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“Yeah…we don’t really do things that way out here,” Gideon says. “You have a lot to learn about the Rig, Javier.”
“I know how to follow orders,” Javi says. I glance up to find his jaw tense, the veins in his neck bulging underneath his unkempt beard. His mouth is in a thin line, his fingers tightening on my shoulder.
“Eyes down, girl,” Gideon barks.
I stare at the floor again.
I hate it here, I hate it here, I hate it…
Javi’s whole body radiates rage. “Why am I here?”
“Just wanted to check in with the family,” Gideon says. “And to get to know you a little better—and help you get to know me.”
“I don’t need to be trained,” Javi argues.
“Don’t you worry, son,” Gideon says. “I’m approaching this from a place of mutual respect—especially since having a little chat with your friend Boyd this morning.”
Javi just gets more and more tense, like his body is winding up. I wonder when he’ll snap.
“We’re leaving,” Javi growls.
He starts to turn me around, but alphas crowd the door. We’re blocked in, stuck with Gideon.
“Not so fast,” Gideon says. “Sit. Down.”
Someone slides a chair out of the crowd and Javi stares at it. The scene is too familiar—because my mother sat in a chair just like this when Gideon put her on trial right before he threw her into the sea.
My heart pounds, and I take a shuddering breath.
“Calm down, girl,” my father scoffs. “Ain’t nothin’ gonna happen to your mate. Now you just kneel beside him while he says his piece.”
Javi reluctantly heads toward the chair, then takes a seat. I kneel beside him as instructed, my head down, Javi’s hand on my shoulder. I don’t know what Gideon’s plan is, but there could only be one reason he brought us here: to hurt us. And if he’s letting me stay, he wants me to hear whatever he’s about to say.
I don’t want to hear it.
I don’t want to be here at all.
“Mr. Boyd told me all about you, Javier,” my father says. “Where you came from…what you were like when he picked you up.”
“That life is behind me,” Javi snaps. “I got clean.”
“Kraken addiction is a serious problem, doesn’t just go away,” Gideon says. “They had you dosed up, fucking and fighting down in Miami—isn’t that right?”
“Like I said—”
“I’m asking for a yes or a no,Javier.”
Javi squeezes my shoulder—and I wish I knew him better so I could tell if he’s trying to comfort me or himself.
“Yes,” he breathes.
I chance another glance up before I get a warning growl from Ephraim. Javi looks unreadable as always, except for the tic in his jaw. A muscle twitches repeatedly in his neck, still winding up, up, up…
“Shit like that can break an alpha,” Gideon continues. “But you survived adversity. Youescaped. And now…you’ve landed in just the right place to find redemption.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Javi says.
Gideon gets up from his throne, tall and broad-shouldered even as he gets older. I cower, keeping my head down as he walks slowly toward us. He’s focused only on Javi, though that doesn’t make me feel much better.
