Enemy Within

Marina’s POV

Vale might have been the owner of Velour, but it was Talia who made sure we survived nights like last night. She had been running security for years, and I depended on her more than anyone. If I was the one who kept the machine running, Talia was the shield that protected it.

She opened her laptop and said, “We have a spy.”

The words cut sharper than her tone. My breath caught. “Do you know who?”

“Not yet. But there’s no way the attack on the party was a coincidence. Only the employees knew the celebration was for Vale, and no one outside our walls could have staged it so perfectly unless they had inside help.”

“So…” My throat went dry. “It had to be one of our people.”

Her silence was confirmation enough.

I thought immediately of Adrian, Vale’s right hand. He had worked for Victor once, everyone knew that, but surely Talia would have flagged him by now if she thought he was a threat. Still, the thought lodged itself in the back of my mind, a thorn I couldn’t ignore.

“I want you to run background checks on every employee we have,” I said firmly.

She arched her brow. “Everyone? Marina, you know what this place is. Velour isn’t just a club. It's a sanctuary. People come here to bury their pasts. Vale gives them that chance.”

Her voice softened, a faint smile tugging at her mouth. I knew that look. She was thinking of her current lover, someone she had been practicing role play with every night she wasn’t working.

“Don’t worry,” she said, eyes gleaming. “Next time they come for us, we’ll be ready.”

Her confidence should have reassured me, but my thoughts slipped elsewhere. Back to Lucian. To the way his eyes had burned with something wild and unguarded when Vale tested him. Something about it didn’t sit right. Something about him didn’t let me go.

“Talia… there’s something else.”

Her laptop snapped shut. “You know I’d do anything for you.”

I hesitated, then said, “Yesterday, after the attack, I was saved by a young man named Lucian.”

“Wasn’t he one of the waitstaff?” Her brows furrowed. “A bartender? He was only hired for the day.”

“Who hired him?”

“All new hires come from the boss directly,” she said. “I didn’t think anything of it since it was one night.”

I nodded slowly. “Could you do a background check on him?”

Her eyes flicked up in surprise. “You think he could be the spy? Impossible. He wasn’t even here long enough.”

“I know,” I said, trying to sound casual. “I’m just… curious about him. That’s all.”

Her lips curved into a sly smile. “Curious, huh?”

I shot her a warning look. “Don’t tell anyone.”

She pressed a hand dramatically over her heart. “Your secret’s safe with me. But, speaking of secrets, Yasmin’s been telling anyone who’ll listen that yesterday’s disaster was your fault.”

I stiffened. Yasmin. The bar manager. She had been after my job since the day Vale promoted me. Jealous, ambitious, and loud enough to make herself a problem.

Talia leaned in, lowering her voice. “She and Vale had a closed-door meeting this morning.”

My chest tightened. “What meeting? What did she say?”

“You know Yasmin,” Talia said dryly. “A long list of complaints about how you run the club, no doubt. She’s been sharpening her knives for months. Don’t be surprised if she’s aiming for them now.”

I clenched my jaw. “First we find the spy. Then we deal with Yasmin.”

Talia’s smile turned sharp. She snapped her laptop closed and rose to her feet like a soldier readying for battle. “Fair enough. But if Yasmin’s making moves on Vale, you’d better dress to kill today.”

She leaned down, pressed a quick kiss to my cheek, and left behind a perfect red lipstick stain. “Wear something blue. He’ll love it.”

When she left, I drained the rest of my coffee, showered, and opened my wardrobe. My eyes fell on a pretty blue dress I’d bought months ago and never worn, structured lines, a plunging neckline, the kind of thing you’d expect to see on the cover of a women’s business magazine.

As I smoothed the fabric over my hips and studied my reflection, I let out a dry laugh.

“I wonder if any of those women on the cover run a BDSM club,” I muttered.

A stack of contracts and bills waited for my signature, spilling across the polished wood of my desk like an accusation. I was still staring at them when the soft click of the office door opened and Vale stepped inside, followed closely by Adrian.

“Am I interrupting?” Vale asked, his voice low and smooth.

Adrian gave me a look as he entered, the kind of look that said he was carrying a secret I wasn’t supposed to know. “Good morning,” he said lightly. “Nice to see you again, princess.”

I straightened in my chair. “I wasn’t expecting either of you this early.” My eyes flicked to Vale. “I heard you had a meeting with Yasmin this morning. How did it go?”

He smiled, slow and deliberate, as if he were feeding my jealousy on purpose. “She’s an ambitious woman. She wanted to discuss opportunities in growth areas.”

I tightened my grip on my pen, watching him carefully.

“But,” he went on, tilting his head in that infuriating way, “she has nothing on you. Now tell me. What do you have for me?”

I closed my folder and looked at him. “Talia put together a security report. She thinks one of our people is a spy.”

Vale’s face darkened at once. The leather of his glove creaked as his fist closed on itself. “Who do you suspect?”

I swallowed hard. In my mind, the answer rose immediately, Adrian. But I couldn’t just throw it out. Vale had to believe me.

“I suspect Yasmin,” I said instead, keeping my voice even. “She’s only been here a year and she’s already pushing for a higher position. Closer to you.”