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)
The two of us stood on the perimeter next to the quad, watching Everleigh sun herself by the fountain with Piper and Gabriella by her side.
“Her ankle monitor’s gone,” I said, gazing at Gabriella’s bare legs. “Everleigh must’ve made her charges go away somehow. Explains why Gabriella’s on her side.”
Everleigh flipped over and kissed Piper full on the mouth. There was nothing friendly about their tongue-tangling.
“Annnd that’s how she got Piper.” I blew out a breath, biting back my rage. “What are we supposed to do, Victor? She’s got everyone wrapped around her finger through sex, blackmail, and bribery while Saylor is still refusing to let me near William. Cato, Rafael, Lucien, and Wilder are basically in hiding, and I’m no closer to taking down Everleigh or the Royal line.”
“We could be,” Victor mused. “We could burn down her secret cabin with Everleigh inside. She still doesn’t know we found it.”
I shivered. It was easy to forget that under his smiling all-American persona, Victor had a dark side that rivaled Cato. Whenever he reminded me, it was all I could do to keep my pants on.
“You know why we can’t make that move yet. There’s evidence in the cabin that we can’t use yet. Katie was right that if I turned it over to the captain now, she’d make it disappear. But if it turns up after Everleigh confesses to being a psycho murderer, Captain Capaldi would have no reason to hide it. A few extra charges don’t make a difference when you’re already looking at life in prison.”
He stroked my arm. “I know you want to give her other victims justice, but won’t killing her do that? She won’t be able to hurt them or anyone else ever again.”
“She didn’t do any of it herself,” I said, staring at a monster in pretty wrapping. “She paid and threatened people to do her dirty work, then when she got her claws into the T.O.D. Club, she let the members handle the rest. Levi and those bastards were just as guilty as Everleigh for what they did to Winter. It’s the same for the others she tortured. They all have to pay.”
“And for that, we have to cut off the head of the queen so all the snakes spill out.”
I grimaced. “Why is that description so gross, yet so perfect for her?”
“Is there any way we could get around Saylor to get to William Burkhardt? Could you try her dad?”
“I would, but their guards won’t even call up to the house and tell them I’m at the gate. Frank plays dumb when I mention Alistair.” I kissed my teeth. “The jerk laughed when I lost it and said I’d kick his ass if he didn’t stop playing games with me. I didn’t know he could make that sound.”
Victor laughed too. “I have a feeling you won’t have to resort to violence. Saylor will get her throne back, or she’ll die trying. Eventually, she’ll stop fighting you if it means beating Everleigh.”
While we watched, Dean and Katie crossed the quad and plopped down next to Everleigh and her crew.
Katie threw a sleepover the weekend before like she promised, but only Piper and Gabriella showed up. Everleigh begged off saying she had two essays to write due Monday. She never got a chance to snoop on her computer and find what I couldn’t.
Everleigh suddenly looked up and latched on to me. I didn’t look away and neither did she.
“I bet it burns her up that you never joined the T.O.D. Club,” I told Victor. “If Saylor’s the queen, you’re the heir to the throne. You’ll always be a threat to her rule.”
“Not me, babe. You.”
I broke off to pull a face at him. “Me?”
“The only reason the throne is Saylor’s... is because you didn’t know it could be yours.” I’d never seen him so serious. “Everything around you is rightfully yours, Luna. No one is loyal to a blackmailer, but they could be loyal to you. It’s you who Everleigh’s afraid of. That’s why she can’t come at you either. She has to make sure the next strike takes you down for good.”
I literally never considered I could lead the Royal line until that moment. I immediately shook the thought away. “We don’t know that for sure. Alistair said I’m a Burkhardt heiress too, but I don’t know what I’m supposed to inherit. Could be five dollars.”
“It’s not five dollars. Mom arranged my marriage to you because she knows what we both don’t. Not that she’ll admit it,” he gritted. “I’ve confronted her multiple times, but she swears up, down, and sideways that she didn’t know you were a Burkhardt and that she only chose you because she knew we’d be perfect together. Then she sprinkles tears and guilt-tripping on top of her bullshit, acting all hurt by my accusations.”