DEADLY DECEPTION

CHAPTER 40

Avery's POV

The next morning, the air in the mansion was different. Heavier. Charged with a tension that coiled tight in my chest.

I barely got any sleep after last night's ambush, and from the looks of it, neither did anyone else.

Rick and the boys were already in the strategy room when I walked in. The massive oak table was covered with maps, satellite images, and stacks of classified intel. Weapons were laid out in neat rows. Everyone was laser-focused, their expressions carved from stone.

"We got a lead," George announced, tapping a location marked in red on the map. "Cross-checked it. It's solid."

Rick leaned forward, eyes flicking over the details. "How soon?"

"Soon as we're ready," Thomas replied. "It's now or never."

Rick nodded once. "Then we move fast."

I swallowed, my fingers gripping the back of a chair. My voice came out quieter than I intended. "And what if someone gets hurt?"

All eyes turned to me.

Rick's gaze locked onto mine, unreadable. Then, in that calm, detached way of his, he said, "Either way, someone has to die, Avery. And it better be Rafael. Because there's no way he's gonna stop coming for us."

I exhaled slowly, my stomach twisting. I hated that answer. But I hated how right he was even more.

The room was suffocating. The weight of everything—the strategy, the bodies, the fucking war—was pressing down on me.

"I'll help the maids prepare lunch," I muttered, pushing off the chair.

Rick's eyes narrowed slightly. "You should stay."

"I don't want to be a distraction."

He didn't look convinced. "Avery—"

"I'll be fine," I insisted. "You need to focus."

I barely took a step before Thomas's phone rang. He glanced at the screen, then answered, putting it on speaker.

"This better be good," he muttered.

The voice on the other end was sharp, urgent. "Rafael's planning another attack."

A beat of silence.

"Who's the target?" Rick asked, his voice cold.

The informant didn't hesitate.

"Avery."

My breath caught.

Fred frowned, confused. "Why the fuck does Rafael keep coming after Avery? If he wants to destroy Rick, why not go for, I don't know, literally anyone else?"

Bryce let out a low scoff, shaking his head. "And they say I'm the dumb one."

Fred flipped him off.

Bryce ignored it and leaned back in his chair. "If I were Rafael, I'd destroy someone's weakness first. That way, it's easier to ruin them to the fucking ground."

For the first time, Rick's lips curved ever so slightly. Not a smirk. Not amusement. But approval.

"You're not wrong," he muttered.

Bryce blinked. Then he straightened, looking far too pleased with himself. "Damn. First time I get a compliment from the boss. Someone write this shit down."

I barely heard them. My mind was spinning. My pulse was steady, my voice calm, but when I spoke, the weight of it settled over the room like a heavy fog.