AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He’ll answer for his disloyalty,” Lev says.
We stare at each other in silence for a few tense moments. The din of thoughts in my head has died down, and I’m simply focused on the man sitting in front of me. Ever since the Kingmaker Welcome Party, I’ve been worried about Keller’s plans.
This opportunity is a silver lining around the dark clouds that have been consuming my life lately. Achieving my goal is so close I can taste it. But in exchange for what I want,what I deserve, I’ll have to hand over Alize’s DNA.
“The Kingmaker Society doesn’t know about this, do they?.”
Suddenly, Lev’s face lights up. “You’re observant, aren’t you?” He laughs. “What gave me away?”
“The meeting in the middle of nowhere. The insistence that I wasn’t followed, no devices in the room.” I suck in a breath. “But the fact that you needmyhelp, tells me that you don’t want anyone else to know about this.”
Lev nods. “Not yet, at least. It was already difficult to get them to let me take this meeting with you alone without arousing suspicion.” Yes, because this is a rescheduled meeting. “For as much as Michel has done, I have my own personal grouse with him. I’m more interested in finding him than the other brothers,” He rests two fingers on his lips. “I had my assets seized ten years ago when he decided to start working with the Russian Government.” He gestures to the yacht. “Clearly, I’ve rebuilt my wealth. But I will never forget.”
We fall into silence again.
Alize is already upset at me for thinking that I grassed her up to the school. If she finds out about this, something I actuallydiddo, I could lose her trust completely.
The chances of her finding out are slim, though. This is Kingmaker business—secrecy is a part of the job, and what she doesn’t know can’t hurt her. And from the way she talks, it’s clear that she hates her father.
If this all turns out to be true, I’ll be doing her a favor.
The whole reason she’s at Saint Frederic University is for protection fromhim. If Lev gets rid of him, she’ll be safe. She might not ever know I helped, even if it comes to that. This win will secure a great future forboth of us. It’s the best choice to make.
And there’s a chance that Lev is mistaken.
If he is wrong aboutLe Bourreaubeing Alize’s father, I’ll still have the election win. It’s irreversible. I’ll still have my chance at becoming a member of the Kingmaker Society, and I would have made an ally on the inside. By holding up my end of the deal, I will prove that I have what it takes to join the brotherhood.
This is my first test of loyalty.
“Well, what do you say?”
I rise from my seat and walk over to him. He stands too.
“You have my word,” I say, extending my hand. “But I will send the sampleafterthe election.”
A devious smile twists Lev’s lips, and he grips my hand in a firm handshake.
“You would be a fool not to ensure I hold up my end of the bargain. Those terms are agreeable to me,” he says. “Let’s work on the logistics.”
I move to the seat on his right. A black cloud of guilt wraps itself around my throat as he walks me through what will happen. I shrug it off though. I made this decision not just for myself, but for Alize too. At the end of the day, life is just a tally of decisions. Some of them are harder than others. All my decisions have led me to this moment.
I’m seizing it with both hands.
TWENTY-FOUR
ALIZE
I’m almost finishedwith my breakfast when Tara shows up.
I sent her a quick text on my way over here, with the details on the situation—Alexander is away, I’ve got two babysitters and I’m about to eat for the first time in twenty-four hours.
She didn’t even text back.
Now that she’s storming into the restaurant looking like she’s about to deck someone, I see why. When her eyes land on me, she rushes over. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Tara, but it feels like a lifetime.
Her dark blonde hair falls around her shoulders in sleepy curls, and she’s wearing an oversized Pink Floyd tee over a pair of yoga pants. I clearly woke her out of bed.
Vance and I are sitting at a table in the corner. I’m on my second plate of food—I don’t think I’ve ever eaten this much in one sitting in my entire life—and he’s sipping some kind of protein shake. It looks tasteless and has the color of wet concrete.
