She frowned, reaching up to pinch the hard ridges of his abdomen. "Nicholas, do you have a biting problem?"
His searing lips shifted slightly from her ear, brushing against the sensitive skin of her jaw. "Serena, when you used Specimen Fourteen as bait, you put yourself right in the crosshairs."
"You know better than anyone how dangerous this is."
His voice was a low, gravelly rasp, and the arm banded around her waist tightened protectively.
Serena knew this man was worried about her.
But... she had to face Obsidian Sun head-on.
It was her only real chance to penetrate their core and reclaim her grandmother's life's work.
Her fingertips lingered on his taut stomach, giving another deliberate pinch as she blinked up at him with a radiant smile. "Isn't that why I have my darling patron here?"
Nicholas's gaze turned somber, his body going rigid and hot beneath her teasing touch.
He brought his hand up, threading his long fingers through hers and pressing her palm firmly flat against his torso.
The skin beneath her knuckles felt like a furnace.
She could clearly feel every hard ridge of muscle beneath her palm growing hotter, tighter.
She could also feel his ragged breaths fanning across her ear, trailing fire along her skin.
It was as if he was restraining a dangerous, scorching wave of desire.
"Now you remember I'm here?" he asked, his voice rough and seductive.
Serena didn't shy away. She let him hold her hand there, tilting her stunning eyes up
at him with a dazzling smile. "Of course. I can afford to be so reckless precisely because I know you'll always have my back."
"Because I know that whatever blind spots I miss, you'll cover for me."
Nicholas's eyes softened slightly, and he let out a quiet sigh.
He knew she was just trying to sweet-talk him.
But he couldn't deny that those few words instantly extinguished his frustration.
He was entirely at her mercy.
As long as Serena offered him even the slightest bit of affection, he was completely satisfied.
The displeasure in his eyes vanished entirely, replaced by a slow, wicked smirk. "You really have me figured out."
Serena laughed, turning her head to press a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. "So, is my darling patron going to tell me exactly how he plans to have my back?"
Nicholas pulled her closer against his chest. "Nothing ever escapes your notice, does it?"
"I did uncover a few things on my end."
He shifted her in his arms until she was settled comfortably against him, getting straight to the point "When Anonymous Bidder 01 The Raven-made the payment, Falready had my people tracking the funds."
Serena's eyes lit up.
Nicholas was the underground
financial sovereign of the dark web.
Money trails that were impossible valways
for ordinary people to
Teft breadcrumbs in his hands.
"The Raven used a multi-layered anonymous account system," Nicholas continued. "They broke
down the one hundred and thirumet
billion dollars and routed it through various underground cleaning channels. Right now, we can't trace the ultimate holding account."
"But you can't move one hundred and thirty billion dollars into Project Zero-Transit's settlement accounts without leaving a digital footprint."
"The only thing we can confirm right now is that the final layer of financial backing originated from Whitecliffe Harbor."