He built it.
Oh God, did he really build his own prison?
Lachlan carefully guides him three steps to the left and lowers him into an interrogation chair.Once Kade’s seated, Lachlan keeps a steady hand on his knee, the pressure easing into slow, rhythmic strokes that bleed some of the ugly fire from his nerves.‘I know, that’s why I’m going to tell you everything.’
Kade opens his eyes.
‘Youordered the kidnap, didn’t you?’he utters, throat still tight, seeking to strangle what shouldn’t meet air, but some things cannot be contained, and truth is like a virus.‘To get the kids out, but it… it went wrong?’
Lachlan swallows.
There’s such unknowable sadness in him then that Kade wonders what it tastes like.The sole container of such sorrow, how would it feel to kiss him?
It’s so fucked up.
Beside the chair, Riley kneels opposite Lachlan, but the moment Kade asks the question, he rises again and turns away.His shoulders tighten beneath the leather of that jacket he’s had forever.Silence follows.
Riley won’t volunteer this willingly.
Kade will have to ask.
‘Tell me who hired Iron Star seven years ago.’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Nine Years Ago
It’s raining the night he finds Jules in the grounds, drunk.
Lachlan’s hair is dripping wet, his suit is soaked, even the inside of his boots are squelching.It took so long to find him due to several issues, chief of which was that Jules had somehow learnt to divert his ring tracker signal to a false ping miles away, so miles away is where Lachlan went.
Only Jules wasn’t there.
He wasn’t anywhere but home, hidden out by the waterfall, drinking thousands of dollars’ worth of crystal-bottled Scotch.It’s all in his blood now.
Lachlan is freshly twenty-five years old.
He’s so fuckingmad.
‘Control,I have him,’ he radios in, mouth twisted with muted irritation.‘He never left the Estate.’
‘Heard,Kestrel,’ Fenwick confirms dispassionately.‘Need backup?’
‘Negative.’Lachlan turns back to face the teenager who’s watching him with an uncomfortable degree of expectation, arrogantly warm andsly.
‘Did you miss me?’
‘Get up.’
‘Tsk, that’s not very nice, Bodyguard.’
‘It’s pissing rain,getinside!’
‘Why?’he snorts, drinking more.‘You scared I’m gonna catch a cold?It’s summer.’
‘It’s never summer in this city.Get inside, Jules.’
‘How long did it take you to realise?’
