Page 52 of Savage Elites

Sebastian stared down at me with shining, green eyes that didn’t quite meet my gaze. He had to be protecting someone Leopold suspected was behind the photos… as well as everything else. Someone who wasn’t Prakash.

I tightened my arms around my middle and thought back. Outside of the kings and me, Sebastian didn’t speak at length to anyone. Except for the few barbs he exchanged with Cormac, who he would most likely want to throw under the bus.

“You said you needed a new lightbulb,” said Leopold from beneath the desk.

“That’s right,” Prakash replied.

After the click of a plug coming out of its socket, Leopold said, “Try your lamp somewhere else.”

Prakash pulled the lamp out, placed it on his bedside table, and plugged it in. The supposedly broken bulb lit up. I lowered my head into my hands. Someone had replaced the electrical socket under the table with a recording device.

“A bug?” asked Sebastian.

“Why would someone want to eavesdrop into your conversations?” I asked.

“Another excellent question,” Leopold snapped from under the table.

I shot to my feet and placed both hands on my hips. “It’s time for you three to reveal what you’re hiding. Whoever put those photos in the prospectuses might also be behind the recording device and the murder attempt. What if this person decides to strike again? How could you withhold their identity when my life is in danger?”

Leopold crawled out from under the desk with his palms up. “Don’t look at me.”

I turned to Sebastian and was about to rant at him when he stood and placed his hands on my shoulders. “Just give me a day to sort something out.”

“Or someone,” Leopold muttered.

Sebastian turned and walked toward the door.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

He walked out into the hallway. “To stop this thing that’s happening.”

My shoulders sagged. Why was he being so stubborn, and who could he possibly need to protect and why? I turned to Leopold. “Can’t you at least give me a clue on who to avoid?”

Leopold and Prakash exchanged guilty looks, but Leopold spoke first. “Prakash and I are watching your back and putting pressure on Sebastian to open up to you.”

I jerked my head away. How could they watch out for me all the time? Curiosity burned through the remnants of my insides, and I longed to follow him to see where he went.

Leopold placed a hand on my am. “This is a sore subject for him, and I feel like a shit-stain for withholding information, but—”

“It’s alright.” I picked up the box. The more I whined and cried for information, the more powerless and pathetic I felt. It was time for me to start using every resource at my disposal to discover who was behind these attacks. “Sebastian’s like a brother to you, and I’m—”

“I’d tell you if I could, but you’re better off hearing it directly from the source. It’s like trying to calculate pi to the final digit.” He shuddered. “Not an endeavor I care to undertake.”

I turned to Prakash, hoping he might be more willing to open up.

Prakash took the box from my hand and placed it on the desk. “Don’t look at me. Sebastian didn’t go very far. If you follow the breadcrumbs, you’ll meet the wicked stepmother.”

“By breadcrumbs, he means Sebastian’s footsteps,” Leopold added.

Without a word or a backward glance, I bolted out of the room and down the nearest staircase. Someone, presumably Leopold and Prakash, opened the door to the stairwell and hurried after me. My insides relaxed at the thought of having backup. This would be just like the time I confronted the knights during their pigging of Ashley.

As I rounded a corner, a larger body grabbed me from behind and clapped a hand over my mouth. Panic exploded across my chest, and I thrashed out, but the suit-clad attacker held me in his tight grip.

“You will not ruin my reputation with lies,” hissed a harsh voice.

I let out a scream through my nose, but he opened the door to the third-floor landing and kicked it shut before the sound could carry. Seconds later, he pulled us into an alcove.

From the mingled scents of tobacco, dry-cleaning fluid, and mothballs, this could only be Mr. Byrd.