“Sounds like a convenient lie to me. You broke into Hugh’s home, stole this ledger, and booked a one-way ticket to Manhattan. You expect me to believe you want my help?”
“No.” My chin drops. He’s right. There’s no way he should believe me. “I can only tell you the truth.”
“The truth.” He huffs a laugh. “Pretty sure you never learned the meaning of that word, little girl.”
My stomach sinks. “Then what’s the point in holding me?”
“For starters, you’ve evolved into a clever spy as well as a liar, and I want to know why. I want to know what Natasha is after in this ledger, and I can’t have you running back to warn her.”
“Natasha is trying to revive their operation. She wants to be the leader, and she thinks that book is going to help her do it.”
“Their operation is dead. The men are all gone, and nothing is going to bring it back.”
“She’s determined to try. She wants to be the leader, and she thinks that book will give her legitimacy.”
He’s silent, pushing off the desk and walking to the wall, where pictures of Victor and Simon are marked off in red. For a long while, he studies the photographs as if he’s thinking about my words. He was in this world long before me, so perhaps he’s remembering something—or reliving it. Finally, his chin drops, and he exhales deeply.
“I want them to stay dead.” He’s chillingly calm. “I’m done looking over my shoulder. I want peace. I want to live my life and raise my family without fear.”
“You’ll never have that as long as any of them remain. Neither of us can.” I study his massive frame. Even with his strength, he can’t stop a bullet, and he knows it. It’s the only leverage I could possibly have. “Simon killed my father, and I’m trying to prove it. Help me.”
“Simon is dead.” He turns to face me. “It doesn’t matter if he killed your father; he can’t be punished anymore.”
“But the machine is still in place. It’s damaged, but Natasha is more dangerous than you think. She will put it back together, and they will come after you.”
“I know what Natasha wants.” Scar’s voice is grave. “She wants the same thing as you. She wants the man who killed her father.”
“That’s not all she wants. She wants everything, the money, the power, the glory, all of it. Nothing is going to stop her.”
“Something will stop her.” His ice-blue gaze lands on mine, and I know what he means, or more precisely who he means. “I’ll return this ledger to your boss. In the meantime, you’re not going anywhere. I have someone coming to keep an eye on you, and he won’t let you get away with shit.”
“Who…” The question slips out on a nervous whisper.
He continues, “I know your type. I know you’re trained to lie. Now he’ll know it, too.”
“Scar?” A male voice echoes from the front of the house, and my heart freezes.
No…
“Back here,” Scar calls.
I’m not ready.
Panic grips my throat, and I can’t breathe. Fear shakes my ribs like bars on a cage, and I jerk against the handcuffs as the low thud of boots grows closer in the hall, as dread rises like bile in my stomach.
“Don’t. Please…” It’s a desperate plea for mercy, a supplication from the bottom of my soul as my shoulder rises, and I shrink lower. “Please please please…”
My voice cracks, and my vision blurs as the door shimmers and starts to move. An invisible sledgehammer swings as it opens, and when our eyes meet, it slams into my heart, smashing it into a million pieces.
22
Dirk
Eight o’clock came and went,and Reanna never appeared. Scooping up my phone, I sent a short text.I will come to your dorm and get you.
Hunger drove me, and my dick demanded satisfaction. Campus was empty, and a fantasy of storming into her room, throwing her over my shoulder, and carrying her to my bed made me smile. She does like it rough…
The text I received next wasn’t what I expected. It was Scar.I need you to get back to Hamiltown now. I caught the intruder.