“There’s a kid in there chomping at the bit to figure out if we can help him find his dad.” Mary grinned. “Again. I love you, but you need to shake this off.”

Mary was right. It was why she was The Edge. She never quit, never surrendered to the overwhelming emotional fallout of mission after mission after mission. Though they’d done hundreds of ops, Vi couldn’t shake some of them loose. Ghosts. Danny was one of hers.

“I know.” Vi forced back the memories and focused on the current situation. “Let’s get back in there and figure out what the hell’s going on.”

“If this gets to be too much, let me know and we’re done. Nothing and no one is more important than you and our new crew here.” Mary motioned toward the room. “Let’s go.”

Vi followed her friend and Dylan back into the room and sat down. “Sorry, I needed to take a breath for a minute. Some missions feel like they just happened yesterday, and this was one of them.”

Jacob’s gaze was watery. Son of a bitch, she hadn’t handled that well. The kid needed the calm, quiet confidence she and Mary offered as the Quillery Edge. He didn’t need an emotional mess, not with his dad missing again. She called up the mission records from the last time, hacked her way into the organization’s database and pulled up the data they had on Danny’s last orders.

“He works for Palmetto,” she said.

“Of course he does,” Mary muttered.

“There a problem with that?” Jud asked.

“Palmetto is on the up and up for the most part,” Vi replied. “They have a side division called Palmetto Pointe that operates in the grayer areas. It was partially owned by Martin Driggs, one of our former bosses at Hive.”

Several of the pieces clicked into place as to who orchestrated this mess. Someone was dishing up a big stew of coincidences. Clearly whoever took Danny was also behind Peter and Martin betraying them and trying to steal HERA. Now that she and Mary had dismantled and systematically destroyed the two bastards, they’d put out a hit on them.

Now that they had the why, Vi wanted the who.

“It’s dirty,” Jud said.

“No way, no way Dad is dirty,” Jacob shouted. “No way. You’re wrong.”

“Easy, bud. They aren’t saying he’s dirty. The contract was likely issued because they took down Hive and everyone associated with…” His gaze darted to Mary, who tensed beside Vi. “The recent incidents. That takes someone with a lot of clout to pull off.”

The Collective was probably behind it all. Vi’s chest squeezed as the shock and pain flashed through Jacob’s face. Guilt and rage harshened Jud’s face. His employer had kidnapped his nephew’s dad. He’d likely already put the pieces together, but it was becoming more abundantly clear. If he had any doubt. She didn’t exactly have room to throw stones. How long had she and Mary denied the fact Hive was dirty? That everything they’d worked so hard to achieve had been tainted by corruption and greed?

Yeah, it was easy to look at a situation from a bird’s eye view and cast judgment, call bullshit on what seemed obvious from a distance. But when someone was in the trenches, mired in the bullshit for so long it was hard to smell it any longer—especially when someone you supposedly trust and rely on was the one crapping on what you care about. She glanced around the room and noted the matching expressions of empathy and patience.

Anger and determination.

“The Collective did this?” Tears trekked down the boy’s face. “Why would they do that?”

“Leverage,” Vi said. “Someone familiar with your uncle’s track record wanted leverage to get him to do what they wanted. Your dad is their ace in the hole.”

Jacob shook his head. “No. They wouldn’t use Dad because it’d piss Uncle Jud off, and no one smart ever does that. Not if they want to keep breathing.”

Vi couldn’t help but smile at the conviction within Jacob’s voice. He had no doubt his uncle was the best.

“Let’s take a few steps back and start at ground zero. Then we can get to the questions of who and why,” Mary suggested. “Tell us about Danny’s work with Palmetto.”

“I have his bio,” Jacob said. He yanked his notebook from the backpack and thumbed through it. “It’s more of a list of assignments he’s had over the years. Will this help?”

He slid the notebook across the table. Cord reached over and grabbed it. He grinned.

“Nice lists, man. You’ll fit in good with these two. They have lists for their lists.”

“Wicked,” Jacob replied. “They help me sort my thoughts.”

“Me, too,” Vi admitted.

Jud helped fill in the holes of the Palmetto data she’d unearthed. Danny went missing on a stretch of highway deep within the Golden Crescent, one of the heaviest areas of opium growers and suppliers in the world. The area was rife with political unrest and in the middle of highly sought-after terrain. Local drug lords controlled growth over around ninety percent of the world’s opium production.

“Naturally Peter and Martin took a cut of the profits for their assistance in easing any trafficking concerns with their connections, but how does Palmetto Pointe play into this?” Addy asked.

Vi noted the tension in her friend’s voice. She couldn’t imagine how Addy’d gotten through all she had. Finding out your only brother was a scum-sucking leech on humanity was bound to be difficult. “Palmetto and their counterpart, Palmetto Pointe, are the primary contractors in the area. They offer engineering and logistical support for a lot of the local building initiatives.”

“Dad’s an engineer, the best.”

