Page 30 of Forged

“For Ms. Valentine,” he says, offering the blankly pleasant smile luxury hotels train into their staff.

“I didn’t order anything,” I reply, even as my heart skips a beat, because I have a suspicion who did.

“Delivery was requested immediately,” he confirms.

I go to my purse and retrieve a bill from my wallet, tip him, and wheel the cart inside. The door shuts and excitement fills me. I reach for the garment bag first, brushing the zipper as I steady myself before pulling it open.

The dress inside steals my breath.

Red silk—rich and fluid, catches the light. The dipping halter neckline is elegant but dangerous, and the slit is high enough to make a statement. This isn’t subtle. This is a dress made to be admired—on a hanger or on a woman.

I run my fingers over the fabric, appreciating the weight and craftsmanship. This isn’t a first-date dress. This is a masterpiece. I check the tag and it’s exactly my size. Of course, it is.

I lay the dress aside and open the box. Inside are black heels with red soles, tall, and glossy. I shake my head, a smile tugging at my mouth.

“Hope I don’t have to walk much this evening.”

The velvet pouch comes last. Inside rests a delicate gold chainwith a tiny bell pendant, luminous against the dark lining. It's impossible to miss the intention behind it.

Bella.

I set the necklace down carefully and only then notice the envelope lying on the cart. Thick black cardstock. Clean, precise strokes form my name.

Inside is a card.

Be ready at 5.

Wear your hair up.

— Lars

I sit on the edge of the bed, the card resting against my thigh, butterflies filling my stomach. I’m not easily rattled; men try and fail to impress me in cities across the country. But this is something different. He’s pursuing me, he’s ravaged me, restrained himself, and it’s borderline insane the effect he has over me when I’ve only known him for such a short time.

I exhale slowly, stand, and carefully lay everything out on the bed—the dress, the heels, the necklace, the card. I hang the robe up in the wardrobe and walk to the bathroom.

“Get it together, Valentine,” I mutter, even as a smile betrays me.

It was hard as fuckto leave Neomi this morning.

After I left her bed, I went home to shower off the night and put my head back where it belongs. The water was scalding, grounding me in routine. I should reach out to Rowan to hack into Argent's surveillance system and see if it grabbed footage of the man that followed her, but that would come with a lot of questions. By the time I dress and load my weapon, I have locked away and compartmentalized whatever softness crept in while holding her last night.

I need to have a rational mind for my meeting with Cash.

When I pull into the Lone Saints compound, the sun is already punishing—hot and blinding off the chrome-accented bikes lined up beneath the awning. Heat rises off the pavement in shimmering waves, carrying the scent of gasoline and dust. Inside the war room, the air-conditioning barely dents the heat of the tension waiting for me.

Cash stands by the table, arms crossed. Hale leans over a laptop, thick hair falling into his face until he shoves it back with amuttered curse. Whatever they’re looking at has drained the humor from the room.

“Marchetti,” Cash says, jerking his chin toward the screen. “You need to see this.”

I cross the space in a few hurried steps. Hale clicks the first file.

The footage is from a surveillance camera—grainy, time-stamped from around dawn two days ago. Ignacio Cruz, Maravilla’s second-in-command, strides into frame with a soldier at his back. He’s mid-sentence when a shadow peels away from behind a dumpster. I recognize the silhouette immediately.

Sera.

She moves with effortless precision. Two gun shots to center mass before Ignacio even understands what’s happening. He collapses. His man lunges—she pivots, blade flashing once as she drags it clean across his throat. He drops beside his boss, blood spreading across the concrete.

Sera crouches next to Ignacio’s body. She places the black rose at his temple. Then she looks up, straight into the camera.