Page 121 of Feral King

Then he sputters, stammering as he says, “What the hell are you talking about? This is bullshit!”

Lee’s gaze stays locked on me. She remains silent.

Sophia opens her mouth, but I beat her to it.

“He’s going to do to you exactly what he did to me. And then he’s going to do it to Sophia. It’s a pattern, Mrs. Lee. He takes and takes, and he doesn’t share. He uses people. And when he’s done with them, he tosses them aside—even family.”

Alexander stands silent, totally dumbfounded.

Finally, Lee turns in his direction.

“Is that true?”

“No!” he instantly shouts, not missing a beat. “It’s not. Look at her! She’s tied up in a warehouse, scared for her life. She’ll say whatever it takes to walk out of here alive, even if it means putting us at one another’s throats!”

Lee doesn’t say another word to him. Instead, she turns to Sophia.

“Did he tell you anything of this sort, Sophia?”

Sophia is trembling. She could stop everything right now, and part of me thinks she will. But the longer I watch her, the more I can tell she’s not just overwhelmed by it all—she’sdone.

“I–I can’t do this anymore,” she says.

Alex’s eyes go wide. “What? Tell her it’s all bullshit Sophia!”

“I can’t. I can’t be a part of this. The truth is, I don’t knowwhatyou’re going to do next, Alex. You stabbed Lyra in the back, and then you stabbed your brother in the back. What about me? What about your mom? Mrs. Lee? Is anyone safe in your world?”

The color drains from Alex’s face, his expression of disbelief is replaced by one of pure rage.

"Youbitch?—”

Alex starts toward her, his hands clenched into fists.

"Stop." Lee's voice is firm. Her men shift their hands toward their weapons, and Alex freezes. "Mr. Volkov. Step back from her."

"Margaret, this is exactly what they want?—"

"I said,step back."

The argument explodes. Lee's and Alex’s men raise their guns in a terrifying standoff. Sophia is sobbing, her composure completely dissolved.

"This wasn't supposed to happen!" she wails. "None of this was supposed to happen. Alex, you said we'd be safe, you said?—”

"Be quiet!" Lee snaps.

"You said no one would get hurt, you said?—”

"Be quiet.”

"You promised?—"

Lee pulls a pistol from her purse and levels it at Sophia’s head. Her finger settles on the trigger with practiced calm. I can tell that she is no stranger to firing a gun and is ready to do it again.

“I said,be quiet.” Lee says the words as a warning. Sophia recoils in fear.

Just then, the warehouse doors blow open, two massive steel doors hitting the concrete hard. Through the smoke walks a man.

Lee squints. Then, for the first time since she arrived, the steely, cold expression on her face vanishes, replaced with one of pure incomprehension.