Shit. I was saying all the wrong things already. Now I knew exactly what Anthea had meant about Ezra Noble twisting one’s words. What had she said? Focus on only what he asked me, nothing else. I could do that.
“That’s true,” I said, and simply waited.
Ezra let the silence hang for long enough that my skin started to itch. Then he leaned slightly forward. “I hear you’re the one who solved Titus’s murder.” I could hear the skepticism in his voice.
I drew myself up a little straighter. “Yes, I did. It was one of the groupies. She thought that—” I stopped myself. My gut told me that I shouldn’t mention the fact that Gia had been convinced that Titus was trying to kill Kaige. But Ezra was still waiting for me to finish. “She thought that he was a threat to her, so she decided to take him out first.”
“I see,” he said. “And why did you end up here in the first place?”
That was familiar territory. I’d been expecting this question and had the answer ready. “I guess you’ve also heard about how Colt Bryant, my ex-fiancé, slaughtered my father and the rest of my family. I have to make him pay for that betrayal, but I knew I couldn’t take him on without help. The Nobles are the most powerful family in Paradise Bend, and you have a stake in keeping the lesser gangs in line. Coming here seemed like the obvious choice.”
“That’s why you approached my son?” Ezra asked. Was his gaze even more penetrating than before? I fought down the urge to rub my arms as if he might be able to spot traces of my hookup with Wylder on my skin. Who knew how he’d react if he found out I’d caught that much of Wylder’s attention—for however long his interest had lasted.
“Only because you weren’t available,” I said, keeping my voice as even as I could. “I came here looking for you right after the massacre, but I found Wylder. At first he was reluctant to help me, but I struck a bargain with him. Finding out who killed Titus and clearing Kaige’s name was my way of proving I deserved his—and your—help.” I assumed Wylder had already told him about our deal.
“She consistently came through on every occasion we tested her,” Anthea put in, conveniently leaving out my meltdown during their freezer test. The less Ezra heard about that embarrassing incident, the better.
“Very impressive,” Ezra said in a tone that suggested it wasn’t impressive at all. He folded his hands together on his lap with a flex of his fingers. “What about your fiancé, Colt? Why do you think he went rogue? Did he give you any indication of what he was going to do?”
He had used the term fiancé—without the “ex”—for some reason. I didn’t like the implication. He definitely didn’t sound like someone who’d had inside dealings with the man.
“Apparently he believed that my father was out to double-cross him, so he decided to attack first,” I said. “As far as I know, he’s delusional. My father showed every sign of looking forward to the alliance between the Claws and the Steel Knights. And I had no idea my ex-fiancé was planning anything violent until it happened.”
Ezra chuckled coolly in response, probably noting my emphasis. “I’m certain it’s a sore topic for you.”
Was he trying to ruffle me? I kept it short and sweet. “He’s attempted to kill me several times. Any ties of loyalty or commitment between us are gone.”
But Ezra managed to turn that around on me too. “And how can I be sure your loyalties to us will be steadier?”
I bit my tongue before a snarky remark like “How about don’t try to murder me?” slipped out, but I didn’t know what to say instead.
Anthea coughed, stepping in. “I’ve told you that Mercy saved my life. She did everything she could to warn me that Gia had messed with my car, and then she risked her own life to prevent a probably fatal accident. And I hadn’t gone easy on her before then. I have no doubts about her sense of loyalty.”
Irritation flickered across her brother’s face at the interruption, but when he spoke again, his voice was even. “You can be sure I’m keeping that in mind, Anthea.” His attention stayed fixed on me. “I’m curious about your position in the Claws. You’re technically the heir, but I’ve had no reports of you working alongside your father. How much did he let you get involved?”
I winced inwardly, but I had to go with the truth. “He didn’t let me. He never brought me in on anything directly related to his business dealings. But he made sure I was capable of holding my own among his men with intensive training starting from an early age.”
“And yet you were only a prop,” Ezra said.
I bristled. “Not by my choice. I kept myself as aware of everything that was going on as I could.”
“So you went against his wishes?”
I had run myself into a wall. I shot a pleading look at Anthea, but she only offered a fleeting grimace. Ezra Noble was really good at what he did.
“Only when it was absolutely necessary,” I said, trying to keep my voice level. “I did my best to meet my father’s expectations, but he was never going to be happy with a girl as his heir. I wanted to be ready in case I needed to step up. He severely underestimated me and my capabilities, choosing to trust an outsider instead—and in the end, that’s what killed him.”
“What would you have done differently that night?” Ezra asked.
Oh, I’d thought that through hundreds of times, how I could go back and do things differently. Unfortunately, every time I came to the same conclusion. “I didn’t have a chance to get the upper hand in the moment. If I’d been on more equal footing with Colt with a proper position in the Claws, maybe I’d have been able to pick up the signs of the coming betrayal ahead of time. What I wish I could have done is stab that bastard in his neck, gouge out his eyes, and then hang up his body in the middle of the Bend for every Claws member to spit on.”
Ezra Noble might have looked faintly impressed. “As I suppose he would deserve. And you’re ready to swear full loyalty to the Nobles now?”
“You’ve given me protection. You’ve given me hope when I had none. I owe you everything I can offer for that.”
“Wylder has said he’ll help you in your crusade against Bryant.” Ezra shifted in his seat, giving me the impression of an eagle about to swoop in to his prey.
I chose my words carefully. “Those were the terms of our deal. He’s a force I’ll be grateful to have on my side.”
Ezra considered me for a long moment. I didn’t think I’d managed to get through to him as much as I’d have liked to, but hopefully it’d been enough.
“Very well then,” he said finally—and maybe a little reluctantly. “I accept you as a new initiate of the Nobles. But be aware that I’ll expect you to face all the same dangers my men do. Are you ready for that?”
He looked like he wanted me to say no. In this one thing, I was going to disappoint him.
“I am,” I said, feeling like I had just signed my soul away with invisible ink.