Page 67 of Allegiant

That realization settles in me like a stone in my stomach. Never have I put something or someone else before my family, before The Firm.

But I’m going to do exactly that with Rowan. I don’t know what’s going on with us, if anything, but I’m not letting anyone hurt him.

Not even my family.

“Someone still made the request,” Dalton says. “If Rowan isn’t the murderer, then it raises questions about that. Who asked? Was it the murderer, or someone else?”

His questions are directed at Neo. He’s taken over tracking the requests from Wylder.

Neo opens his laptop and taps at a few keys. “The request came from Adriana Willis—Adam’s sister.”

People might think they are anonymous when they drop off a request; the setup at the church certainly makes it appear that way. The reality is that it’s covered in cameras. On the rare occasion that someone disguises themselves enough to hide their identity, we don’t honor their requests.

How else are we meant to demand a price if we don’t know who to ask?

“Fuck.” I slump down in the chair. “So, not the murderer, then.”

“What makes you so sure?” Wyatt asks. “We’ve dealt with more fucked-up situations than stalking, murderous siblings.”

I shake my head. “No. From what Rowan told me, the messages Adam received were sexual, and likely from a male.”

“Were these messages ever reported?” Matthias asks. “I don’t remember seeing anything about those in the files.”

I shake my head grimly. “Rowan and Adam went to the police several times, but they were never taken seriously. The night it happened, they agreed to go back the following morning. Rowan was even thinking of coming to us for help, but…”

“But it was too late,” Wylder finishes grimly. “Fuck.”

“Yeah, we’ve really messed up on this one.” Neo chews on his lip. “I’m already thinking of ways we can avoid this happening again in the future. More checks, obviously. But perhaps a period of monitoring for termination requests?”

Quiet discussion breaks out around me, but I tune it out. I’m fixated on those words from Neo.

Termination requests.

I stroke the edge of my dagger idly. In all honesty, human lives have never meant much to me. I’m never happier than when ending one, especially knowing I’m delivering justice to those who deserve it.

But what if they don’t? What if Rowan isn’t the first mistake we’ve made?

From the creases around Wylder’s mouth, I can tell he’s thinking the same. We’ve been playing this game all of our adult lives, and suddenly we’re realizing that the rules we’ve been following might be flawed.

It’s an uncomfortable revelation to sit with.

Cade’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “Samson? What do you think?”

“About what?”

“Rowan.”

I stare at my brother. Surely he doesn’t think I’m about to spill my heart in front of all of them. He might be about that life, but I’m fucking not.

“About how we move forward,” he clarifies, his lips curling as though he knows exactly where my thoughts have gone. “Obviously this is one request we won’t be fulfilling, but that’s not to stop Adriana from taking matters into her own hands.”

“Or hiring someone from outside the city limits,” Wylder says before nodding at Neo. “If I tell you who to look for, can you set up facial recognition on the city’s cameras? I want to know the second any of the usual players enter our turf.”

Neo rolls his eyes. “Child’s play. Give me something hard to do for once.”

Wylder’s pupils dilate as he leans closer to his boyfriend. “Are you going to be a brat all day?”

“Probably.” The blue-haired little punk pops his gum right in Wylder’s face. “You wouldn’t have it any other way.”