I grit my teeth. “You forget I outrank you, old man.”
“My daughter must despise you.” Warrick smiles thinly. “We are more alike than you think.”
“I amnothinglike you,” I spit. “And Haven adores me.”
The lie slips out of my tongue effortlessly. He doesn’t need to know just how right he is.
Haven hates me.
“If my daughter likes you, it is a ruse. She is similar to her mother in that way. Deceptive and untrustworthy,” he says bitterly. “Mercy, on the other hand, possesses my good senses. She would have suited you far better, but I could not resist punishing Haven for all her years of disobedience.”
“Perhaps, Haven simply detests youand not everyone else,” I say. “You killed her mother in front of her when she was just a child.”
“Are you sympathizing with a rebel?” Warrick hisses. “Is that befitting the Commandant of the Forge, and the future Supreme Director?”
“You could have protected them. You could have kept them away from the execution,” I say, fists curling on my thigh. “But you couldn’t resist hurting them.”
Warrick laughs, a dark, humorless sound.
“You idiot,” he says. “She has you wrapped around her finger, and you can’t even see it.”
“Good night, Warrick,” I say with a forced smile. “It’s been a pleasure as always.”
I hang up the call before he can respond.
I can see why Haven hates him so much. That man is as unbearable as they come.
I step out of the room to debrief with Knox. He’s not in the dining hall, nor is he outside Mercy’s bedroom. I stalk out to the garden and find Mercy sitting on a swing. Knox is standing above her, hands clasped around the chain, leaning down ever so slightly. Mercy’s cheeks are flushed, and she looks like she’d rather be anywhere else than trapped by Knox.
I never put up a damn swing. Come to think of it, the backyard looks nothing like I remember. There are bright flowers scattered around and some leafy vegetables.
“Who destroyed my garden?” I ask.
Knox straightens, and Mercy glances sheepishly at me.
“Do you like it?”
“I’d toss you out on the streets for this if I didn’t think your sister would kill me,” I respond.
“He’s joking,” Knox says. “You’ve done a great job.”
I wrinkle my nose. I can’t tell if Knox is being so flirty because he intends to gain her trust or because he’s enjoying himself.
It seems to be a bit of both.
“Can I speak with you, Knox?” I ask. “In my study.”
“It’s been a pleasure, Ms. Warrick,” Knox says.
“Please, call me by my first name.”
“As you wish.”
I spin on my heels, Knox close behind me.
“So?” I ask when my door clicks shut.
“I didn’t learn much,” Knox says. “She isn’t really forthcoming. She prefers to ask questions rather than answer them.”
