Craving The Wrong Brother (Sloane and Knox) novel Chapter 136

Okay, maybe she does know me. It sounds exactly like what I would have done.

“Alright. Alright,” I say. “You’ll have the honor. That doesn’t mean they can’t help. I promise you, I’ll take you with me, and you’ll be the one to finish him off. How does that sound?”

She finally stops typing. It’s not a full pause. Her fingers lift from the keys, hovering in the air like they’re unsure what to do next. Then she turns her head until her eyes meet mine. There are varieties of emotions running through those eyes. Exhaustion, fear, rage, and some others I can't place.

“You promise?” she whispers.

“I do.”

“Swear on your life.”

I pause. Then, because I mean it, I lean in closer.

“Better yet, I swear on yours. You know I’m not letting anything happen to you ever. Not while I'm alive.”

Her face softens. She exhales and gives a small nod.

“Mateo’s going to call back in ten minutes,” she says. “I’m setting up to track the live call this time. I wasn’t ready before, and he didn’t leave a footprint. Not one. He must have someone very skilled with him. Their work is pretty neat.”

Before I stand up to call the team back into the room, I say, “Are you sure he has your sister?”

“Yes. I saw her. He switched to video call and shot her in the thigh.” Her lips press together, trembling as she forces herself to keep it together.

Jesus.

That son of a bitch has already shot her. It now makes sense why Sloane's so worked up. She watched her sister take a bullet in real time. This is the kind of information that makes me murderous. Mateo really does have a flair for the dramatic. I know I promised Sloane she can have at him when we find him, but that promise is looking slightly harder to keep with what's running through my head. My hands curl into fists at my sides before I force them to relax. She doesn’t need me losing my head too.

“If I find that man…” she says.

“We’ll find him. Tell me, what else did you see in the video?”

Her lashes lower. “They were in a basement. Four of them. All tied up.”

“Four of whom?”

She hesitates. Then, “Right. I didn't tell you. Sorry. It totally escaped my mind. Mateo has Hunter, Soraya, Finn… and my sister.”

I blink, unsure if I heard her right.

“I beg your pardon?”

“He has all of them,” she whispers. “I should’ve known. I should’ve anticipated this knowing I have family in this city. I—”

I don’t let her finish the sentence. There’s no need, not when it’s already written all over her face. I reach for her and cradle her face in both hands. Her skin is cold due to the temperature of the room. I pull her into me, and thankfully, she doesn’t resist. Doesn’t pretend to be fine. Her body leans into mine, head resting on my chest as I caress her hair.

“It’s alright,” I say into her hair. “We’re going to get them all back.”

She pulls away suddenly.

“It’s almost time,” she says. “If you’re calling them in, do it now.”

I nod once, then push to my feet. My steps are steady as I cross the room and open the door. I don’t have to say a word. Just a glance, a tilt of my head, and they understand. One by one, the team starts to file in. Their eyes sweep the room, taking in the mess of open hardware, tangled wires, glowing screens, and the unmistakable tension still hanging in the air.

As the team cautiously moves toward Sloane, she begins dishing out instructions, and I just stand there and watch her. I’m trying so hard to fight a smile. Her world is tumbling down right now, but I can’t get over how she came in here and chased some of the city's deadliest tech criminals out of their office and is now giving them instructions like five-year-olds.

My guys exchange glances. Marcus, who’s been doing this for fifteen years, nods along like he’s learning something new. Tony actually pretends to take notes on his phone. They’re humoring her because they can see how important this is, but also because—hell, she’s impressive. The way she moves between systems, the speed at which she’s processing information. She might be giving them elementary instructions, but she’s doing it while orchestrating something far more complex than any of them could handle under this kind of pressure.

Levi stands by the corner, narrowing his eyes at the scene and then at me. I must not be hiding my pride too well. Despite everything—the hostages, the threat, the chaos—there’s something about watching Sloane take command that makes my chest swell. She’s magnificent when she’s angry.