Chapter 99

**Calum POV**

“I think this is our only shot.”
I remove the binoculars, leaning against the frame of the window in the stairwell that stares into the eyes of the building across from us. I check it again, my vision narrowing into the singular points of Hadassah in a master suite of a hotel room. They didn’t check in to stay. I've been monitoring Torin’s communications and apparently he’s meeting up with someone important. The moment that business affair is over. They are set to return to their well-armed fortress and they’re in the wind again. It was difficult enough to track them here even with the geo-tracker.
Hadassah’s mother… she’s safe, at least from Torin’s men.
I’d rather face the squadron of Torin’s cutthroat men than tell her what we had to do.
Hadassah walks into view, staring at something. Suddenly, Torin comes into view and he pulls her flush against him. My brows snap together as I watch her trail a finger down the front of his shirt and stop at the hem. An audible gasp breaks from me as she slips her finger to trace the lines of his stomach. I tear my binoculars away and before I can throw them away—Emilia grabs them from my grasp to look into them for herself. First her expression is impassive until she narrows her eyes into them to see what I saw and her brows leap with surprise.
“Oh shit,” she curses. “That got intense quick. He just slammed her into a wall,” she narrates, “and now he’s lifting her onto the desk, and she’s got her legs wide open. And he’s shrugging off his pants and her panties are at her ankles. And—oh—oh!”
I lurch to rip the binoculars away from her. “That’s enough of that peeping Tom.”
She smiles back at me spitfully and crosses her arms. “What’s got you so triggered?”
“Other than that what you just saw them do?” An exclamation that rebounds through the stairwell with a sharp echo.
“It’s an act,” she says dismissively. “From what you even told me about your brief conversation with her at that sea palace. She’s been playing him from the start. She’s doing what she has to in order to stay ahead to stay alive.”
I shake my head stiffly. “You didn’t see it. At that auction room when they were seated together at the table. The way she was gazing into his eyes—the way she kissed me. I know her. That wasn’t an act.”
Emilia’s face shifts into something serious and she nods in consideration. “Let’s say she has true feelings for him—which I wager, she doesn’t. This man had kidnapped and held her mother as a quiet threat under the guise of protection. Do you think she will be able to do what needs to be done?”
“Hadassah has always been able to do what needs to be done.”
“Well, she’s never fallen for those former perils,” she points out. “Hadassah said she would reach out to you when she’s ready to be pulled out.”
I jab up a silencing finger to correct her. “She said we needed to secure her mother first. Without that, she couldn’t plan an exit strategy.”
“Instead you planned one for her,” she retorts casually.
“This is the cleanest gap we got, Commander.”
She moans and looks away blissfully. “I’ve never loved hearing the sound of my title more than hearing it come out of your mouth.”
A smile slips through and I pull up behind her. “I can think of better things in mine.”
She grabs the binoculars and looks through them again. Doing something I can’t do, which is to be an objective observer. My arms coil around her as I bury my face into the crook of her neck, and she tilts her head to the side, allowing me to lavish a trail of kisses down her vanilla-scented soft skin, an essence that drowns out every problem. On its own violation, my hands undo the front of her jeans before snaking further down, passing the fabric of her underwear.
“Calum. Focus.”
“Oh, I’m focused.”
She erects when two of my fingers slip inside her, pumping steadily as she tries to stifle each sound but I force them out by delving deeper and faster. Her head tips back before she tries to focus herself again.
“Calum,” she alerts breathlessly. “Torin is leaving the room.”
My face whips up and slowly I draw my fingers out of her and she frees a spiky breath.
“Three guards are entering the room… they’re going to escort Torin out. And… two more just entered—left behind to likely guard Hadassah. I bet there’s another two patrolling the perimeter, watching the corridors. For now, she’s alone.”
“Two or four is better than the forty waiting for them back at the château.”
Buttoning her pants back up, I ask, “You ready?”
She nods slowly. “I have an idea on how to neutralize the guards in her room. But first, we gotta fetch something first.”
***
Emilia POV
Torin booked out the entire floor of a six star hotel. Which works perfectly, it means no civilians catching strays in the potential crossfire. Calum’s usual antics won’t work here. Not only are Torin's men military veterans—decorated soldiers, they are also seasoned mercenaries. The moment they detect any anomalies, they will close ranks and retreat to the château. We had to play this a lot smarter. So all Calum had to do was infiltrate their systems to create fraudulent profiles that will show our aliases as staff personeel. Not the hard part. Not even swiping the work uniforms. Getting past the double-tiered security is because we couldn't fight our way out of this one. And our opportunity came in the form of a room request that I made sure I was the one to deliver the order.
Rich, dark wood paneling lines the walls, complemented by tasteful artwork that speaks of elegance and opulence. As I make your way to the elevators, the hushed efficiency of the staff is apparent. They move with a quiet professionalism, their movements almost choreographed in their smoothness. The elevator doors slide open silently, revealing a mirrored interior with polished brass accents. I push in the trolly as I step inside, feeling the soft vibration as the elevator ascends.
Fear stirs a panic within me. At intervals along the corridor, positioned guards stand watch. A great miscalculation—definitely more than four. A seemingly endless row of them dressed in sharp, tailored suits, they blend seamlessly into the surroundings. Pushing the trolley, I move quietly down the corridor, the wheels gliding smoothly over the thick carpet. The trolley is impeccably arranged, with silver domed covers hiding gourmet dishes, a bottle of vintage wine cradled in an ice bucket, and a small vase with a single, elegant orchid.
I smile amiably and that warm greeting is met with cold stoicism. As I approach the double doors to the suite, the guards subtly shift their positions, one of them knocks on the door. And it's opened by another set of guards, who steps aside to allow me in. The foyer of the suite is a world of its own, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a breathtaking view of the city below.
One of them stops me to scrutinize the cart. He scans everything on top and lowers himself to his haunches to check the inside, sliding the ingress open. His breathing snags as he fumbles back to reveal the tranquilizer dart poking out of his throat. He sways dangerously and crumbles to the ground without a fight. The other guard snaps into military mode but a dart catches him in the pit of his neck, just above his collarbone with Calum peeking over the edge with the tranq gun leveled at him. The last one drops to one knee, tries to rise again only to collapse on the ground hard. Not loud enough for those just beyond the doors to hear. But loud enough for Hadasah to hear as she emerges into the archway. And Calum climbs out of the compact space, growing to his full height. Barely out, she races across the palatial stretch and ensconces him in her embrace. Her eyes flick to me and her smile begins to dim as she realizes she recognises me.
Hadassah pushes Calum behind her and she whips out a gun to aim it at my forehead.