“I’m in control,” we growl.
Quentin scoffs.
“Of course you are, Grandson,” he murmurs. “Why else would you have captured that snake Beaumont and then…what was it?” He smiles coldly. “Ah, yes.Let him live.”
Our jaw tightens. “He was tortured. He’sstillbeing tortured. I can’t just kill?—”
“Yes, youcan,” Quentin snarls. “You’re the goddamnMarquis! Start fucking acting like it!”
“You don’t understand,” we hiss. “Executing him would embolden those who follow him, or who followed Veyrac.”
Quentin barks a cold laugh. “Don’t lecture me, boy,” he snaps, thumping his cane on the floor. “You don’ttorturesnakes. You don’t placate them.” His eyes narrow. “You stomp on them until they are dead.”
Our mouth purses. “W—I understand, Grandfather,” we murmur.
“And this business with Xavier d’Auvrelle?”
Our blood heats. “You weren’t there,” we snarl. “You didn’t see the way he disrespected her.”
“My God,” Quentin spits. “You lost your fucking cool and beat the shit out of one of the single most powerful and influential men in the underworld because heinsultedyour littleslut.”
Venom floods our system. A black fury ignites within us, and before we know it, we’re storming across the room and slamming him into the wall.
Even as we snarl into his face, Quentin laughs into ours and shoves our arms away.
“You can’t hurt me, boy. Iamyou. Isn't that what you always wanted?”
Our eyes close. “We should cut you out, then,” we choke.
He laughs. “Don’t be ridiculous. Your focus needs to be on d’Auvrelle anyway. You crossed a line there, boy. A big one. You’ve potentially put this entire organization in a crosshairs from which it may not be able to escape.”
He exhales heavily, and his hand lands on our shoulder.
“I shouldn’t have called her that. But enough is enough. You’ve had your fun. You’ve played your sick little games with her.”
We wince.
“Now end it, before you have no more empire to save.”
“I can’t,” I murmur. “I won’t.”
“Yes, you will,” he says gently. “You must.” He shrugs. “You already play choking games with her, don't you? Push it just that little bit further.”
Our throat tightens.
“Accidents happen, Vaughn, especially when people play the way you do. Allow that to happen. Bury her and your obsession with her.”
He squeezes our shoulder a little harder.
“You’reso close, Grandson.”
He pushes the leather riding crop into our hands and closes our fingers around it.
“Don’t let me down.”
34
EVELINA
