AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Here’s what I propose, then,” I said, steeling myself for what came next. I’d have to be careful with this, too. “We have information on Tomas. Real, solid, and accurate information—his location, his plans, all of it.”
Matthew might try to play it cool, but I saw the excitement flash in his eyes and knew this was where I could bargain, exactly as I’d hoped.
“The only condition is you can’t ask where the information came from or who obtained it, and if you were to discover that bit of information, they need to be granted immunity."
Matthew looked curious now. “You're putting a lot on the line for a hacker.”
Jax risked everything to help us take down Tomas. He didn’t deserve to go down with him. “Those are my conditions.”
“Is this person trustworthy?” Matthew asked, his eyes fixed on mine. “You truly believe this information is reliable?”
“Completely,” I said without hesitation. “Tomas betrayed our source, too. He's been loyal to us ever since.”
Matthew studied me for a long moment, then finally, he nodded. “All right, I'll see what I can do. But I need to evaluate that information myself, Evan. I'm not making any promises until I have it. If it’s solid, I’ll give your guy immunity.”
It was the best I was going to get, and we were running out of options. “It’s a deal.”
“Good.” Matthew drained the rest of his coffee before standing up from the booth. “You know how to get in touch. I look forward to hearing from you.”
I was going have to tread carefully if I wanted to see Tomas brought to justice without compromising the safety of those I loved, but I knew I could do this. After Lucas and I left the diner, a fierce determination took root.
Raindrops began to fall, pelting the windshield as Lucas and I climbed inside. My fists clenched and unclenched on the steering wheel as I stared out at the dark night, my thoughts spinning.
“Are we really considering this?” Lucas asked hesitantly, his knuckles white, his fingers clenching the steering wheel. “Letting Tomas live?”
There was a growl in his voice and a primitive thirst for revenge in his tone. He wanted Tomas to pay for what he’d done just as badly as Abi, Mariah, and I did. The man had stolen Sebastian from us all.
My jaw tightened, the taste of bile rising in my throat at the idea of him getting to live.
“I didn’t officially agree to that,” I said, and Lucas barked humorlessly. “But you have to admit Matthew made some valid points.” I hated the words even as I spoke them. “If we just kill Tomas, he'll never suffer for what he's done.”
“True,” Lucas said, his voice taut with restrained fury. “But can we really trust that prison will be enough? Even if he can’t shift, we can’t trust that the prison will keep him contained. Won't he just find a way to escape, or continue running things from within?”
I stared into the darkness beyond the window, the shadows deepening with the growing night. I’d thought of all these things as well.
“Honestly, I don't know, Lucas. I thought nothing would satisfy me more than his death, but the idea of him suffering, knowing he lost everything… it has an appeal.” I didn’t even care what that said about me.
“Mariah will have an opinion.”
That she would. Mariah wanted to avenge Sebastian’s death as much as the rest of us, but what would she think about this idea of Tomas suffering from behind bars, locked away from his dragon forever, losing all his money, status, and power? She’d suffered the most directly at his hands. What would she do with the opportunity to turn the tables?
I wasn’t ready to make that choice.
“We’ll figure it out,” I told my brother, cranking the engine on the car and pulling out onto the rain-slicked road. “In the meantime, we have to move forward.”
Until we had a better plan to take him down, we were going to start hitting him where it hurt his greed the most: his bank accounts.
Chapter 10
Mariah
I awoke with a groan, my body aching in the most unexpected places. It felt as if I’d run a marathon the day before with no training, and every muscle was on fire. My skin was hot and far, far too tight. I felt a boiling pressure inside, expanding larger and larger, filling every bit of me, and threatening to rip right through my skin.
At least that’s how I imagined it. Ever since Evan told me I could shift unexpectedly at any moment, I’d been on edge, afraid my dragon might literally rip its way out of me. I’d seen Evan shift plenty of times and knew that wasn’t how it worked, but the fear was real—something I’d yet to reveal to anyone else. It was overwhelming. Too much to comprehend.
Still, my dragon was restless within me, and the pregnancy only seemed to intensify the discomfort with my body. Nausea had threatened the last few mornings, and I was afraid it might be the same this morning if I didn’t get up and moving. I pushed myself up off the mattress, my muscles protesting the entire time.
“Ugh.” I rubbed my lower back as I forced myself to get out of bed and walk toward the bathroom. Even the floorboards felt like an assault on my feet, and I moved a little faster.
