Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Nine
The shriek of metal grinding against metal clawed across the Villa walls, echoing through the early dawn like the wail of a beast in pain.
Asli stilled mid-step, boots scraping to a halt in the gravel.
The armored gate had risen.
Exactly as she expected it would.
Still, she stared at the mechanical wall closing her eyes as the beast she'd come to kill came into her head. She opened her eyes immediately.
Her men were shifting restlessly behind her, eyes flicking from her to the towering shield of steel. The tension was a living thing now, humming through the barrel of every gun, lacing the shoulders of every man.
Her jaw clenched.
She had told him. Told him they were coming. And now the Villa was locked.
Of course it was.
Why did she say it?
Why the hell had she told him?
