“We’re going,” Kaige insisted.
“Since when are you a package deal?” Axel asked, irritation creeping into his voice.
I looked at the guys. His question set something off in me. Axel might not have meant it that way, but we were a package now. We were a team. Our near-death stand-off against the Steel Knights last week had cemented an invisible bond between us. I could feel that in my gut… and possibly a few other places too.
Wylder ignored Axel and ambled out of the room. Axel grumbled under his breath as we all followed.
Since I wasn’t a trusted member of the upper echelon, Axel directed us to Ezra’s audience room rather than his official office. “It’s your funeral,” he muttered, pushing open the door, but he hadn’t put up that much of a fight against the guys coming along. He probably liked the idea of Ezra getting pissed off at them.
I glanced around and found all four of the guys’ faces were set in similarly determined expressions. Kaige squeezed my shoulder.
Whatever Ezra had in store for me, I wasn’t going to face it by myself. I’d faced every problem I had alone for most of my life, so I’d have survived on my own—but I couldn’t say I wasn’t glad that I didn’t have to.
When we entered, I was surprised to see Anthea standing beside the sofa. I’d expected Ezra to be alone, but a few men from his own inner circle were also there, flanking him where he sat in the leather armchair that could have passed for a throne.
All eyes focused on me when I walked in.
Ezra cocked his head at Axel. “I only asked for the girl.”
“They insisted,” Axel said.
Ezra’s eyes narrowed as he turned his gaze toward me. Not a good sign. “Very well. They’ll need to be informed soon enough anyway. Take a seat, Mercy.”
The cheerful daylight streaming through the nearby window did nothing to ease the knot in my stomach. Just like during our previous meetings here, I sat down on the sofa opposite Ezra. His chiseled features were just as difficult to read as usual, but I thought I picked up a hint of strain he wouldn’t normally have betrayed.
For everything the head Noble had been through, somehow I suspected this was the first time he’d had a man explode on his front lawn.
I looked from him to Wylder, who moved to join his aunt near the window. Father and son were strikingly similar in features, and no matter how many times I saw them together, the resemblance was jarring. Not least of all because Ezra’s deep green eyes held none of the warmth I’d found in Wylder’s.
“So, we finally know who’s been targeting you,” Ezra said.
I took a deep breath. “It looks that way. I’ve never seen that guy before, though, and I—"
Ezra held up a hand to stop me. He turned his head to look at Wylder. “Clearly the conflict we’re dealing with goes far beyond Colt Bryant and the Steel Knights. You and your men spearheaded that problem. How could you have failed to notice that a larger power was involved?”
Wylder took a few steps forward. “We didn’t fail to notice it. We were aware almost from the start that there was some outside presence. But we had no reason until now to believe that they were interested in the Bend—or Paradise City—for themselves rather than acting based on some deal they’d made with Bryant.”
“Or you chose to ignore the signs,” Ezra said coldly. “And thanks to your recklessness, we have a bigger problem than the Steel Knights. A problem that seems in part to have something to do with our guest.” His gaze flicked back to me.
I stiffened in my seat, but Wylder spoke first. “I don’t believe we were reckless. If this Xavier was in the picture all along, then we’d have had to deal with him either way. We got rid of Bryant, which means now we can focus all of our attention on this newcomer and whoever he’s brought with him. We’ll simply track him down and put things in order.”
“Will you?” Ezra’s eyes swept over to Kaige, Rowan, and Gideon, who’d stopped just inside the door. “I have left things up to you so far, and look where that got us.”
Anthea stepped up beside Wylder, her chin raised defiantly. “He did take care of Colt. I’m sure he’ll be able to neutralize the new threat too.”
Ezra flat out ignored his sister. He liked using Anthea for her skills with poison and other surreptitious killings when it suited him, but from what I’d seen, he didn’t have much more respect for women than any other man I’d met in this life.
“Whoever this Xavier is, the most disturbing fact is that he managed to trespass on our property several times and was able to get away with it. That puts my life along with yours and Anthea’s and everybody else under my authority about in danger.”
Wylder’s jaw ticked. As if Ezra really cared about anything other than himself and maintaining his image of power.
“The disturbing things he talked about were objects he left behind specifically for you,” Ezra said, turning back to me. “And that suggests that he has some kind of personal vendetta against you.”
I gritted my teeth. “I have no idea who this guy even is. I’ve never seen him before today.”
“Your assurances, unfortunately, don’t do much to ease my mind. The man is obviously deranged. He blew up a human being on our lawn—God knows what he’ll do next. As long as you’re staying in our home, I can’t help but think he’ll continue to target you here and therefore us. That makes your presence a liability that eclipses any help you could possibly offer us.”
My gut tightened in anticipation of what he would say next.