Our next move.
“Let me get this straight,” I question him drily. “You think we’ll help you take over Angel?”
“Well, fair is fair. Ididhelp you escape.”
I grit my teeth. He didn’t helpherescape. And that’s all I care about. But this isn’t the time to say so.
“Not sure what we’ll be able to do for you if you’ve got thousands of employees expecting another Murillo to take over,” I comment.
“Yeah, well,he’sa Murillo, isn’t he?”
Elias jerks his head back toward Vincent, who, despite the fog of pain he’s clearly struggling against, widens his eyes in surprise.
“Me?” he asks feebly.
“Sure. Vincent Murillo, no?”
“You seem to have forgotten that Vincent is inmyemploy,” I tell him. “I’m not about to let him become the leader of our rivals.”
“Oh yeah?” chuckles Elias. “How would you stop him?”
“I’d kill him.”
My matter-of-fact words seem to make a deep impression. Elias turns a stony face back to the road, while Vincent whimpers behind me.
There’s a long silence, but it’s broken at last by Elias. He seems a lot more cautious than before.
“You forget, I’m not planning to let Vincent lead anything. Noel and I want to be in charge of Angel. Vincent would just be a more palatable front. And I don’t see why Angel and Devil have to remain rivals.”
“Don’t you?” I ask quietly.
Elias fixes his eyes back on the road.
This is why Gabriel was in power, and not you,I think viciously.You’re crazy if you think you can trust me.
At last, he parks in front of a small, tumble-down shack. Hegestures for us to get out and opens the creaking door.
As we enter after him, crowding into the tiny main room, he seems suddenly aware that we vastly outnumber him. He keeps his hand nervously on his holster, and I laugh inwardly.
If he thinks that’s going to stop me…
“Well?” says Logan, sinking down on the one rotting couch as Elias sits on the chair opposite him. “What now?”
Elias keeps his eyes glued to me. “We’re just waiting,” he says uncomfortably.
“For what?” snaps Logan. “For your guys to corner us and kill us one by one?”
Elias’ tense features relax into a smirk. “Pretty sure that’s what was already happening when I got you out.”
The twitch of a vein in Logan’s neck tells me he recognizes the truth in Elias’ statement, but he keeps bluffing.
“Keep telling yourself that. You really think Damien planted a bomb without an exit strategy?”
“Yeah,” confirms Elias without a moment’s hesitation. “Doesn’t take a psychiatrist to see that your friend has a death wish. Clearly, he didn’t care about dragging you into it, andyou—” he points to Logan “—can’t tell me that statement is a surprise to you.”
There’s an uncomfortable silence as Vincent turns his head toward me, as though waiting for me to deny it. But I hold Elias’ gaze, refusing to gratify him with a reply.
“So, what’s your thought process here?” questions Logan bluntly. “You’re telling me you’re aware you’re dealing with a guy who doesn’t want to live, and another guy whodoeswant to live, but goes along with guy number one regardless, and a third guy who’s apparently a complete idiot. And that’s the one you want to crown king, except you don’tactuallywant him to govern. Did I get that right?”
