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“Tread lightly, Juliette,” Eric warned.
“And the bad guy is…Sylvia’s old English teacher?” Walt asked gently.
Sylvia shook her head. “No. Alicia was working with, maybe for, the man who attacked them. He brainwashed her. He’s like a cult leader, and the purpose of the cult is to destroy the Masters’ Admiralty.”
Eric’s gaze sharpened. “She told you that?”
“Yes. Alicia is a strong person. A good person, but this man changed her. He broke her.”
Eric stepped closer to Sylvia. “Did she give you a name?”
Sylvia shook her head. “No. She simply made comparisons, called him Leon, Francisco, and Bhagat.”
“She gave me a name,” Lancelot said. “I…talked to her for a bit.”
Something about the way Lancelot said it made Hugo think far more had happened, that maybe Lancelot had been forced to do things that went against his morals.
“And?” Eric prompted.
“Varangian. She called him Varangian.”
“And why did she shoot Franco?” Juliette asked. “If you’ve drawn us into your war, we need to know.”
“He wasn’t the target.” Lancelot looked over at Sylvia, his gaze troubled. “You were. Alicia said Varangian told her to come back. To eliminate you. Said she’d told you too much, and you were a danger to their cause.”
“If she thought you were worth shooting, maybe you’d better come with us. How would you like an all-expenses-paid trip to Europe?” Eric asked.
“Paris?” Sylvia’s eyes lit up.
Walt shook his head as he looked at Hugo. “She’s been obsessed with Paris ever since taking your damn class at Northwestern.”
“Maybe don’t leave with the crazy people?” Oscar threw his hands in the air.
“Sylvia is an American. And on my short list for recruitment,” Juliette said. “Something you knew when you sent them. They broke my trust the minute they talked to her.”
Lancelot stepped next to her, placing his arm around her shoulders. Hugo claimed the other side. Neither spoke, but they’d staked a claim just the same.
Eric looked at Sylvia, considering her and them for a long, tense minute. “If you come with us, you can have those two.” He pointed at Lancelot and Hugo.
“I’m sorry?” Sylvia asked.
“You like them? I’m not into dudes, but they’re both hot. If you like them, you can have them. Come with us. I’ll make you a member of the Masters’ Admiralty, and you can marry them. If you help us with this teacher of yours.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Juliette asked, her voice angry. “How dare you come in here and presume to recruit one of my members away from me!”
Eric didn’t relent. “Let’s just say you owe me one. I haven’t forgotten about Marek.”
Juliette snorted. “Sore loser. I’ve extended her an invitation to the Trinity Masters. She’s mine.”
“She’s not yours yet. She hasn’t agreed to join,” Hugo said, his heart racing upon hearing the fleet admiral’s offer. It sounded too good to be true. In the blink of an eye, everything Hugo had wanted, yet thought impossible, was being handed to them on a silver platter.
Eric looked at the brothers. “You want to come, too? I can get you hot wives. Hot husbands and wives. Whatever you like.”
Juliette whirled, facing the Hayden triplets. “You recall my offer earlier. Say the word and I can make all of that a reality. That and more. You want to change the world, don’t you? I can help you do that. I know you could do it on your own, but join and let me help you. Also, I don’t barter with my people like a barbarian.”
“But we could get the hot wives?” Langston asked.
Oscar put his head in his hands, and Walt slapped a hand over his brother’s mouth.
