I set my hands on my hips. “It’s up to you whether you believe me or not. Do you need a demonstration or something?”
Rowan was studying me warily. “I never saw you do anything like that.”
“Guess you didn’t know me as well as you thought. Goes both ways, doesn’t it?” I grimaced. “You didn’t like hearing about me being in any kind of danger. I didn’t think you’d want to hear aboutmeputting myself in harm’s way.”
Anthea tapped her fingers against one elbow. “What I’d like to know is why Colt, who meant to murder you a week ago, decided to bring you around for an extended chat instead of shooting you where you stood.”
It was time for the full truth, and I knew it could be an awfully bitter pill for them to swallow. “He figured I’d be more useful to him alive after all. He knows I’ve been staying here, and he had a proposition for me. He wanted me to join him and take the Nobles down.”
Gideon stiffened while Kaige and Wylder swore in unison. “That motherfucker,” Kaige said, the growl coming back into his voice. “I’m going to kill him.”
“We’ll get there,” Wylder assured him before he turned to me. “Did you come back here to assassinate us then?”
I let sarcasm drip from my voice. “Right, that’s why I just told you everything we talked about. Of course not! I wouldn’t have needed to go jumping out windows if I’d agreed with him. I got back here as fast as I could because I wanted towarnyou.”You fucking idiot, I added silently, deciding this wasn’t the right time to mouth offquitethat much.
Wylder walked toward me and circled me like he was sizing me up. “I don’t know. It’s possible you’re playing some kind of game. You want us to believe that you’re on our side so we’ll let our guard down.”
I threw my hands in the air. “Why would I evenwantto side with that prick? He killed my family. He’s taken everything I had. I want to see him six feet in the ground, not ruling over all of Paradise Bend.”
Wylder watched me like a lion out to scent blood. He slid his fingers over the gun cradled on his hip. Beside him, Rowan shifted toward me. It was barely perceptible, but it almost felt as if he were trying to protect me from Wylder, which didn’t make any sense because his loyalty lay to his boss, not to me. When I looked up, I caught a hint of pain flitting through his eyes. Then it was gone.
I fixed my gaze on Wylder again, girding myself. My father might have been a sadistic asshole, but he’d taught me a few useful things, and one of those was never to show anyone fear.If a man sees he can’t make you cower, he might hate you, but he’ll respect you, he used to say.
“You can’t seriously be thinking of believing her.” Kaige looked at me with pure venom. It was hard to imagine he was the same man who’d made me come harder than I had ever before just a few hours ago. Obviouslyhisloyalty to the Nobles came far before any other emotion.
“It sounds to me like she’s trying to double-cross us,” Anthea says. “I haven’t felt right about this since she first set foot in here. What’s to say that she wasn’t in on some scheme with Colt from the beginning?”
“He slaughtered my family in front of me without a second thought,” I said. “His men put a bullet in mygrandmother. Like you already pointed out, he tried to kill me. I’ve still got the stitches.” I patted the bandage on my arm.
“You could simply be very committed to your role,” Anthea pointed out. “He could have killed you today, but he didn’t.”
I swallowed a sigh of frustration. “You have to believe me, he’s playing at something big here. When I was in his territory, I spotted his men ferrying weapons—enough to wage war on an entire city. They’re already preparing to come for Paradise.”
“Big dreams for a rat to have,” Anthea said with a sneer.
I looked back at her without flinching. “My father underestimated him. Look where that got him.”
Wylder eyed me silently.
“With all due respect,” Gideon said. “We’re not your father. He might have been a major power in the Bend, but that was the limit of it. We’ve got resources and manpower far beyond any small-time gang.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But the Steel Knights are already building their own power base, and fast. It doesn’t hurt to be careful.”
“Starting with you,” Wylder said. “If trouble comes knocking at our door, it’s chasing at your heels.”
“Ideclinedhis offer,” I said. “Even though agreeing might have saved my life if I hadn’t managed to escape. Even thoughyouhaven’t done anything for me yet. I hate Colt Bryant with everything I’ve got in me. I came to you because not only do I want to take him down, I want to crush him slowly and painfully until all he does is call out my name for mercy. Maybe I’ll even laugh at the irony.”
There was a pause following my words and I wondered if I’d said more than I should have.
“I don’t trust you,” Kaige said. “There’s no way someone like you would have come out of an encounter with Colt unscathed unless he let you go.”
Irritation raked through me. I couldn’t beg or cajole them. These were hardened criminals. Once their mind was made up, they wouldn’t budge.
I shrugged. “Think whatever you want. I’ve been completely honest.”
“You know what I think?” Wylder said. “You’re a pretty damn good actress, I’ll give you that.”
My heart stuttered. If evenhedidn’t believe I was on their side, I was screwed. “Excuse me?”