“Christos, what the hell?” I ask, rushing to get between them. “You can’t pull a gun on him.”
“Stacia, don’t you get it? He just said he wasn’t hacked. He’s not flipping the fuck out about being framed.” Christos growls the words, pushing against me.
“He’s in shock,” I argue, spinning to face Talon. “Right?”
Talon slowly shakes his head, breaking his eyes from mine. “I’m sorry, Stacia. You were never supposed to find out. You were never in any real danger, and I had to do this. I needed a way to shake the King’s Court to weaken the alliance toward your father so I could challenge him.”
My head spins as I try to process his words. What is he talking about?
“You hired the hitman!” Christos yells, dragging me away. “You should’ve told us. You could’ve gotten Stacia killed!”
“Why are you lying?” I whisper, my blood cooling. I can’t wrap my mind around this. It doesn’t make sense. “You wouldn’t do this. I know you wouldn’t...” Tears fill my eyes, my heart refusing to chill out.
Talon rubs the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, Stacia. There’s a lot you don’t know—”
Christos swings his arm, punching Talon in the face, jerking his head to the side. “You bastard! You’re dead!”
Talon doesn’t fight back, letting Christos punch him again.
A small sob escapes my mouth. I don’t understand any of this. Talon just admitted that he hired a hitman to come after me. He admitted it was to go against the King’s Court to weaken them. He wants to challenge them.
Christos abandons his mission to knock Talon out and rushes to me, engulfing me in his arms. I let him pick me up, my feet refusing to move. My eyes betraying me with burning tears when all I want to do is shut down and match Talon’s emotionless attitude with my own.
“Did you murder the man at my hotel too?” I ask, lowering my voice to stop it from cracking.
He doesn’t respond.
“You’re why they targeted Leandro! You brought him into this, knowing the possibility of him finding out.” I hold his gaze, though my tears make it hard to see. “You can’t possibly tell me this was all for a power move?”
Talon sighs. “We’ll talk about this later.”
“No. We’ll talk now, because I don’t believe any of this. I know you. You wouldn’t have even considered risking my life. I know you’re not responsible for Esteban getting hurt.” I clench my teeth.
“Collateral damage, wild child. You can’t possibly think I’d care if one of the guys you’re fucking dies.” Talon flinches at my reaction. Now I know he’s lying. The man I’ve grown close to, the one who would kill to protect me, wouldn’t jeopardize the state of my heart.
“This is unbelievable! You’re lying, Talon. I know you’re fucking lying. Why won’t you just admit it? You wouldn’t do this.” A part of me can’t deny the evidence, but deep down, I know something is off. It feels too wrong to be true.
“I’m sorry, Stacia. I’m not a good man. I have priorities, and I needed you to accomplish them. You knew the risk of being around me. I use people. It’s what I do, but I swear this wasn’t for nothing. I’m taking care of it. I promise. This will all work out.” Talon strides toward the door, not waiting for Christos to carry me away. He glances at us over his shoulder. “Just go back to Leandro. Stay low until I call.”
Without waiting for me to respond, Talon disappears, leaving me alone with Christos and a dead man hired to kill me.
“He’s lying,” I whisper to Christos. “I know it.”
Christos hugs me tighter. “But what if he’s not? If he didn’t do it, he’d deny it, astéri mou.”
“There’s more to it. I know it, and I’m going to find out.” I ease away from him. “You can either help me or just leave. I’m not going back to Leandro’s. I’m going to the Looking Glass.”
“Stacia,” Christos says, slumping his shoulders.
I purse my lips. “I’ll owe you. Whatever you want.”
Christos grabs my hand. “That’s not necessary. I’ll help you regardless. I’m never leaving you again. I’m always here. No matter what.”
And I believe him. It’s my faith in him that pushes me forward. He might’ve betrayed me before, but he’s changed. I’ve changed. We’re in all this shit together.
23
Betrayal