There was a pause. The moment stretched until it circled the perimeter of the room, then tightened. Kane felt as though the space were getting smaller. His thoughts were a jumble, each one tinged with anger he had no means of expelling. Ward waited, cool and collected.
Through gritted teeth, Kane finally said, “You told me not to tell anyone about it. Nobody but Fletcher.”
Ward’s face turned sad. It was a false kind of sad, and it made Kane more nervous than anything. It was the face Ward made when he was about to do something cruel.
“That’s right. And did you listen?”
“I—”
“Do you seek to infuriate me, or is it just that you are unable to follow the simplest of instructions?” Ward’s fingers trailed Kane’s cheek, nails scraping skin. This time Kane didn’t flinch away.“Did. You. Listen?”
“I needed help! Once the necklace was moved to the Crystal Palace—”
Davies’s fist hit him square in the jaw. Kane ought to have seen itcoming, really. His head snapped to the side, and he let out a growl as he turned back to face Ward.
“No, okay?” he snarled. “No, I didn’t listen.”
“Right. And you didn’t tell just anyone, did you? You told Zaria Mendoza.”
“She’s only a girl—”
“Only a girl?”Ward showed all of his teeth. “She’s a dark market alchemologist. She’s Itzal Mendoza’s daughter.”
Kane tried to exhale, but the air kept getting stuck somewhere along the way. When he finally replied, it sounded strained. “What does that matter?”
Ward’s eyes flashed. “Oh, it matters.”
“You leave her alone, or I’ll—”
Davies’s second blow connected with brutal efficiency. Ward watched Kane absorb it with disdain, golden eyes like chips of citrine. “Do not presume to give me orders, Canziano.”
“Why do you want her dead?” Kane bit out. “Why try to kill her behind my back? I was already planning to double-cross her. This won’t benefit her in the end.”
There was a long pause. Ward seemed to turn the question over in his mind, and Kane knew even before the kingpin answered that he was going to lie.
“I was trying to protect you. I’malwaystrying to protect you, and the girl cannot be trusted. Her father was a swindler. A talented cheat. I hoped to dispose of her swiftly in a manner that wouldn’t distract you. You’re struggling enough as it is. And yet, as always, you evade my attempts to help. Abe Walker, dead in the street. Anil Sahni, run out of town.”
“Abe wouldn’t be dead if you’d told me the truth.”
Ward waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t care about Walker. I care only for your success.”
Kane glared, the blood pounding in his ears. He felt disconnected from every aspect of himself—a toy on a shelf, watching a scene play out in slow motion. Present but not part of anything.
“Spare me the bullshit.” His mouth was dry, but he mustered enough saliva to spit onto Ward’s pressed coat. “You don’t know what it is to care about another person.”
This time it was Ward himself who threw the punch. It didn’t have nearly as much force as the last two, but it left a searing ache along Kane’s temple, and he knew Ward’s ring had split the skin. A trail of hot blood slid down to his jaw, which he set, continuing to glare defiantly at the kingpin. Ward already looked chagrinned, the fury fading as quickly as it had come.
He grabbed Kane’s chin and jerked it up, forcing him to meet his gaze. “Remember who you belong to,” he breathed. He smelled like tobacco and patchouli. “I’d have preferred the Mendoza girl dead, but if you’re so desperate to keep her alive, then cut ties with her yourself. Can you do that for me? Can I trust you to do better?”
Hating himself more than he had ever hated anyone else in his life, Kane nodded.
Ward released him. There was something regretful in the action. He waved an impatient hand, dismissing Yardley and Davies. Kane slumped forward in the chair as they disappeared back into the night. When the kingpin spoke again, his voice was changed. Softer.
“What have I taught you? If you want to rise above others, you have to be ruthless. I can feel us growing apart, and it’s because you’re no longer willing to let me guide you. Stopfightingme, Kane.”
Kane’s thoughts were muddled. How many times was he going to let Ward torture him and reel him back in?
But the man knew just what to say to make him stay.
