His Son. Her Secret.

Chapter 16

The door of the apartment creaked like nails on a board as Beth pushed it open. Immediately, the familiar scent of coffee, dust, and old wiring wrapped around her like something almost comforting.

Or it would have been if there hadn’t been a lingering scent of baby products in the mix that suddenly made her ache as though she had lost something, which was ridiculous. Beth hadn’t lost anything. Kaleth had never been hers to keep. And now he was back in his rightful home. Safe. That thought didn’t erase the feeling, though.

God, who would have thought she could get so attached to a child in less than a week? Definitely not her, but it had happened, and now her chest felt tight, her arms empty. Seriously, what was wrong with her?

“Finally.” Avi’s voice cut through the quiet and Beth’s thoughts before she could even step fully inside.

Talk about a welcoming committee. Both Avi and Belle were already on their feet, tension written all over them like bad makeup that couldn’t be hidden.

Belle’s laptop sat open on the small table, screen glowing, whatever codes she’d been working on still running. She’d hadn’t stayed off the thing for long after the hacking scare. Beth didn’t understand any of that technical stuff. All she knew was that her friend had taken measures to secure her laptop, and then she’d been back at work like nothing had happened.

Shifting her eyes, Beth took in Avi, who stood near the couch, arms crossed so tight it looked like she was holding herself together by force. Taking a deep breath, Beth stepped further into the apartment, Mal right behind her.

“Well?” Belle asked, eyes flicking between them. “How did it go?”

“It’s done,” Beth said, a little too fast, just wanting to be done with this part already.

Avi’s shoulders dropped just slightly. Belle exhaled, leaning back into the table as though her legs had suddenly gone weak. Well, weren't people being a little dramatic? Beth thought, a crease forming between her brows.

“I take it there were no issues?” Avi pressed after a beat, her eyes narrowing just a fraction as though an annoying sixth sense had just whispered in her ear everything Beth wished not to discuss.

Beth forced a shrug. She distracted her hands by pulling off her hoodie and tossing it aside. “No issues. Got in, dropped him off, got out. Easy.”

For a second, silence hugged the room. Then, unable to help herself, Beth’s gaze shifted to the only person who could contradict her story. Leaning against the closed door with her arms folded across her chest, Mal’s expression remained neutral, but there was a sharp, pointed look in her eyes. Beth ignored it.

Mal had heard the gunshots but still had no idea what had actually happened. And as long as no one knew for sure, Beth was sticking with her story. Nothing had happened. At least, nothing that the others needed to know about.

Belle nodded, relief softening her features. “That’s… Good. There’s been nothing on the news yet. No alerts, no police chatter. I’ve been monitoring everything.”

“Give it time,” Avi muttered. “They’ll confirm it soon enough.”

Not bothering to add her voice to that, Beth moved past them, heading straight for the small kitchen area. She needed something to drink. Her hands weren’t shaking anymore, but her pulse still hadn’t settled, and there was still that confusing feeling in her chest.

Digging deep into the back of the cabinet for the half bottle of cheap tequila she kept for rough times, she poured a shot, swallowed, cleared her throat from the burn, and then turned to face the room again.

“Alright,” she said, setting the glass down a little harder than necessary. “Now does someone want to explain what the hell that was?”

Everyone had been watching her. The tension in the room shifted. Mal pushed off the door. “Here we go.”

“Don’t,” Beth snapped, cutting her off before she could say more. Her eyes moved to Avi. “You all knew. There was a job. Tonight. While I was out there trying to return Kaleth to his father.”

Avi didn’t flinch or break eye contact. “We needed you to focus.”

Beth let out a short, incredulous laugh. She nodded. “Focus? Of course. We wouldn’t want me to mess up another job after all.” That bitter thought had crept into Beth’s mind and marinated on the drive back the more she thought about it.

“Don’t put words in our mouths,” Mal muttered.

Beth’s head snapped toward her. “Oh, really? Because I can feel the trust from all the way over here.”

Mal opened her mouth to respond, but Avi cut in. “Enough.” Her voice was calm, but it carried weight. “We made a call. You already had one job tonight: to return the kid without complications. Mal handled the other one. Clean separation.”

“Clean?” Beth echoed, disbelief bleeding into her tone. “You call that clean? Same location, same night?”

Avi’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t back down. “It worked, didn’t it?”

Beth looked away for a second, jaw clenching. Then back. “That’s not the point.”

“Then what is?” Avi asked, sharper now. Clearly, she was reaching the end of her patience. Well, tough luck because Beth still needed answers.

Still, she hesitated. Because the real point? She didn’t fully understand it herself. Something about it just felt… Off.

Then, before Beth could formulate an answer, Avi turned toward Mal. “Did you get it?”

Mal reached into her hoodie pocket and pulled out the hard disk. The small device caught the light and glimmered like a beacon for trouble. “Of course I did,” she said, holding it up.

