Total pages in book: 168
Estimated words: 160578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 642(@250wpm)___ 535(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 642(@250wpm)___ 535(@300wpm)
“Why do you not know?”
“Because of this—” He flips his suit collar over, displaying a logo I could recognize from anywhere.
“The Gentlemen.” Careful to not get blood on my suit, because if there’s one thing my mom hates, it’s blood spilled during a gala. “You sure this is the man?”
Pop nods his head. “Yep. He existed among everyone because of only one way. The Minister is never seen. He simply just…exists. They answer to him through one man, and that man alone hasn’t even seen him.”
“The young boy from Aspen?” I ask, eyes narrowed.
Pop nods. “The very same.”
I step forward, cracking my neck and ready to kill him when Pop’s hand lands on my chest.
“One more thing. They can’t not have a Minister. I know you’re young and don’t hold the gavel yet, but we still don’t know enough about them. The fact that he’s wearing Gentlemen ink makes me nervous. How many people are undercover? Who are they?” He sighs. “If you do this, you’ll need to step in as the standing Minister. Don’t ask me what that entails because I don’t know yet. But we can figure that out with this.” He shoves a set of keys into my chest with his other hand, and I look down at it. The carved logo that reads M. “These tunnels are ours. This is how we claim them back, right the wrongs.”
“Whatever. But you are to find out what this means for me. I don’t want to walk into a trap.” I lift the hand that holds my nine, popping a bullet right between his eyes.
“What will you do about the Fathers and your plan to sell her tonight?”
I blink at the blood dribbling from his forehead. “I’ll do what I do and make them think her going with Archer Thorn is their idea.”
Present
I look around the room, waiting for one of them, any of them, to say anything.
“And this entire time?” Halen says, her eyes on me. “This entire time, they’ve been trying to find someone sitting right in front of them?”
I look back at Dad. “Checkmate.”
“I’d be pissed if I wasn’t so proud,” Dad whispers, shaking his head with a full-bellied laugh. “Fuck me. We created monsters.”
Nate’s strangled laugh comes next. “Little fucking shit.” His laughter cuts and his smile drops. “Where the fuck is Luna?”
“She’s not there. Corbin is, and I plan to deal with him accordingly.”
“Jesus, you truly knew about her being a twin all along…” River blinks.
I don’t bother to reassure her. Of course I fucking did.
“Corbin will be trying to build against me. Licking his wounds. He knows who I am, and I don’t give a fuck because the goal was to regain the tunnels we’d lost.”
“Jesus…” War pushes up from his chair, moving his hand over his chin. “Then we need to kill everyone until we find her.”
I smile. “The best thing you’ve said since telling me you’re fucking my sister.”
Chapter Forty-Five
luna
The years of slaughter this room has seen isn’t what upsets me because it’s darkness that locks its arms around me in a sweet embrace.
It is the truth that lies beneath the writings that does.
Deep down, buried amongst the pain, is jealousy. Cold, raw, jealousy. Though drawn by me, every word, every picture told by them. They felt everything. His hands—mouth—
Ridiculous.
Yet here I am, knowing all that has happened and that I’ve sacrificed will never be mine because if Priest is anything, he’s thorough. He’s a King. The greatest.
Dust from the chalk powders my fingertips.
I pull back, sliding my hand behind myself and stepping back.
He’ll never find me here. I just have to wait it out. Wait it all out. They’ll give up one day. They have to. I can’t kill the Minister.
I know I can’t.
Because it is him. I’d rather die than harm him.
The door swings open and Priest stands on the other side. He steps forward, and I step back. Shit. I didn’t think this through enough…why did I never think this through enough…
“You made a couple mistakes, Madness. One, was not trusting me. Again.”
Another step. My back collides with his wall of horrors.
“And two, was thinking that I wouldn’t stop in the one place you found comfort in. Isn’t that right, pretty girl.” His hand reaches out to touch me.
I hold my breath. “I betrayed you. I—I—”
He catches my teardrop. “You did what you had to do at the time where you had no other choice. You did things to protect my mother, to protect the EKC, to protect me….” His eyes search mine. “Now it’s your turn. Let me in, Madness. I didn’t know, baby.” He lowers his mouth to mine, his tongue swiping over my bottom lip. “I didn’t know what they did to you, or I would have killed them a long time ago.”
I choke on a sob before I’m burying myself into his shirt, mascara smudges over the fabric.