Page 101 of He Knows When You're Awake

He swirls the drink in his glass. “And what exactly am I missing?”

“How pathetic this is.” I watch his fingers tighten on the glass. “You didn’t just lose Claire. You lost your talent for this game. Five years of trying to hurt me, and the best you can come up with is stealing some jewelry?”

Two minutes.

“Stealing?” His composure cracks, just slightly. “I’m reclaiming what should have been Claire’s. Your little protégée’s work will finally serve a purpose. A tribute to real talent.”

I catch Sloane’s slight head shake. She knows what I’m doing. Keeping him talking. Keeping him focused on me.

“Claire had real talent,” I agree, taking another step. “She didn’t need you to forge her legacy. To fake her designs. She would have hated this, Julian. But then, you never really knew her, did you?”

His glass shatters in the fireplace.

One minute.

“Don’t you dare tell me about my wife.” His polished veneer is gone now. “You have no right—”

“I have every right. I was there, remember? Watched you destroy her, piece by piece. Just like you tried to destroy me. Just like you’re trying to destroy Sloane.” I’m close enough now to see the tremor in his hands. “But here’s what you still don’t understand.”

Thirty seconds.

“What?” he snarls.

“That you’ve already lost.” I smile and watch his expression falter. “Again.”

The first flash-bang crashes through the study window behind him.

I’m moving before the blast, tackling Sloane’s chair backward as the room erupts in light and sound. Her head tucks against my chest as we hit the floor, my body covering hers from the spray of glass.

Knox’s team flows through the window and door like smoke—black tactical gear, precise movements. No hesitation. No warning. I hear Julian shout something, but it’s lost in the breach.

I focus on Sloane, working at the silk tie around her wrists. “You okay?”

She nods against my chest, then lifts her head. There’s a cut on her cheek from the glass, but her eyes are clear. Steady. “The designs—”

“Knox has another team at Julian’s headquarters.” I help her sit up as the tie finally comes loose. “They moved in the moment we breached here.”

“You let him take them.” Understanding dawns in her eyes. “You wanted him to split his men between locations.” She gives me a look. “You made me wait five hours with Boris and Vladimir for this plan to work, didn’t you?”

“I’m so sorry,” I say, my voice rough with emotion. “I should have been here sooner.”

“You should have.”

I wait for the fury. The rage. But none of that comes.

She touches my face, her fingers gentle against my cheek. “Hey. You came for me. That’s what matters now.”

But then her eyes narrow, searching mine. “Julian said something earlier. About Maya, my old assistant.”

I freeze. “What do you mean?”

“He didn’t come right out and say it, but...” She swallows. “The way he talked... it sounded like she’s gone. Like maybe he killed her. Chloe had mentioned that there’s no word of her and—”

“Anything’s possible with Julian,” I say, my voice tight. “But if there’s even a chance she’s alive, I’ll find out. And if she is”—I look her in the eye—“I’ll make sure she gets out.”

She nods once, but the silence that follows is heavy.

“I was terrified,” I admit, the words pouring out now. “WhenI realized he had you—” I break off, unable to finish the thought. “I’m sorry, Sloane. For all of this.”