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s, watching me squarely. Knowing he was not the patient type, I could tell he was a time bomb, ticking to explode when triggered. "The fact that they went after Atlas confirms it," Ethan finally said, turning back toward us. "They're done hiding." "Which means we can stop pretending this is over," Noah added, not looking up from his phone. I exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over my jaw. "We always knew it wasn't over." "Yeah," Damien muttered, "but knowing it and dealing with it are two different things." He sat forward, the glint in his eyes replaced by something much darker. "They tested us today. The question is, what's our response?" I knew what he wanted. A strike as a reminder that we weren't to be toyed with. But that wasn't the move. Not yet. "They're trying to bait us," I said, keeping my voice calm and controlled. "If they wanted a war, they would've gone after more than just our stock." Liam nodded. "They're watching." Noah glanced up, meeting my gaze. "And they're waiting." We went quiet afterwards because we all knew what they were waiting for... or whom. My grip tightened around the edge of the table as an image of Sienna flashed through my mind. The way she had looked at me earlier. "Jason's watching her, right?" Liam asked, reading me like a damn book. I gave a curt nod. "I told him not to let her out of his sight." "Who?" Damien asked, glancing between Liam and I I glanced around for a while, wondering if I should tell them about Sienna and the connection to the Cartel. "Out with it man," Noah said, My jaw ticked. "The new PA, Sienna Carter" Damien's smirk deepened. "So, it is about her. didn't I say it guys, it is a woman who would make Zane act weird" I shot him a glare, but he just chuckled, leaning back in his seat "She's in danger," I said, keeping my voice level. "The same bastards we've been hunting for five years have set their sights on her." The mood at the table shifted instantly. Ethan exhaled sharply, setting his glass down. "How do you know she's connected to the cartel?" "Because they left a message," I said. "A warning. They want her or something from her." Damien's expression darkened. "Then they're as stupid as they are suicidal." Noah leaned forward, elbows on the table. "Why her? What's the connection?" "I don't know yet," I admitted. "But I'm going to find out." "That's not going to be enough," Ethan said, his voice edged with concern. "If the cartel really wants her." "They can't have her." The words left my mouth before I even thought about them, laced with more anger than I intended. The room went still. Damien raised a brow, exchanging a quick look with Liam. I knew exactly what they were thinking. I had just made this personal. And that was dangerous. "I thought the plan was to keep her close," Liam said carefully. "Use her as bait to draw them out." "That was the plan." "Is it still?" Liam's question hung in the air between us. I looked at him, at all of them, and I knew I couldn't lie. Because somewhere between hiring her and now, she had stopped being bait. And she had become something else entirely. Something I wasn't sure I could afford. Liam studied me for a long moment before nodding. "Then we tighten security. No gaps. No second chances." Ethan slipped his phone back into his pocket. "I'll set up background sweeps and see if anyone on the inside is leaking information." Noah was already on it, his fingers flying across his screen. "I'll run a full diagnostic on our firewall. If they got in once, they might try again." Damien cracked his knuckles, standing up. "And I'll do what I do best to find out exactly who is pulling the strings." There was nothing more to say. We all knew what needed to be done. Liam was the last to leave, pausing by the door. His phone beeped a notification and he checked, his expression became stoic at once "Zane." He said, I met his gaze. " I just got an update from Ethan" He said. "Who betrayed us?" "It was Robert," he said quietly. "Little wonder he's acting all defensive. You know what we must do." Fuck Robert! The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I hated the double life I had to live. Investment CEO by day and a Cartel leader by night. But it had to be done. Regardless of how much I have been trained for the role, it was draining, but it had to be done. I never liked Robert anyway. *** I counted all six bullets from the magazine and nodded at Liam, "Ready?" I asked, popping the bullets into the shotgun before I strap it into the waist of my denim pants. "Born ready, Brother, let's go get that traitor the punishment he deserved," Liam replied, a pleased smile on his face as he ran his hand through the lines of guns, taking his time to choose his best gun from the stash. He had been waiting for me to make this call all day, and I knew I couldn't delay the inevitable any longer. Robert had betrayed Atlas Group, and now he had to pay and the clan expected that as the head, I had to be Robert's angel of death. Liam settled for an HPDA commander and reached for a clean wipe to shine it. I was pleased with his choice of gun. It could deliver justice at any distance, aimed at the perfect angle, and whoever got hit with it was sure never to see the light of another day. "Nice," I said I grabbed the black leather jacket I had hung on the sofa, then wore it, covering the bump the shotgun showed. Liam did the same, and we stepped out of the ammunition room. Halfway to the t