The mont the call connected, Seraphine didn’t waste ti easing into it or setting the tone with small talk, her voice calm but purposeful as she went straight to the point. "Mr. Ashkael, do you have a mont?"
On the other end, Voren let out a quiet sigh, already juggling more than he cared to admit as he glanced across the table at his client, who was now distracted with their own phone call, giving him just enough space to entertain this interruption.
"I’m in the middle of a eting," he said, his tone carrying mild irritation before softening just slightly, "but I guess we can talk, my client is busy at the mont."
"Perfect," Seraphine replied, her focus sharp, her mind already several steps ahead. "I agreed to go on a date with Santiago."
That was not what Voren expected to hear, and he did not expect her to tell him so casually when all the had was a business relationship.
His brows pulled together almost instantly, the reaction subtle enough that no one around him would notice, but internally, it didn’t sit right at all.
He had always considered Seraphine calculated, soone who would dismantle a man like Santiago from a distance using precision and strategy, not walk straight into his territory willingly. Was she so tired with her life that she wanted to give it to Santiago free of charge?
It didn’t make sense, and yet, he didn’t question her directly. Instead, he leaned back slightly, masking his thoughts behind a neutral tone. "And why exactly are you telling this?"
"Because I need your help," she said without hesitation, her voice steady, controlled. "And before you ask why, just know that this call can’t be traced."
That caught his attention in a different way. A quiet chuckle slipped from him, low and amused, even as his eyes honed. "Using your tech on now?" he said, clearly entertained despite himself. "Alright, then tell what you need."
He paused briefly before adding, his tone turning more serious, more grounded in reality. "You do realize that if you’re going on a date with Santiago, it’s not happening anywhere public, right? It’ll be his mansion, and from everything I’ve heard, the won he takes there don’t walk back out. No one even knows if they’re still alive."
"I know," Seraphine said, and this ti there was a quiet weight behind her words, sothing that made it clear she had already considered every risk. "That’s exactly why I need you to back up."
She didn’t pause, didn’t second guess herself as she laid it out. "Corvine trusts your capabilities, your resources, everything you’ve built, so this is how it goes, we storm the place, we collect physical evidence, we bring in the FBI, and we get out like we were never there."
For a brief mont, Voren didn’t respond.
It wasn’t what he had initially expected from her, but at the sa ti, it aligned perfectly with what he had always believed, that Seraphine would be the one to bring Santiago down, he just hadn’t imagined she would do it by stepping directly into the lion’s den.
"Well," he said slowly, his tone thoughtful now, "I agree that Santiago needs to be taken down, but technically, that’s the FBI’s responsibility."
He let the words hang for a second before continuing, his voice carrying a faint edge of calculation. "If I’m stepping into sothing like this, then I’m going to need so kind of compensation."
It was a test, a calculated one, but Seraphine wasn’t in a place where she had the luxury of entertaining gas or negotiations dragged out for leverage, not after everything she had just seen, not after the images that still lingered in her mind.
What if her daughter had been one of them? What if she had already been taken, hurt, or worse?
The thought alone made it impossible for her to hesitate. "Na your price," she said, her voice direct, leaving no room for ambiguity.
On the other end, Voren smiled slightly, though there was sothing asured about it, like he had expected that answer. "Let’s get the job done first," he replied, his tone smooth, almost casual, "and maybe sowhere down the line, I’ll call in a favor."
Seraphine didn’t push back. Right now, nothing mattered more than stopping what was happening and getting those people out, including the possibility of her daughter being among them.
"Deal," she said simply.
"Good," Voren replied, settling into the plan now that the foundation had been laid. "Then Corvine should co see tomorrow, and I’ll need full details about your date, everything you plan to carry with you, no exceptions."
That made her pause, a slight frown ford as confusion crossed her face. "Why do you need Corvine?"
Voren exhaled, a hint of frustration slipping through this ti, like he couldn’t believe he had to explain sothing that obvious. "You’re not dealing with pack politics here," he said, his tone firm. "This is Santiago we’re talking about, which ans ard guards, weapons, real resistance, the kind that doesn’t give you ti to think twice."
He continued without softening it. "That involves blood, bullets, and trained responses, and neither of you are ready for that right now."
The words weren’t ant to insult, but they landed heavy anyway.
"So here’s what’s going to happen," he added, his voice taking on a more authoritative edge. "I train Corvine first, get him up to speed, and then he trains you, because you’re going to need more than just confidence walking into that place."
Seraphine’s brows lifted slightly at that, the realization settling in quietly. He wasn’t wrong.
For all her skills, all her intelligence and precision, she had never handled a gun, never been in that kind of direct confrontation before, and stepping into sothing like this without preparation would be reckless.
"I’ll co with Corvine," she said after a mont, her tone steady, already deciding for herself.
But Voren’s response ca imdiately, and it wasn’t what she expected at all.
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