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“You’re sure?”
Zade nods, and I see the relief flashing in his eyes, certain that our parents’ affair was nothing more than two people screwing around, and who knows, this photo could have been taken years later, way after my father was locked up and she was in hiding. Maybe they could have found each other then. Who knows, maybe the whole thing is romantic. But then, maybe my father is the mastermind and she’s his little puppeteer, pulling the strings for him while he rots away in Empire’s prison, preparing everything for when the time comes for him to make his move. Now that sounds more likely, and as I look around at the guys, it’s clear they’re coming to the same conclusion.
“Alright,” Zade finally says. “I think we got what we came for. Let’s get out of here.”
Easton nods and steps in beside me, his hand falling to my lower back and leading me out of the home office. “You good?” he murmurs.
I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know,” I tell him honestly. “Every day something happens that fucks with my head just a little bit more. First, my father isn’t who he says he is and wants to take over Empire, then he tells me he wants to take me out to ensure there are no heirs to claim his title, and now Zade’s mom, who was supposed to be dead, is his secret mistress and running the show? I mean, when is this bullshit going to end? I feel like every person I know wants me dead for one reason or another.”
Zade scoffs from in front of us. “You act as though taking your life is going to get me hard.”
“Please,” I mutter. “I’ve seen the way your eyes light up when you take someone’s life. All of you. You fucking love it. It’s like it gives you some kind of power rush. It’s kinda fucked up if you ask me. You all need to be heavily medicated.”
Dalton rolls his eyes. “If we find a way to save your ass, I promise, right after fucking you until you scream, I’ll show you just how good taking a life can really be. The lives you’ve taken have been done out of necessity, out of fear and survival, but it doesn’t always have to be like that. It can be calculated, like a game of cat and mouse, and it’s one of the best thrills you’ll ever experience. In that moment, when you feel that power pulsing through your veins and the life fading out of their eyes, you’re a fucking god.”
“Untouchable,” Sawyer agrees as a shiver sails down my spine.
“Fuck me,” I mutter to myself. “I’ve been so blinded by sensational dick, I failed to see just how messed up you assholes really are.”
Easton grins down at me, letting me see the darkness flashing in his eyes. “And don’t you forget it,” he says, his hand dropping to my ass and giving a firm squeeze that has me ready to bend myself over the desk so he can have his wicked way with me.
Then before I get a chance to see this delicious fantasy through, I find myself back in the SUV and heading all the way home to Faders Bay, feeling as though we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my father. I don’t know exactly what his plans are, but I know his endgame, and unfortunately for me, it’s not going to end well.
Chapter 13
DALTON
The ball drops directly through the rooftop hoop of the DeVil Hotel, and I jog forward, catching it on the rebound before jumping high and shooting again, needing the calm that comes from being on the court. Only tonight, it’s not working.
We’re running out of time. I can’t save her, and it’s fucking killing me.
Making my way back up the court, I try to focus on the sound of the ball against the ground, the feel of the ball rebounding back up into my hands, the night breeze whipping across my face, but I can’t. My every thought is of her.
I never thought it was possible to love somebody like this. She’s my whole world. My heart beats for her, and I don’t know how to make it stop. Zade warned me not to get too close, and now I’m ready to risk it all, ready to take her away from here. I would have done it already if it didn’t mean landing us both with a death sentence and betraying the only family I’ve ever had. Sawyer and Cross though, I couldn’t take her from them.
Getting her out of here is in her best interest, but I’m not blind, I know she loves them too, and I couldn’t break her heart by forcing her to leave them. Hell, a part of me even wonders if she’s in love with Zade too, but that couldn’t be right. Sure, she might be attracted to him, but love? I don’t think that’s possible. As for Cross and Sawyer, while I can see how she loves them, I don’t know if she’s realized it yet. She has us all wrapped around her little finger, each one of us willing to risk it all just to save her . . . If only there were something we could do.