Belle leaned forward immediately, eyes lighting up with curiosity like a kid who had just spotted a new toy. Her words reflected as much. “What do you think is on it?”

“How the hell should I know?” Mal clipped with a shake of her head as though Belle was being ridiculous.

Clearly knowing where the woman’s thoughts were headed, Avi shot Belle a look. “You are not going to tamper with it,” she stated firmly before turning her attention back to Mal. “Call the client. Set up the drop.”

Mal smirked faintly. “Already ahead of you.”

Beth watched the interaction, her tongue trapped between her teeth. Literally. She didn’t want to speak even though everything in her gut told her she should. Something about this job just didn’t sound right. But given everyone’s attitude towards her, maybe it was best to keep her mouth shut.

***

Ten minutes later, the mood in the room had shifted again. Not relaxed, but lighter. Like a storm had passed, even if the sky still looked wrong.

Belle had already pulled up new tabs, fingers flying across the keyboard. Avi leaned over the back of her chair, watching the screen closely. Mal dropped her phone on the couch next to her.

“Delivery’s set,” she. “Tomorrow night. Same usual protocol.”

“And the money?” Avi asked.

Mal shrugged. “Five hundred thousand. As agreed.”

Belle winced slightly. “That barely covers a week.”

“Better than nothing,” Mal shot back.

Avi straightened, running a hand over her face. “We need something bigger.”

Beth maintained her silence, leaning against the wall, arms crossed over her chest. At this point, her jaw ached from how hard she worked to keep her teeth together and her opinions to herself.

Not that anyone seemed to notice. They were all focused on the discussion. Belle tapped a few keys, then hesitated. “We could try the luxury shipping warehouse again.”

That got everyone’s attention. Avi frowned immediately. “No.”

Belle glanced up. “Hear me out. We still have access points mapped, and according to the logs…” she tapped the screen, pulling up a document Beth knew too well. It was a log sheet that an employee from the warehouse had accessed on one of their computers in the cafe. That was how they got most of their information for their jobs.

“They’re expecting a shipment of cryptocurrency hardware wallets. High value. Small size. Easy to move,” Belle continued.

Mal’s brows lifted slightly. “Now that’s interesting. Could be a huge payout.”

But Avi shook her head. “It’s risky. Too risky. We already poked at their system once. If they tightened security…”

“Which they probably did,” Belle admitted, leaning back slightly. “And even if we get them, moving crypto wallets isn’t simple. We’d need a buyer. Or access codes. Or both.”

Mal waved a hand dismissively in the air. “I can find a buyer.” She almost sounded offended they'd even doubted it.

Belle gave her a look. “Eventually. Not quickly.”

Avi exhaled slowly. “We don’t have time for ‘eventually.’”

Silence stretched for a second. Then Mal tilted her head, like she’d been waiting for that. “Well… We’ve got other options.”

Beth didn’t like the sound of that.

“Such as?” Avi asked, she sounded just as skeptical.

Mal ticked them off on her fingers. “There is still the nightclub safe. It’s a big place. Cash-heavy. Easy crowd, messy security.”

Belle made a face. “Messy is not a good thing. And such places have guns and criminal attachments. The last thing we want is to piss off some mafia don after stealing the laundered money.”

“Option two,” Mal continued, not missing a beat. “That politician we flagged last week. Cheating on his wife with his assistant. Belle already got photos.”

Avi’s lips pressed together like she’d tasted something bitter. “Blackmail.”

“Call it what you want,” Mal shrugged. “It pays.”

And it put a larger target on their backs, but Beth didn’t say that out loud.

“And option three?” Belle asked, already suspicious.

Mal grinned. “You accept that offer from your admirer.”

Belle blinked. “My what?”

“The old guy,” Mal said. “The one who practically offered to fund your life if you’d just… Smile at him more.”

Belle stared at her. “Absolutely not.”

Mal laughed, shrugging a shoulder. “Hey, it’s an option.”

“Not a real one,” Belle snapped.

Sighing, Avi rubbed her temples. “None of these are good.”

“No,” Mal agreed, immediately going serious. “But neither is being broke. Especially when we are running out of time.”

The room went quiet again. Belle glanced back at her screen, then said slowly, “The warehouse might still be our best shot.”

Avi didn’t answer right away. Beth shifted slightly against the wall, her gaze dropping for a moment. She still didn’t speak. Didn’t want anyone remembering that they were still in this predicament because of her.

She shouldn’t have worried, because it seemed even in her silence the dark shadow of her decisions still lingered, and there was always someone willing to voice them.

This time it was Belle. “You know… The reward might have been the smarter play after all.”

No one responded immediately. Beth didn’t look up to remind them that it would never have happened on her watch. There was no point because now… It was too late for her friends to do anything about it. That chapter was closed.

Yet somehow, Beth didn’t feel like they were done with Santiago Burns at all. Was that excitement of dread in the pit of her stomach?