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“The whole family is dead,” I said bluntly.
Adrian blinked at me. “Thewholefamily?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve gone mad! You thought Talia was innocent; you cared for her!” Adrian scrubbed his hands over his face, a shiver running down his frame. “You wanted to save her, Constantine.”
Rage boiled inside me. Because what he said was true. All of it. This fresh hell, however, was enough to change my mind. My eyes were open, and it was now obvious I’d been played. It was my turn to strike. There were only a few possible plays left on the board, and only one of them gave my bloodlust immediate satisfaction. Because even though my natural inclination toward justice was screaming at me that Talia should be judged fairly, the devastation of my soul demanded immediate retribution.
“Constantine?” Adrian prodded.
My silence was the only response.
“Might I suggest torturing her to see if she knows her brother’s location?” Jakob offered, with the cool tone of one utterly detached from the situation. “See what shereallyknows. Set your mind to rest once and for all.”
Damn him, it was all so logical when he put it like that. Talia didn’t tell me anything useful when we were making plans to end Gustave—when I was convinced she was onmyside. It should have been a sign. Even if I came to the same delusional conclusion that she was innocent, I should have at least questioned her lack of information on her father and brother. Instead, those fucking glorious tits and that tight little cunt had enraptured me.
And she played you false,a little red voice with horns needled.
“It’s time I got some real answers from Miss Beaumont,” I declared, the bite in my voice making my cousin jump.
“Con, what are you going to do?” Adrian demanded, worry creasing his brow.
“What I have to.” Turning to Jakob, I instructed, “Have Daniel grab Talia. Take her to one of your houses.”
“He’s the most discrete of your security guards,” Jakob agreed. “Best take her to one in the desert. The sun and heat are useful for disposing of bodies.”
I nodded, forcing back my instinctive argument by looking at Claude’s brutish face.
“You said—you said that Talia was a victim in this, Con,” Adrian choked out. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
I rounded on my cousin. “It was a stupid mistake to let her into our home. I should have used the opportunity to assassinate Gustave right then and there!”
“When?” Adrian bit back. “When, Con? During the rehearsal dinner? With all eyes on you? At the church, with all that security? Face it, the devil is the thorn in your side because you can’t reach him.”
I fumed, breathing hard as I scrambled for a retort.
Adrian stumbled to his feet, gripping the table hard. “And that bride of yours doesn’t deserve your wrath.”
“How could you possibly know that?” My words were an icy whisper.
“Because I’ve seen you two together.”
I turned from my cousin, stalking out of the room. He was wrong. My infatuation with the venomous temptress was a mistake I would spend the rest of my life regretting.