Which would explain why he was dragged over to the region despite what’d happened in the past. I’d do anything for that kid. The words from years ago haunted Vi as they ran through the data. She and Mary unearthed what little documentation there was.

“Someone’s scrubbed records,” Cord surmised.

“Pretty much,” Mary said.

“The question is who,” Jud said.

“I’m thinking you already know the answer. He’s been gone a while now, long enough for someone to reach out and yank that chain, extend an offer you couldn’t refuse,” Dallas said. He leaned back in his chair and pinned Jud with a malevolent glare.

“I figured they were involved when Jian phoned. He has other clients, but it takes a big bank account to fund an operation of this magnitude.” Jud’s voice offered no emotion, no subtext.

“And we’re supposed to believe you’d not only pass up that much money, but offer protection?” Marshall chuckled. “This isn’t Hollywood. We’re not dumb enough to fall for that scripted crap.”

“Never thought you were.” Jud crossed his arms. “I’ve operated in the shadows a long time, done things so black it’s in my marrow. I had one rule going in. My family stays clean. Someone broke that rule. That’s why I’m here. No one jerks my chain, especially the one tied to my family.”

Silence descended a few moments. The Mason brothers looked at one another. Vi sensed the shift in their mindset. With the few sentences Jud had climbed up a few pegs as far as most of the operatives in the room were concerned. Family was the most important thing to the Masons.

“I’m not bending over for anyone. Ever. Someone breaks my rule, I break them in a way that sends a message no one forgets.”

“Someone had to be close enough to know you had that string for them to pull,” Nolan commented. “I’d imagine the list is narrow.”

“It should be,” Jud admitted. He pulled out a phone and slid it across the table. “Let’s see what we can find out.”

Vi looked at Mary, then at the phone. Cord snatched it first.

“It’s a burner. Hit number two,” Jud said. “It’d be best if everyone stayed quiet.”

Cord hooked the phone to the overhead speakers. Unease filled Vi as the device started ringing. A velvety, feminine voice filled the speakers.

“Why, Jud, this is a pleasant surprise. You weren’t due to check in for another month. Are you sick of your little investigation firm already?”

“No.” Jud’s jaw twitched. “I need some answers, Marla. I’m hoping you have them because I’m not in a good mood.”

“You don’t sound happy.”

“Got a call. Danny’s disappeared, Jian’s behind it and pushing me to take the Quillery Edge contract. I’m not happy, Marla.”

“How unfortunate. Looks like you don’t have much in the way of options. It’ll be an easy six million for you.”

“What does The Collective have to do with the contract on the Quillery Edge and Danny’s disappearance?”

Marla sighed. “Honestly, Jud, it’s like you haven’t been paying attention. Hive was…an important ally. Losing them undermines us. I’m afraid decisions were made to neutralize the risk. They were outsourced to other interested parties. You should really stay out of that mess, Jud.”

“Hard to do since Jian dragged me into it by taking Danny.”

“Well, that’s true. You know Jian. He’s like the eager puppy bouncing around in the corner to get attention.”

“You know the rule, Marla. The Collective stays away from my list. Danny and his kid were at the top.”

“Now, Jud, we can’t control what others do. You know how many vie for our attention. It’s not our fault if they get overly enthusiastic.” She sighed again. “I warned him it was a terrible idea to get his little buddies over there to take Danny. It’s not like you’ll negotiate with anyone. But you know how Jian gets.”

“He’s pulling my string,” Jud declared. “You’re letting him pull my strings, Marla. I’ve got problems with that, problems guaranteed to make you and everyone you report to very uncomfortable.”

“We’re staying out of this one out of respect for you, Jud. We couldn’t stop Jian from making his move, and we can’t stop you from making yours. We stayed out of it when he got involved with Peter and Hive, too. Really, kindergarten politics are beneath us.”

“Yeah, right. You said earlier you were nervous about Hive going down.” Jud tapped the table. “I’m thinking you’re spewing lies so fast you can’t keep them straight.”

“I said decisions were made to neutralize the threat. I never said we made them, Judson. Now, enough with the boring drama.” Marla sing-songed the words. “I miss you, lover. It’s been rather dull around here without you.”

Vi tightened beside Mary. Everything was connected.

“You should’ve kept him away from my family, Marla. You may not have issued the order, but your silence ensured its success. For that, you and The Collective will pay,” he warned.

“You know better than to make threats. I let you get by with more than the rest of my toys, but don’t forget that’s what you are. Don’t upset me by being stupid, Jud, or I’ll be forced to punish you.”

“I’ve never been your toy, Marla, and I don’t make threats. Clean this mess up. Get Danny back and the contract against the Quillery Edge withdrawn now, or there will be consequences. I don’t make threats. That’s a promise.”

“Ordering us around is a mistake, Jud.”

“No. The mistake was going after my family. This discussion is done.” He made a cutting motion.

Mary flicked the phone off. Tension corded the room. Jud’s gaze swept the area. “In case you missed it, I just declared war on Jian Chen and The Collective.”

Yep. Vi was pretty sure everyone in the room figured that out.