“She wouldn’t betray me,” Mason says. “My father, on the other hand, there’s no telling which way he’ll lean…”
I frown. “Is Oliver so far gone that you can’t talk to him? You said that out of all of you, he was most like your mother. How sure are you that he’s the one who’s leading the charge?”
I still can’t wrap my mind around it.
Oliver’s little brother had seemed harmless enough, and my chest aches at the thought of what Mason has had to carry.
Will anything be left of the Empire when the siblings rip each other apart in a bid for power?
One brother Mason can handle but two?
Jesus.
Mason shakes his head. “Sure enough. Even if Oliver wanted to spare us, our enemies won’t agree with him. Oliver is new to this world, but I’m sure he’s been told that leaving me alive is a risk, and if he finds out about the baby…”
My hand instinctively moves to my stomach. “I won’t let him hurt this baby.”
Mason’s expression hardens. “I’ll rip him apart with my bare fucking hands before I let him lay a finger on you.”
“What are we going to do in the meantime?”
“Weare not going to do anything. I will take care of this. I didn’t tell you about Oliver for a reason. It’s too risky. You can’t be seen anywhere near this.”
“But—”
“No,” Mason says with a little more force than necessary. “I mean it, London. Donotget involved.”
“What if we run?” I ask.
“It might already be too late for that.” Mason moves to the door and wrenches it open. “You need to act as normally as possible. Don’t talk to anyone about this, not even Olivia or Katia.”
Katia is waiting on the other side of the door when I step out a moment later, and my heart skips a beat.
“What do you want, Blondie?”
I curl my hands into fists. “I want to see Noah.”
Katia raises an eyebrow. “Feeling nostalgic?”
“Maybe.”
“Suit yourself.” Katia shrugs and sets off down the hall. I pull the door shut behind me and hurry after her. A cold breeze wafts through the house as I wrap my arms around myself and shiver. Katia leads me down the dimly lit stairs to the other side of the house, where a man with a buzzcut and bulging arms stands guard outside the basement door.
He and Katia exchange a glance before he unlocks the door.
Katia steps through, and I follow her down the stairs, the damp smell hitting me first and making me gag. Once I reach the bottom, my eyes widen as I notice the single light bulb and the lone figure hunched over in the chair.
“Noah,” I whisper as Katia’s hand pulls me back. “What happened? Shouldn’t he see a doctor?”
His head jerks up, and relief courses through me when I realize it isn’t Noah.
“Not the brother you were hoping for?”
I shake Katia’s hand off my arm and frown. “Where’s Noah?”
Ryder squints at me through his good eye and sits up straighter. “I thought you and your psychotic boyfriend didn’t keep secrets.”
“Where’s Noah?”
