All Chapters of Dumped By The Alpha, I Married His Stepbrother: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

"Get down." Marcus's whisper cut through the dark a half second before the warehouse door swung wider, spilling harsh light across the cracked pavement outside.We flattened against the wall, and I held my breath as a man stepped out, scanning the street before turning back inside without noticing us."Two guards," Marcus mouthed, holding up two fingers. "Maybe more inside."Lucien's jaw was tight. "We can't storm in blind. Not with Corinne inside.""We don't have time to plan a perfect entry," I whispered. "You heard what he said. They're threatening her with what it costs to protect me.""I heard it," Lucien said. "Which is exactly why we don't rush in and get her killed by being careless."Damien crouched low beside the wall, studying the building's edge. "There's a loading door around the east side, usually left unsecured in buildings this old. If I can get inside that way, I can create a distraction while the rest of you move through the front.""You'll be alone," Lucien said."I

"Someone already inside."The words hung heavy in the small room, and for a moment none of us spoke."Who," Lucien said, his voice tight."I don't know a name," Victoria said. "Only that Caleb referred to them as someone who's served the council chambers for years, trusted enough that no one would think to search them before the session begins.""That could be anyone," Marcus said. "Clerks, scribes, the elders' personal aides. The chamber staff numbers in the dozens.""Then we narrow it down," Lucien said. "Before dawn.""How," I asked. "We have hours, not days, and no way to interrogate an entire staff without alerting Caleb that we already know something's wrong."Damien crossed the room slowly, his expression thoughtful. "There's a records office attached to the council chambers. Personnel files, employment history, background checks. If someone's been placed there recently, or if someone's history doesn't fully add up, it might show in the paperwork.""You'd need access to that of

"Renata Cole." I said the name under my breath, just enough for Lucien to catch it beside me. "I see her," he murmured, his eyes tracking the young woman as she moved through the gathering crowd, her clipboard clutched close, her expression carefully neutral. "She's heading toward the chamber entrance," I said. "Right past the security checkpoint." "Marcus already has men positioned there," Lucien said. "She won't get further than the doors without being flagged." Caleb's attention had shifted away from me, drawn into conversation with one of the council elders, and I used the momentary distraction to glance toward Damien, who had already spotted Renata himself, his jaw tight with recognition. He caught my eye and gave the smallest nod before moving casually toward the entrance, positioning himself near enough to intercept without drawing attention. "Stay close to me," Lucien said quietly, guiding me forward as the crowd began filtering into the chamber. "Whatever happens once we

"Corinne."The name tore out of me before I'd fully processed the horror of it."We need to move," Lucien said, already pulling me toward the chamber's side entrance, Damien and Marcus falling in beside us."What about here," I said, glancing back at the chaos still unfolding around the elders' table, Renata Cole restrained and struggling against two guards. "Caleb's still loose in this building.""Let the council handle Caleb for now," Lucien said. "He's cornered. He can't run far with this many witnesses watching. Corinne can't defend herself against a trained mercenary alone."The senior elder's voice rose above the commotion behind us. "De Villiers. Where are you going.""There's an active threat at my family's estate," Lucien called back. "I need every man Marcus can spare, immediately."The elder's sharp eyes assessed the scene quickly, understanding dawning in her expression. "Go. I'll hold Caleb here for questioning. This council isn't finished with him."We burst out of the c

"Victoria." The name came out of me like something breaking."That's not possible," I said, though even as I said it, memory after memory rearranged itself in my mind, Victoria's flicker of recognition at the celebration, her too specific comment about scars, her insistence on switching cars in the plot I hadn't lived through yet but somehow already sensed coming."He's lying," Lucien said, his voice sharp, though I heard the uncertainty underneath it. "Vale's employer wants us divided. What better way than turning us against the one person who helped us last night.""I'm not lying," Alaric said, blood trickling steadily down his throat now. "I've suspected for weeks that Victoria has been feeding information back to her grandfather. It's the only explanation for how Caleb learned about the scar so precisely, at the exact moment his suspicions needed confirming.""Then why would she help us find Renata Cole," I said, refusing to let the thought fully take root. "Why risk everything by