“If I didn’t fall for the trap, how were you going to lure them out?”
“We have a large crew who stays in the shadows. They have their finger on the pulse of the streets. They would’ve slipped the intel and ensured it got into the right hands.”
I twist around on my side so I’m facing him. “I didn’t give them the intel, so who did?”
“I have no idea, and that changes things.”
“What does Sinner think happened? Did you tell him it was me?”
“Hell no!” He stares at me incredulously. “He thinks we planted the intel.”
“And if I hadn’t fessed up, would you have told him the truth?”
He shakes his head. “No way. I’m trying to keep you out of that asshole’s net.” My eyes pop wide. He cups one side of my face. “I meant what I said before. If he got a hold of you this time, he would fucking break you apart, Harlow. I couldn’t save you last time, but I’m sure as fuck going to try to now.”
I want to believe him, yet it doesn’t explain their treatment of me at the start. “You obviously didn’t care about that when you first came here, so what’s changed?”
He caresses my cheek with his thumb. “A fuck ton of stuff. But mostly, we know Sinner and the controlling board of The Sainthood have been lying to us. They told us you had evidence that could put half the organization in jail. We were told to intimidate you. To scare you into telling us where you were hiding it. But you fought us every step of the way, gaining our respect and admiration. And everything that’s happened since has us questioning the whole fucking thing. It reeks of something darker at play.” He holds both my cheeks in his hands. “We know you’re planning something, and I think it’s time we joined forces.” He rubs his thumb along my lower lip. “War is imminent, and you need to be on the right side.”
The implication is clear, and if it was just standing by their side, I could handle it. But there is a lot more to it than that.
Can I stand beside The Sainthood in this battle, even if it’s a lie?If it brings me closer to the truth, then yes, I can and I will do it. But I risk losing them if I hide my true agenda.
I stare into his eyes, pondering what to say.
I want to trust him so badly.
But I just can’t.
“He killed my dad, Saint. And even while he was alive, he made his life hell. Of course, I want Sinner to pay and I’m doing everything I can to make sure that happens.”
“Unfortunately, your father sealed his fate the instant he laid eyes on Giana,” Saint admits. “It’s unfair as fuck what’s happened to him and to you, but you’ve got to understand Sinner is a fucking psychopath. I’m scared for you. I know he’s got plans. If you have what he’s looking for, we need to consider giving it to him. We might be able to use it to negotiate a way out.”
“What is it he thinks I have?”
“Video footage showing members of The Sainthood raping, torturing, and killing Commissioner Leydon’s wife.”
CHAPTER 32
“THE SAINTHOOD DIDthat?” I remember it well because when Daphne Leydon went missing, after failing to return home from work one evening, a manhunt was immediately launched. The case went global because she’s not just the police commissioner’s wife, she’s the niece of the US president.
“You really didn’t know?” he asks.
“Look at my face.” I point at myself. “I’m telling the truth. I don’t have any video.”
“The murder weapon is missing too.”
I shake my head. “I don’t have either of those things. I swear.” I’m so confused. So much of this doesn’t add up.
“I believe you.” He rests his forehead against mine for a moment. “But Sinner thinks you have it because your dad had it and now it’s nowhere to be found.”
“That’s why he killed him?” I ask, joining the dots, and Saint nods. Silence engulfs us for a few minutes, and I use the time to think.
“Dad was trying to build a case, so if he’d had that evidence, he would’ve used it. I don’t know how or why Sinner thinks we have it, but he’s wrong.”
Saint drops his hands from my face, turning on his side so we’re looking at one another. “What kind of evidence do you have?”
“A few case files that would challenge convictions. Prove The Sainthood tampered or planted evidence, but it’s mostly low-hanging fruit that wouldn’t stick.” That’s not a lie, but it’s only half the truth.
