CHAPTER 46

A Dangerous Deal

Something was off.

I could feel it in the way Riley moved—calculated, careful. In the way her eyes flickered toward mine when she thought I wasn't looking, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag.

She was hiding something.

And I had learned the hard way that secrets could kill.

We were holed up in a nameless motel on the outskirts of the city, waiting for Davis's next move. The place smelled like old cigarette smoke and bad decisions. The walls were thin, the neon light outside flickering like it couldn't decide whether to die or fight.

Riley sat on the edge of the bed, her back to me, lacing up her boots.

"You're going somewhere," I said.

She hesitated. A fraction of a second too long.

"Just getting some air."

I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Try again."

She exhaled sharply, rubbing her temple. "Nathan—"

I pushed off the wall. "You're meeting someone."

Her shoulders tensed.

That was all the confirmation I needed.

I walked to her, slow and deliberate. "Who?"

She didn't answer.

"Riley." My voice was softer now, dangerous in a different way. "Don't lie to me."

She finally looked at me, and for the first time in weeks, I couldn't read what was behind her eyes. It wasn't fear. It wasn't anger.

It was something worse.

Resignation.

"I have to do this," she said.

I felt something sharp twist in my chest.

"Why?" I asked. "Who has their hooks in you?"

She shook her head. "It's not like that."

"Then tell me what it's like."

She opened her mouth, then closed it.

Silence stretched between us, thick with everything we weren't saying.

She stood up. "I'll be back."

I caught her wrist before she could move past me.

For a second, neither of us breathed.

Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, I asked the only thing that mattered.

"Are you coming back to me?"

Her fingers curled slightly, like she wanted to hold on. But she didn't.

And that was my answer.

I let her go.

And she walked out the door.

I followed.

I knew she was expecting me to stay put. Knew she probably counted on the fact that I'd trust her.

But trust was a dangerous thing.

So I moved like a shadow, keeping my distance, watching as she wove through the dark streets, slipping into an alleyway behind a closed diner.

A man was waiting.

Broad shoulders. Suit that screamed money. The kind of presence that made my instincts flare like a goddamn alarm.

Riley stopped in front of him.

And then—

She handed him something.

A small, black device.

My stomach dropped.

A tracker.

I took a slow, measured step forward, staying just outside the glow of the streetlamp.

Riley's voice was tight, almost reluctant. "It's done."

The man studied the device, then her. "You made the right choice."

My blood turned to ice.

Riley crossed her arms. "I didn't have one."

The man smirked. "We always have choices."

I clenched my jaw, my pulse hammering in my ears.

Riley made a move to leave, but the man caught her arm.

She stiffened.

"I hope you understand what happens next," he said. "This was never just about him."

Her jaw tightened. "I know."

I stepped forward. "Then you also know she's leaving."

The man turned—right into the barrel of my gun.

His smirk widened. "Nathan."

I didn't lower the weapon. "Let go of her."

To my surprise, he did.

Riley inhaled sharply, taking a step back, her eyes flickering between us. "Nathan, don't—"

"Don't what?" My voice was eerily calm. "Don't ask why you just set me up?"

She swallowed hard. "It's not what you think."

I laughed, sharp and humorless. "Really? Because it looks like you just handed me over on a silver platter."

Her expression twisted—guilt, desperation, something deeper. "Nathan, they were going to kill you. This was the only way to—"

"To what?" I demanded. "To save me? By betraying me?"

Her breath hitched.

The man—who I now realized was a handler for The Oath—tilted his head, watching the exchange like it was entertainment.

"She did the right thing," he said.

I cocked the gun. "I don't recall asking you."

He chuckled, holding his hands up. "Fair enough."

Riley took a step closer. "Nathan, please—"

I held her gaze.

Everything inside me was screaming.

She wasn't just anyone. She was Riley.

The woman who had stood by my side. Who had fought with me.

Who had saved me more times than I could count.

And now?

Now, she had just handed me over to my worst enemy.

I clenched my jaw, my heart pounding. "Move."

She flinched.

"Nathan—"

"Move."

Her hands trembled at her sides.

Then, after what felt like an eternity—she did.

I stepped past her, gun still trained on the handler.

His smirk hadn't faded. If anything, it had grown.

"You can pull the trigger," he said. "But it won't change the fact that she chose us over you."

A muscle in my jaw twitched.

I wanted to end him.

But not like this.

Not yet.

Instead, I stepped back. "Tell Julian he'll have to do better than this."

Then, without another word, I turned—

And walked away.

Leaving Riley standing in the alley, looking like she had just shattered herself into pieces.