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“Maybe.”
We arrived at the prisoners’ complex and went inside. The enforcers led us to Tommy’s cell. His wrists were joined by magic-suppressing cuffs, and enforcers were on either side of him. But unlike my cell back at the Forsaken Lunars HQ, he wasn’t behind any bars. Then again, without his magic, he was useless.
Seeing Tommy again unsettled me. The guy I’d known for so long—the one whom I’d given a nice discount to regularly and considered as a casual friend—was absolute scum. He even looked different to me, like he’d hardened. The mousy, bland guy I’d known had been replaced with this kidnapper.
Lex and Flint were already there and hugged me. Tommy glared at us all.
“So, Tommy,” Jagger said, standing behind me. “You have a lot to tell us.”
“No, I don’t.”
He looked between the three of us, then back at Tommy. “So, you’re choosing the hard path?”
“I mean, I’ll talk, but it depends on the question,” Tommy said. “I’ll decide when you ask.”
“Why did you have those books on the Aridunn family in your apartment?” I blurted out.
The Royals glanced at me, but they didn’t pivot the conversation back to the Moon Oracle.
Tommy frowned for a second before the answer clicked in his head. “Fine, I’ll answer that. The Moon Oracle. She asked me to look into your past. Your mother was a part of the family line, though she changed her name for some reason. It took me forever to figure out, but a few sources with access to the black market helped.”
“What did you find out?” I asked.
Tommy closed back up, looking away from me. At least until Lex clenched his fist, making Tommy gasp for air. Had he sucked the air right out of his lungs?
“Give her the answer. We don’t have all day,” Lex barked.
Tommy thrashed, nodding as his face turned violently red. Lex loosened his fist, and Tommy sucked in a breath, tears in his eyes.
“Fuck.” His chest heaved. “I found out who killed them, like she ordered. But when I told her who did it, she said to forget about what I found. That’s why she told you the Royals killed them.”
The Royals scoffed and snorted in disbelief. I knew she was lying to me. How much had she done so in the past?
“Then who killed them?” I asked, my blood rushing through my veins, making my ears ring.
Tommy glanced to the Royals, flinching as Lex’s hand crept up. “The Order.”
“The what?” Lex asked.
“I hadn’t heard of them, either. They’re a secret group. I had to go through a ton of black-market resources to even get their names. They’re definitely the ones who did it.”
As much of a terrible person as I thought he was, I felt like he wasn’t lying. He hadn’t broken eye contact once, and his voice was steady.
“You’re sure that you only know the name of the organization?” Flint asked.
“I’m sure.” Tommy swallowed. “I’m very sure.”
My knees went weak, and I leaned back, Jagger catching me by my shoulders. I’d gotten answers, but now I only had more questions. What was the Order, and why had they killed my parents?
Chapter35
Flint
Isqueezed Arden’s hand, even though Jagger was holding her up. She’d gone even paler at the news of who had killed her parents. I hadn’t heard of the Order before, either, but my gut told me that Tommy was telling the truth.
“Sit,” I said to her, pushing her toward a chair.
She sat down, numb. Jagger rested his hands on her shoulder and looked at me, nodding toward Tommy.
