Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 123575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 618(@200wpm)___ 494(@250wpm)___ 412(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 618(@200wpm)___ 494(@250wpm)___ 412(@300wpm)
“I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone,” I snarl.
“Are you sure? I know things. They didn’t erase only you.” Her words rush out in a breath. “You were their test subject. They needed to see if they could really make it work, and they did. Through you, they perfected a system that they went on to use on dozens of others. Children of business rivals, witnesses to corporate crimes, anyone who threatened their perfect facade or agenda.” Icy dread slides down my spine.
She believes what she’s saying.
More importantly, she’s not saying it to negotiate or plead—she’s stating facts.
“And how do you know this?” I lean closer, using intimidation to mask my growing unease. “Been playing detective, little brat?”
“No.” Reaching out, she brushes the exposed scars on my wrist—the ones usually hidden by Aries’s expensive watches. “I’m playing my part. Just like you played yours in that institution. Just like Aries plays his now.” She pauses for a moment, and her voice takes on a softness that strokes the beast inside me when she speaks again. “I know you’re angry, and rightfully so, but just remember that all of us are victims here. We’re all their puppets, dancing on different strings.”
Her touch, coupled with the gentleness of her voice, sends bolts of electricity zinging across my skin. No one’s touched those scars since they were made.
Brat. I should break her fingers for being so daring. Instead, I find myself pressing closer, caging her against the wall, using my body to keep her where I want her.
“You think understanding makes you safe?” My lips brush her ear. “Makes us allies?”
“No.” She turns her head, bringing our faces dangerously close. “Understanding makes me dangerous, even more so since I know where the bodies are buried. Literally, in some cases.”
I’m shocked. Astonished. “What?”
“Northstar wasn’t just a facility for treating problems.” Her fingers trace over my forearm, mapping more surgical scars through my sleeve. “It was where problems permanently disappeared. And my mother kept records of everything.”
The implications of her confession hit me right in the gut. My revenge has been focused on Aries, on the family who threw me away, but if what she’s saying is true…then this goes deeper than family drama.
“What’s the point of telling me this?” I study her face for signs of deception. “Why not go to the police?”
Her laugh is bitter, surprising in its darkness. “Do you hear yourself right now? Would you believe such a story if you didn’t know what you know? They wouldn’t give a shit. If anything, they would try to cover it up. I certainly doubt they want the public knowing the police commissioner’s daughter was one of the problems they made disappear.”
Confusion and anger bleed together. What the hell is she getting at?
“Then why—”
“Because you’re not the only one who wants to burn it all down.” She presses something into my hand—a folded paper thicker than standard printer paper. “You’re just the only other person I know with nothing left to lose.”
The power dynamic between us shifts, but it’s not about physical control this time. She’s offering me something more potent than my current revenge—she’s offering me proof of a systemic evil that goes beyond personal betrayal. This makes her infinitely more dangerous than I ever expected.
“This is a joke, right?” I can’t keep the mockery from my voice. “Do you really expect me to believe sweet little Lilian, Patricia’s perfect invalid, wants to assist in destroying her own family?”
“Not assist.” She lifts her chin defiantly. “Partner with. However, I have a few conditions I need you to agree to first.”
I slide my hand from her throat and up to her jaw, cupping the delicate bone. Without thought, I gently brush my thumb across her plump bottom lip. I’m reminded of the way she looked with her lips wrapped around my cock that night in her dorm, when she still thought I was him. “You’re not in a position to demand conditions.”
“No?” She cocks her head to the side but doesn’t pull away from my touch. If anything, she leans into it. “Is that so?” My cock grows incredibly hard, pressing against the zipper of my jeans. Her pink tongue darts out and flicks against my thumb. Pleasure consumes me. I want to fuck her against the tree right this second, open her up and see what she’s made of. I can only imagine how much effort it took Aries to keep his hands off her.
“If that were true, if you really believed that, then you wouldn’t still be standing here.” The little minx is testing my patience and resolve. I should tell her to fuck off, but I don’t want to and that’s increasingly frustrating me. “If you don’t want to make a deal with me, then why are you still standing here?”