Chapter 7


Chapter 7: The Mole

I woke to an empty bed and the steady drum of rain against the windows. The sheets felt cold where their bodies had warmed me through the night. My fingers brushed over my stomach tracing the faint marks that were already fading. The memory of Leo’s mouth there Nico’s teasing hands and Dante’s commanding grip still burned under my skin. I hated how much I missed their heat already. I hated the strange emptiness that settled in my chest when I realized I was alone for the first time since signing that contract.

I sat up slowly. My body ached in places that reminded me exactly how they had taken me. I reached for the nearest shirt on the floor. It was Dante’s. The fabric carried his scent dark and commanding. I slipped it on. The hem fell past my thighs and the collar hung loose over my shoulders. It felt too intimate. Too much like belonging. I told myself I did not need that feeling but my hands lingered on the soft material anyway.

I padded barefoot into the main room. The safe house was quiet except for the rain and the low voices ahead. The brothers stood in a tight circle. Their faces were hard. Dante’s jaw looked carved from stone. Nico had lost every trace of his usual playful smile. Leo’s massive hands were clenched at his sides like he was ready to break something.

Four men knelt on the floor in front of them. Their faces were bruised and swollen. One had blood drying on his split lip. Russo and two guards loomed behind them. The air felt thick with tension. I stopped in the doorway my heart picking up speed.

Dante spoke without turning to look at me. His voice was flat and dangerous. “We have a mole. Someone fed Marcus our locations. The penthouse. This safe house. Everything.”

My blood turned cold. I stepped closer and studied the kneeling men. The youngest one Tomas looked barely twenty. He was shaking. His eyes darted toward me for a second then dropped to the floor like he could not bear to meet my gaze.

Tomas whispered hoarsely. “The leak was higher up. I only passed what I was told. I did not know who it would reach.”

Dante moved fast. His hand closed around Tomas’s throat and lifted him slightly off his knees. “Who paid you?”

Tomas gasped for air. “Marcus. But he did not contact me directly. Someone else. Someone inside the Voss family. Someone you trust.”

The room went completely silent. I watched Dante’s face shift. Fury burned in his eyes but underneath it I caught something raw. A flash of hurt. Someone close had betrayed him. The man who commanded everything around him had been stabbed in the back.

Dante’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “Who?”

Tomas shook his head frantically. “I do not know. I swear. They gave me a burner phone. The voice was scrambled. I only followed orders.”

Dante released him with a shove. Tomas crumpled back to the floor coughing. “Get him out of my sight. Lock him in the basement. He does not eat until he remembers more.”

Russo and the guards dragged the men away. Their footsteps echoed down the hall. The door slammed shut behind them. Suddenly it was just the four of us in the heavy silence.

I moved without thinking. I reached for Dante’s hand. My fingers brushed his and he flinched at first like my touch burned. Then his grip tightened around mine. He held on like I was the only steady thing left. The vulnerability in that small moment hit me harder than any command he had given me in bed. This was the real man beneath the power. The one who carried the weight of everything.

Nico ran a hand through his hair. His usual charm was gone. “We have to find the source fast. Marcus is moving quicker than we expected.”

Leo stayed close to my side. His presence felt like a shield. He glanced at me and his eyes softened for just a second. “You should not have seen that. But you are part of this now.”

I squeezed Dante’s hand. The shirt I wore suddenly felt like armor and a reminder at the same time. These men had worshipped my body the night before. Now they were warriors again. I realized how little I still knew about them. The lovers who praised every curve were the same ones who could crush a man’s throat without hesitation. The shift left me unsteady.

Dante finally looked at me. His thumb brushed over my knuckles. “We will protect you. No matter what it costs.”

Before I could respond Nico’s phone buzzed on the table. He picked it up and his face went pale. He stared at the screen for a long moment.

“Marcus just sent another message,” he said quietly. “He knows about the mole. He says he is coming for Serena personally. Tonight.”

The rain pounded harder against the windows. My stomach twisted. The warmth from Dante’s hand suddenly felt like the only thing keeping me grounded. The war had followed us here and Marcus was no longer playing games. He wanted me. And he was done waiting.