But it was a lie and they both knew it.

“That’s your mistake,” he whispered, standing. “Pretending that’s true, that’s been your mistake for years.”

She felt her lip curl. “He’ll be taken care of.”

“Such bravado,” Valenzuela muttered.

That was when every inch of her skin got cold.

“You’ve blown up all my labs, taken out or turned all our boys, Leary’s running one of your fucking crews.” Saliva filling her mouth, she swung an arm down to the body prone on the floor at her side, indicating a termination of her resources, the finality of which Valenzuela was sure not to have missed. “You don’t eliminate something that’s not a threat,” she reminded him.

Valenzuela settled in like he was about to tell a tale and spoke again.

“You see, Georgia, I have a rather tenacious adversary. I’ll need patience in dealing with them, and in the meantime, I need nothing further to take my attention. I also need not to damage relations with those who keep out of my way. I’m afraid, for you, it’s important for me to keep the Sebring brothers happy.”

“So you’re telling me, Nick playing my sister…what? He’s got some guilt and he wants me dead because pissing you off got her dead? So to make him happy you’re gonna take me out even though because of you I’ve got nothing?”

He shook his head. “Nick doesn’t want you dead. He wants you neutralized.”

So the invisible Nick Sebring was communicating his wishes.

Fucking fucker.

She should have taken care of him first. Unfortunately that had not been a viable option, considering at the time the House of Shade wasn’t strong enough to withstand the onslaught from Knight Sebring and Marcus Sloan if she had.

Then he played her sister and when shit got hot for him, he disappeared.

Months…nothing.

Now…

Fuck.

She leaned back slightly and crossed her arms on her chest, drawling acidly, “Congratulations. Job done.”

“It’s me who wants you dead,” Valenzuela stated.

Georgia Shade froze solid.

“You’ve cost me money. You’ve cost me time. You’ve cost me assets. All of that has value. I don’t like losing things I value, Georgia,” Valenzuela went on.

She stared at him, giving all she had to keeping her breathing even. She’d lost everything to this motherfucker. She was goddamned going to keep her dignity.

“But because he loves your sister, Sebring wants you neutralized, which means breathing,” Valenzuela continued.

She let out a heavy breath, saying, “He didn’t love my sister. He played my sister.”

“He seems to be going far out of his way for a woman he’s playing with.”

“Then he’s going in the wrong direction since, because of you, there’s no sister to love.”

Valenzuela’s knowing smile sliced through her sternum all the way up her gullet.