From behind, I feel Connor approach me. He lowers his voice so only I can hear. "I just heard from our men hiding along the perimeter since last night. We're the only plane they've spotted."
What. The. Fuck?
I snap my head toward Aidan. "You told me Zahra and Cyrus had safely landed an hour ago without any issues."
"Cyrus?!" my uncle seethes. "You left her alone with fucking Cyrus?"
"Of course she's with Cyrus. Who else was going to protect her when she faced off with you and Demir?" I shout while my head spins in a thousand different directions.
Lorkan ignores me, continuing his tirade. "You stupid, insolent boy. She will never be safe so long as Cyrus is alive. Though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised he's managed to fool you, given you can't even sniff out the traitor in your midst."
I try and fail to make sense of what Lorkan was saying, but none of it is adding up. "You're just trying to deceive me. Like you've deceived everyone else in your life," I protest.
"If that's the case, why is your brother looking at the ground like he's hoping it will swallow him whole? Zahra is clearly not here, but I have a strong suspicion Aidan knows where she is." Lorkan dangles an accusatory finger at my brother.
"You're fucking delusional." I laugh, though it comes out broken. Especially as I look at Aidan and see deep guilt in his eyes. The last time I had witnessed such a haunted look in his eyes was during his final encounter with our father. When he said he wished our father would just die and leave me in charge.
No.
No.
Aidan's entire body is trembling as he looks at me. "Declan, I'm so sorry I promise I can explain."
My hands are gripping his shoulders in an instant, shaking him. "What did you do, Aidan? What the fuck did you do?"
"I had no choice. I owed Cyrus a debt. A massive one. And he promised me he wouldn't harm you," Aidan pants out his confession.
"Any harm that comes to Zahra will harm me. It will rip my heart and soul into pieces. Do you not understand that?" I growl, pulling my gun out of the holster.
"I made the deal with him before you two had become so infatuated with each other. Once his plan was in motion, I couldn't stop him. The only thing I could do was bargain for your safety. For your life." The more he speaks, the more I feel like ripping his tongue out of his mouth.
"Where. Is. She?" I grit through my teeth, bringing the gun to his temple.
"I don't know where he took her."
My finger is seconds away from pulling the trigger but Azula slaps my hand away before I can put a bullet in my brother’s brain. "If you kill him, we may never be able to find her. He may not know where Zahra is but might have contact with Cyrus. We need him alive."
Aidan swallows hard, guilt draining the color from his face. "I don't know where he took her, but I do know he won't release her until he gets exactly what he wants."
"Which is what?" I was so tired of the games. The betrayal, the deceit. A bitter cold runs through my body, as my heart starts to twinge in pain.
"He wants full control of the Persian Empire."
43
ZAHRA
All I can taste is metal. No doubt from the blood that came after Cyrus slapped me in the face and told me to be quiet while he dumped my body in some dingy basement. Every muscle in my body is screaming at me in agony, and I’m shaking from how frigid the room is.
I have no idea where I am, or if anyone even knows I’m gone. What I do know is that I’ll either be killed soon or used as a bargaining chip and then killed. Neither option sounds appealing, but for once in my life, I can't think myself out of this.
The longer I’m trapped in this dark room, the more my eyes adjust until I can finally see my surroundings. The room is nothing more than a cinder block cellar with a metal door on the left wall, the faintest hint of light peering from under it. A potential escape?
I groan as I shift and the chain wrapped around my ankles weighs me down. That is definitely going to make things more complicated. Although they seem to have a great bit of slack to them, perhaps enough that I'd be able to lift the excess chainand use it as a weapon. My hands are bound by a rope, chaffing my wrists. Sharp. I needed something sharp to cut the rope. From there, I would figure out the chains. Figure out how I can defend myself. A loud creak freezes me in place as a silhouette fills the door frame, light pouring in behind the figure like a halo.
Except the figure is anything but an angel coming to save me–it’s the man who’s been plotting my demise behind my back for months. And I hadn't even realized it.
He presses a button on his phone that triggers the lights to turn on. I blink rapidly at the sudden change, eyes blurring as he carries two chairs over.
