“Why?” I ask, rising to my feet. “Why would you help us?”
“Why?” He looks incredulous. “My parents are monsters! My mother has been abusing men for years right under her kids’ noses. My father is a fucking psycho who intends to rule the world and slaughter thousands and thousands of innocents in the name of The Luminaries because some sick pricks years and years ago thought it was a great idea to eradicate sin and sinners from our world.”
He claws his hands through his hair again. “I know you don’t know me, but Jase, Baz, and Bree do. I’m not that guy. I’m not the guy who wants to hurt others. I’m not the guy who flippantly agrees with everything our teachings say.”
“How are we to know that?” Baz props his right foot up on his left knee. “You look like the guy who does what he’s told and never ruffles feathers.”
Anger flashes across Knight’s handsome face. “It’s called playing the game and biding my time. I think you know all about that, Balthazar, or have I pegged you all wrong?” Knight arches a brow, and Baz smirks, slowly nodding.
“My gut tells me we can trust you,” Jase says. “But we have a lot at stake here. Several lives are on the line. Your father is blackmailing us and holding our loved ones hostage so we’ll do his dirty work for him. How do we know you’re not in on this with him? That this isn’t a test of how true we are to our word?”
“Nothing I can say will prove that to you. I can tell you I’m not working with him. That I would rather side with you because it’s the right thing to do.” He slams a hand over his chest. “That my gut tells me I’m right to risk my life by coming to your aid.”
“Why would you betray your father?” I ask. “You risk being ostracized or punished if he discovers you are working against him. Make me understand why you would do that?”
He leans forward, shielding nothing from his face. “Because you’re my sister and he kept us apart all this time.”
“That’s not enough,” Bree says.
“No, it’s not.” Reluctantly, he drags his gaze from mine. “There are multiple reasons, but the main one is, he’s got to be stopped. Things need to change. And if I have to sacrifice myself for change, then fine, I’ll do that because I’m done playing a waiting game. Finished standing at the sidelines and watching in desperation as his insanity and thirst for power increase.”
His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat, and his features harden. His jaw tenses. “Father hates I’m his heir. He would much rather it be Kylo or even Daria. They both share his coldhearted disregard for life and his cruel streak. Unless he kills me, he’s stuck with me. I haven’t rebelled. I have done what he’s asked of me because I want to take control of the Greed & Gluttony Luminary. I want to be in charge so I can try to change things.” He places his palm to his chest. “Hand on heart, I swear that’s the truth.”
Subtly, I glance at Bree. His words have got to resonate with her. Their goals are aligned, and I know how passionate my friend is about exacting change. Bree is devouring Knight with her eyes, looking at him as if she’s seeing him for the first time. A sheen of interest mixed with respect glimmers in her eyes, and she licks her lips as her gaze rakes over him from head to toe.
Knight rubs at his temples. “I do what I must to show him I’m good enough, but I’m not bloodthirsty about it, and that’s why he holds stuff back from me. He doesn’t quite trust me. I wouldn’t put it past him to have plans to murder me so he can put one of my siblings in my place.”
Knight’s eyes dart to mine. “I heard him talking about you. He’s in awe of your spirit. He likes when you fight him. He loves to see that fire. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s doing all this so he can mold you into his successor.”
“Hell will freeze over before that happens.”
“He already has plans for Ashley,” Jase supplies.
“I know.” Knight resumes standing in front of the fire, with his hands behind his back, as if he’s chilled all over. “I know about Julia. I knew he was fucking her. She made one too many cryptic remarks to me.” He shakes his head, a look of disgust creeping over his face. “She tried seducing me so many times.” He shudders. “It makes me ill just thinking about it.”
“She was always hitting on guys,” I say because it was the truth. “It doesn’t surprise me she was trying to entice you into her bed at the same time she was fucking your father. She wanted bragging rights, and no doubt she planned to use it to hurt Rhett.” Not that he would have cared. He didn’t give a fuck about my cousin. She was a pawn in his game, and he killed her when she finished her part.
“She was a nasty little bitch, but she didn’t deserve to be murdered,” he replies. “I think she really did love him.”
“There is no accounting for taste,” Bree says. “And let’s not pretend any of us care. Julia was poison, and she got what was coming to her. I know I won’t be losing any sleep over it.”
“We need to go,” Baz says, eyeballing Jase.
“I can take you to Chad.” Knight calmly walks toward the row of books behind us. Pressing a switch tucked discreetly at the back of the shelving unit, he stands back as it parts in the middle, revealing a set of steps leading to a hidden passage. “I came down here earlier and left some weapons, tear gas, and some clothes for Chad. We can smoke the place out and hopefully not have to kill too many of the guards.”
“I’m down for killing the lot of them,” Ares says, practically sprinting toward the steps. “None of those men are good people. They knew what she was doing. They aided and abetted her. As far as I’m concerned, the whole lot of them can rot in hell.” He drills a look at Knight. “Your mother included.”
Knight grabs his arm. “You don’t touch my mother.”
They face off for a few tense seconds. We all gather behind them.
Knight pulls his gaze from Ares and looks between Baz and Jase. “I know she’s a monster, but she’s still my mother. I promise I will handle her and the fallout. Don’t kill her. Just concentrate on getting Chad out alive.”
I want that bitch dead for what she’s done to Chad, but we’re not stupid. We know we can’t kill Carter’s wife. She’s a Luminary, and he might go nuclear on our asses if we took it that far. Everyone was already in reluctant agreement on it. But I want to bury her when the time is right. That bitchwillbe punished. “Okay.” I reply for everyone. “We won’t kill her, but she must pay for this, Knight. We can’t allow her to continue to do this.”
“I agree, and it stops now. I swear it ends tonight. I’ll find a way.”
“We’re one step ahead of you,” Jase says, flipping the switch on the wall and illuminating the narrow passageway.
