Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“I’ll tell you what he was going to.”
I spilled everything from beginning to end. I told them about my parents meeting, falling in love, and how the Burkhardts’ rejection of her was the final straw that ended Alistair’s life as a Royal and sent him to the Rogue side. I told them about the feud between him and Everton Starling and that it led to where we are today.
Victor dropped on the beanbag chair, brows blown up his forehead. “Killed his best friend because said best friend sent assassins after him that nearly killed your family when you were a baby? What the fuck!”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” I replied. “The whole situation is so fucked. Everton put my father in an impossible situation, and then Everleigh did the same to Winter. She refused to lead him into a trap, but she was too scared to bring us into her battle with Everleigh and make us targets too.” My lids tipped, heavy with tears. “We’ve continued a war that’s gone on longer than twenty years. It goes all the way back to Elmer Wilson and Ansel Burkhardt. Rogues versus Royals.
“Alistair is trusting me to end it for good, but I admit, I can’t do it alone.” I took a deep breath. “I want your help, but I won’t demand it. If you don’t want any part of this—”
“Let me stop you before you say any more nonsense,” Rafael broke in. “I’m yours. Whatever you need, just name it.”
“Me too,” Victor said.
“Obviously, I’m going to help you take her down,” Wilder added. “From what you’re saying, it sounds like your fight is our fight anyway. If Everleigh is running the T.O.D. Club, then she’s in bed with Wolf. The two of them together...” He shook his head. “You need me, Luna, but even with me, I don’t know if we can take them down.”
“Why?” I asked. “What makes your brother so dangerous?”
“Before we get to that,” Victor spoke up. “How can we be sure your brother is working with Everleigh? The new T.O.D. Club was started six years ago. Everleigh was only thirteen. The girl’s diabolical, but I don’t buy that she started this blackmail and murder club in middle school.”
“That is hard to believe,” I admitted. “But no matter how I look at it, everything that happened with Winter’s bullying and Jezebel12 only makes sense if Everleigh has more access to the members’ information than everyone else. She must—” I bolted upright. “Hold on. Wilder, what did you just say?”
“I said I don’t know if we can take them down.”
“No,” I breathed, mind racing. “You said if she’s in bed with Wolf... That’s it! The Book Lady. Everleigh told me she became the Book Lady to get secrets from horny idiots that they won’t give up clothed.
“That’s how she found out about my mother and Alistair’s daughters. I bet everything in Victor’s bank account that’s how she found out about the club too. One of the actual members tried to impress her by bragging to the Book Lady about bringing T.O.D. back and making it stronger than ever. With that knowledge and a little blackmail, access to the members is hers.”
“Then she has access to Wolf too,” Wilder confirmed. “I can’t stand up to his hacking skills. If she has him on her side, her phone, computer, and entire online life are bulletproof.”
We stared at him, waiting him out.
Sighing, Wilder tugged my feet onto his lap and rubbed them. He looked down rather than at us as the story poured out.
“Wolfgang O’Rourke is my mother’s first son by a different guy. His father split when she cheated on him with my dad.”
I winced. I’d bet the first strike of sibling rivalry started there.
“I told you that in my family, nothing is given to us,” Wilder continued. “There are revolutionaries, rebels, and intelligence agents going all the way up my mother’s family tree. Every generation made deadly enemies that drove us further into hiding and made it more necessary for each member of the family to know how to take care of themselves.
“My mother’s way of doing that was to make Wolf and I compete.” An edge crept into his voice. “Every Christmas, she bought one present. Just one. It went to whoever passed some new test or challenge. Wolf won every year.”
“Oh my gosh,” I said, stroking his hand. “Are you saying you never got a Christmas present growing up?”
“I never got any kind of present. Not even on my birthday.”
My heart broke in two.
“In my mom’s head, she was making us—me—stronger. Preparing us for what it meant to be a Rogue and live a life where you always had to stay ahead of your enemy. One mistake can cost your life. So,” Wilder said, “the winner was given a reward... and the loser was punished.”