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I scoff, a twisted smirk settling over my lips. “You mean my great, great grandfather?”
His face twists, not liking my stab. “Watch yourself, Lamb.”
My gaze narrows, this new little nickname of his sending chills down my spine. “Lamb?” I question. “Don’t tell me you mean lamb as in sacrificial lamb?”
Zade winks. “It’s fitting, don’t you think?”
“It’s sick.”
Zade shrugs, not one to shy away from sick or twisted games. “Moral of the story,” he continues. “There’s nothing we can’t do. If you get arrested, we can have your record wiped clean in seconds. If you need an international wire transfer to an arms dealer, consider it done. You want to run for president, we’ll give you the whole fucking White House.”
I shake my head, certain he’s exaggerating. There’s no way some bullshit secret society out here in Faders Bay could have that kind of pull. “That’s insane. No one should have that kind of power.”
“And yet we do,” Zade says. “That is exactly why I can’t let you slip through my fingers. If you were able to see it with your own eyes and fully grasp how we work, you would understand why I need to do this. If I fail, Empire will collapse, and we would be at war. A new leader must rise in my wake, and with no other known heir, the fight for power will commence. You will never be safe. If you think your life is in danger now, just wait until word gets out that there’s a secret heir who possesses the ability to steal the power right out from under any potential leader. You wouldn’t last two minutes. So believe me, my succession is in your favor.”
I shake my head. “So either way, I die,” I whisper.
“Yes. You will,” Zade nods, a sadness in his eyes. “I need to know what you remember from being taken. What happened after Joe put you in that car? Did you meet with anyone before being taken to the cells? We’re no closer to finding out who the fuck was behind this.”
“What do you mean? Joe was behind it. He was the one who knocked me out.”
“No,” Zade says. “Joe was put up to it. He was meant to deliver you to someone else, but instead, he hid you in the cells.”
I shake my head, not recalling anything. “I don’t know. I was out cold for all of it. One minute I was trying to run from your bitch-ass and save myself, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in the cell,” I tell him. “But why not ask Joe? You don’t strike me as the type not to be able to get information out of someone.”
He clenches his jaw. “Believe me, we tried,” he says. “Whoever got to him first . . . let’s just say Joe feared them more than he feared me.”
My gaze narrows, trying to pull apart everything he just said, and the realization hits me like a wrecking ball. “Let me guess,” I murmur, pulling my hand back from his wrist. “Joe never made it home for dinner?”
Zade watches me for a moment, clearly able to see the fear and hesitation in my stare. “Don’t ask questions that you’re not prepared to know the answers to.”
“Shit, Zade,” I say, pushing up onto my elbow. “Do you have to kill everyone who even looks at you wrong?”
“You tell me. You’re looking at me wrong right now,” he mutters. “But no, I kill those who betray me. And Joe . . . he knew what was coming for him the second he put his hands on you.”
I swallow hard and drop back down onto the mattress, looking up at the ceiling. I’m not sure I’m capable of meeting his stare right now.
“Lamb?” he questions into the darkness, forcing my stare back to his.
“What?”
“Who was that man in the cells? The one who held down Harrison? He said something to you.”
Fear pounds through my chest, remembering my father’s stark demands not to let Zade know who he is. “I . . . I don’t know. Just some guy. I don’t know his name.”
“You’re lying to me, Lamb.”
“I swear, I don’t know who he is,” I tell him. “He was just nice to me when I woke up and started freaking out. I barely even saw his face.”
Zade’s gaze narrows, not trusting me, but I’m not about to throw my father under the bus just to ease Zade’s curious mind. He holds my stare for a few moments before finally deciding to release me from his interrogation. “Alright, Oakley. Go to sleep.”
Not allowing myself even a moment of hesitation, I roll over while my hands shake, knowing I haven’t fooled him even a little bit. He knows I’m lying, so I suppose I should be grateful that he’s not pushing me on it right now. But this isn’t over. He’ll come for me again, and next time, he won’t stop until he gets the answers he’s looking for.
