“However, if she dies, the whole thing dissolves and everything goes to charity.” Worry fills her eyes. “Desmier, you need to be careful here.”
I sit back. “I know.”
“Uther went to a lot of trouble to keep his daughter wrapped in a glasshouse. He even handpicked the man she would marry so he could get all of this. Your intervention is definitely a bigger loss to him than we knew. I’m sure you can see the only way he’d get back control is if you die.”
Again.The asshole is most likely plotting my death as we sit here talking about his secrets.But I won’t be that helpless twelve-year-old boy again.
The scar on my back is a constant reminder of what Uther did to me, but the scars on my heart drive me to keep fighting until I win.
“I’ve already factored in that he’ll try to kill me.”
“I know, but now you have the bigger picture. If Uther and Viktor are going to do something, they’ll have a month from the day of the wedding to do it. It’s a sort of cooling-off period. And rest assured something is on the horizon. Zane’s team picked up footage of Uther meeting with someone in secret by the old warehouses.”
“Did they see who it was?”
“No, but it wasn’t Viktor. He was somewhere else with Zakh and Malik.” She pulls in a haggard breath. “What are you going to do, Desmier? Are you going to confront Uther?”
“No. I don’t think it’s wise for him to know that I’m aware of this truth just yet. But keep watching him. I need all the info before I strike. Confronting either of them now might thwart their plans and leave me open for attack.”
Also, under the Knights’ law, if Viktor is trying to kill me it’s obviously sufficient grounds for death. The murder of another Knight is always punishable by execution. A plot to kill one who is part of the elite is also punishable by the same, except you get to kill the man who tried to kill you.
Which is why this needs to be kept secret. That includes keeping it from Anastasia too. It’s one more thing I have to keep from her, one more thing she should know the truth about and her precious Viktor, but I don’t want her telling anyone and risk losing my leverage.
“Okay. I’ll feed that back to the crew.” Gytha nods. “That’s all I have for you today.”
“Thank you. You did good.” Praise is due and I’m a fair man, so I’ll give it. The discomfort between us doesn’t matter. Gytha always comes through with the impossible. That’s why I still work with her, and I won’t be an asshole thinking I could have gotten this information so fast without her.
“Thank you. Anything else you need from me?”
“Yes. Can you see if Uther might have worked with the Butyrskayas in the past, and if so in what capacity?”
She narrows her eyes. “You think he worked with them?”
“Possibly. Or had some relations with them.”
“Okay, I can look into that, but I think I’ve gotten all I can on Uther.”
“Just have another look.”
“Sure.”
“Other than that, just keep doing what you’re doing.”
“I will,” she answers, but it sounds like a promise in regard to our former relationship.
She rises and heads to the door, glancing once over her shoulder at me before leaving.
I push my concerns about her out of my mind because I need to. I was over her a long time ago. I think it was easy for me to move on because my feelings never ran as deeply as I thought they did.
I know the situation between us can only get more awkward, but right now I need to process the intel she gave me.
And the man who gave me the heads-up.
There’s no doubt Zakh wants the Obshchak position.
Regardless, it seems I found an ally.
I’ll be speaking with him the moment he gets back.