Elijah sat on the edge of the bed, bouncing his knee as he stared at the closed door.
Stay here, Elijah.
Dominic's words echoed in his head, but the more he thought about them, the more they pissed him off. Who the hell did Dominic think he was, giving him orders like some caged pet?
Elijah exhaled sharply and rubbed his face. He knew it wasn't safe outside—hell, he wasn't stupid—but that didn't mean he was just going to sit around waiting like some obedient little doll.
Curiosity gnawed at him.
Something was going down. Something big.
And the more he thought about it, the more restless he became.
Elijah got up and paced the room. Maybe he was overthinking it. Maybe Dominic would come back in an hour, muttering about business as usual, and everything would be fine.
But… what if it wasn't?
What if something really bad was happening?
What if Dominic needed him?
Elijah sighed, running a hand through his hair. Fuck it.
He was done waiting.
Elijah made his way to the door and cracked it open, peeking down the hallway. It was quiet—too quiet. No guards stationed outside. No movement.
Weird.
He slipped out, shutting the door behind him as he padded down the hall. His heart pounded a little harder than usual, but he ignored it. This was fine. He wasn't doing anything reckless.
He just needed to see what was happening.
As he approached the grand staircase, muffled voices reached his ears. He pressed himself against the wall, inching closer.
"…This wasn't an accident," Vincent's voice was sharp, carrying a tense edge.
"Someone set us up," Dominic growled. "They knew our route, our shipment. That doesn't happen by mistake."
Elijah felt his stomach twist.
A traitor?
He peeked around the corner, just enough to catch a glimpse of Dominic standing in the center of the room, his arms crossed and his expression stormy.
Vincent stood beside him, looking equally pissed, while a few other men gathered around, tense and on edge.
"Elijah."
The sudden voice behind him nearly made him jump out of his skin.
Elijah spun around—only to find himself staring into Matteo Romano's amused eyes.
His heart stopped.
Matteo smirked, arms crossed lazily. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to show up."
Elijah's breath hitched. Shit.
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