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“Because our father will never let him or Mia go. And no matter what Grayson tells our father, he failed here. Which means he’ll be punished. And that will probably mean Grayson won’t have access to Mia.”
Desfan tried not to let his anxiety show. “You seem to care about his fate.”
Liam met Desfan’s gaze, something like wariness in his eyes. “And you have a lot of faith in him. You do realize that, if he manages to escape with Mia, he won’t come back here?”
His stomach—already knotted—clenched.
“Youdorealize it,” Liam murmured, studying his expression. “More than that, you fear it.”
It was time to move past this; if the subject didn’t change, Desfan’s thoughts would spiral. “Will you help me defeat your father?”
Liam said nothing.
Desfan’s mouth thinned. “You gain nothing by being difficult.”
“I see no reason to be particularly helpful. My fate is already sealed. You’re either going to send me back to my father as part of some bargain and he’ll kill me, or you’ll put me on trial and then kill me.”
“You plotted the assassination of three royals from three different kingdoms,” Desfan reminded him. “Any punishment you receive is warranted. But I think you’re missing the point.”
The corner of his mouth lifted sardonically. “Please, enlighten me.”
“Everything you’ve done was because you wanted your father destroyed. So help me do that now.”
Something in Liam’s demeanor shifted. His face hardened. “He’s not the only one.”
Desfan frowned. “What?”
“He’s not the only one I want destroyed.” Liam lifted his chin, his eyes calculating. “You’re not going to win this war against my father, but there are other enemies you can kill for me.”
“I won’t be your personal assassin.”
“No,” Liam agreed. “But if you see that my enemies are your enemies, you’ll kill them just the same. Not that I expect you to believe me, so I suppose you’ll just have to do things the hard way. Did you figure out who was bringing olcain into your city?”
Desfan blinked. The swift change in topic made his thoughts jumble briefly. “A Zennorian drug master named Sahvi.”
“Excellent. Make some inquiries about his acquaintances, and that should lead you to some of our mutual targets.”
“The olcain problem is being handled by the city guard.” And it was a problemDesfan had helped solve months ago when they’d arrested Jamal.
“I’m sure Yahri has been teaching you all about delegation,” Liam said. “But I believe this is something you’ll take a personal interest in. Haven’t you wondered about the timing of it all? Why olcain began to pour into Duvan precisely when it did? Right when you were struggling as regent and Serene was on her way to you?”
“Are you saying Sahvi was making a political move with the olcain?”
“That’s one theory. Keep looking to see what others you find. And if you’d be so kind as to tell me when you start killing people, I’d appreciate it.” His shoulders went back. “Now, if you’d excuse me, I think I’d like a little more peace and solitude.”
“We’re not finished,” Desfan argued.
“I am,” Liam said. “And I suggest you hurry along. You’re living on borrowed time, Desfan, and I think you’ll regret not finding the answers to this particular puzzle.”
“Thank you for keeping your silence,” Desfan said after the holding room door closed, leaving him alone in the room with Bennick and Karim. “I know that couldn’t have been easy.”
“I wanted to strangle him more than once,” Karim admitted.
“Thank you for your restraint, then,” Desfan said, his smile feeling weak.
“He’s too valuable to execute,” Bennick said, almost musingly. “He knows far more than he teased us with. Perhaps you should consider a deal in which he becomes a well-kept prisoner, rather than facing a noose.”
Karim shook his head. “He must stand trial. That is our way, and the people will expect it. Your own king will expect it, after what the Kaelins nearly succeeded in doing to Princess Serene. And King Zaire Buhari will demand justice as well.”
