Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 99917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
But if Richard sees through the performance…
I shake the thought away. None of that changes the immediate reality. Lilian is behind that door, trapped because of our family’s toxic legacy. Whatever Richard’s endgame might be, it doesn’t matter. I can’t do anything until I get her to safety. I press my ear to the steel, listening to the conversation within. I can barely make out the muffled voices.
“Let’s finish this,” I say, stepping back as Drew works on the lock.
“After we get her out,” Drew continues, “where do you want to take her? My place is secure, but I don’t want all of this around Bel. I have another warehouse I can take you to.”
I study him with growing suspicion. “What’s your angle in all this? Why help either of us?”
Something that looks close to guilt flashes in his eyes before he blinks it away. “That’s not important right now.”
“It is to me.”
“Look,” Drew says, exasperation breaking through his usual composure, “you can hate me later. Both of you. Right now, we need to move before those men in there decide Lilian’s outlived her usefulness.”
He’s right, but the betrayal of his negligence still sits in my gut like poison. Drew Marshall—my teammate, my confidant, one of three people I actually trusted. All this time, he watched me vanish and said nothing, did nothing. When this is over, when Lilian is safe, I’ll let him know exactly how I feel about his betrayal. For now, I need him, so I bite my tongue and carry on. Drew works on the electronic lock with practiced efficiency, another surprising skill from my supposedly straightforward friend. The red light flickers to green, and the steel door slides open with a soft hiss.
The scene that greets us stops me cold in my tracks.
Lilian sits zip-tied to a chair in the center of the room. She’s alert and unharmed, looking more angry than afraid. Two men in expensive suits stand nearby—the older one adjusting his cuff links with practiced precision, the younger one positioning himself with the casual readiness of someone accustomed to violence. He has his gun out and pressed to the side of Lilian’s head. Neither makes a move for more weapons when we enter.
If anything, they look relieved to see us.
“Mr. Hayes,” the older man says pleasantly, as if we’ve just arrived for a scheduled appointment. His gaze settles on me with obvious satisfaction. “I was hoping to speak with you specifically.”
“You’ve got thirty seconds before I put a bullet in your chest.” I keep the gun trained on him.
“That would be unfortunate,” he says, unmoved by the threat. “Particularly since we’re all working toward the same goal.”
“Which is?”
“The complete destruction of the Hayes empire.” His smile is cold and calculating. “Something that will happen much faster with your cooperation.”
Drew shifts beside me, confused. “What the hell is he talking about?”
The older man’s attention never wavers from my face. “Your brother has been quite effective in his infiltration, but there are limitations to what one person can accomplish. Certain access points that require your specific authorization, for example. Your particular expertise. And it will hurt so much more for both of Richard’s sons to turn on him.”
“I’m not helping you with anything.”
“Not even to save her?” He gestures toward Lilian, who meets my eyes with a mixture of relief and warning. “Your brother seemed quite motivated by Miss Hayes’s well-being. I assume you share his…attachment?”
The casual mention of Arson’s feelings for Lilian evokes a wave of jealousy, followed by a protective rage. They’ve been using her as leverage, counting on both of us caring enough to compromise our principles to keep her safe.
The very thing I spent years trying to protect Lilian from—the reason I denied giving her what we both wanted—was to save her from being used against me by my father. Yet somehow, she has become a chess piece in a game I wasn’t even aware we were playing.
“What do you want?” I ask through gritted teeth.
“What we’ve always wanted. Richard Hayes destroyed. His empire dismantled. His legacy erased.” The older man’s expression hardens. “He’s caused considerable damage over the years to too many people. It’s time for that debt to be paid.”
“And you think kidnapping Lilian will make me help you?”
“I think your brother’s weeklong deadline to eliminate Richard Hayes will be much easier to meet with your assistance.” He checks his watch with theatrical precision. “Six days, eighteen hours remaining. Hardly enough time for a lone operative, but with both Hayes sons working together...”
A week. They’ve given Arson a week to kill Richard, and they’re using Lilian to ensure compliance. The cold calculation of it makes my skin crawl.
“You’re insane if you think—”
“Your brother has already agreed to these terms,” the older man interrupts smoothly. “Quite enthusiastically, actually, once he understood the alternative.”