Page 72 of Shades of Loyalty
Now is usually the time that I’d leave, but tonight, something’s keeping me here.
My father’s rule was simple—if my men are in danger, so am I. The boss should be right there, handling things.
And tonight, I think all of us are in some sort of danger. Even if I can’t prove it.
Nikolai’s forehead scrunches, his eyes focused on something behind me. "Daniel, wait, I think that—"
I turn, my eyes already darting across the area, when suddenly—
FUCK.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Daniel
I can’t tear my eyes away from the body, the blood already pooling around him, staining the concrete dark red. My heart's pounding in my chest, but my face is a mask—cold, unreadable.
This is what happens when you’re the boss. You make sure things are handled, even when they go sideways.
Even when you were the one who almost got shot in his head.
I shift my gaze to Hayden, whose face is pale but alert, his hand tightening around his weapon.
The panic in the air is almost palpable. The men don’t know what to think.
Most of them are going to want answers, but I’m not givingthem any yet.
I can’t, because I have no clue what just happened here either. Neither do I know who this man is who tried to kill me.
The only thing that matters to me right now is the fact that the bastard’sdead.
Thank fucking God we got snipers here.
Whoever it was who shot in time, that man is getting a fucking fat reward.
“Stay alert, everyone,” I bark, louder this time, scanning the area. My instincts are firing on all cylinders, and something tells me this is just the beginning.
I tap my in-ear monitor, talking to the men who couldn’t hear me. “Snipers, keep your eyes on every damn corner. We’re not letting anyone else slip through.”
Hayden moves closer, his footsteps barely audible against the tension in the air. “What the hell just happened?” he asks, voice steady but with an edge of confusion.
I don’t answer right away, my mind racing through the possibilities.
Who the hell was that man? And how the hell did he get this close without anyone noticing?
I told them to check everyone. Nikolai was the only one who realized, and only after that man raised his gun just a few meters away from me.
I glance over at Yuri’s men, all eyes on me, waiting for the next move. Every one of them is ready to fall intoaction at a moment’s notice, but they’re all looking for reassurance that this won’t spiral out of control.
But I don’t have any of those answers yet.
“We’re not done here,” I mutter, looking down at the stranger one last time, my gut tightening. “Check every crate. Double-check everything.”
I turn back to Hayden. His eyes narrow, sensing the shift in my mood. He knows better than to ask too many questions now.
“Where’s Yuri?” I demand, my voice low and controlled.
“I haven’t seen him,” Nikolai says, glancing around. “But I’ll go find him.”
