Nate holds back a whimper. He thinks he might faint. He wants to say that Mitch won’t ever believe that, but why else would Nate have blackmailed Owen? All his plans are crashing down on him.
“What would you do in my place, Nate?”
The question takes him by surprise. “What?”
“If you were holding the cards that I’m holding, what would you do?”
It’s a trap, but there’s no way around it. “I would have held it over you. Made you mine.”
Will nods as if he expected that answer. “Yeah, you would have done that, but luckily for you, you and I are not the same. I don’t want to make you mine—I want to forget you were ever born. If you leave me no choice, I’ll use everything I know against you. And let me tell you, I feel sick with how much I’m tempted to take you down.”
Nate snorts. “You love it, don’t you? Holding the power.”
“Ihateit. Don’t dare act like we’re the same. I can go through hell and back—again—and I won’t ever lose so much of my soul to turn into you.”
Nate is not the kind of man to get offended, but the insult hurts. “You’ll never be happy with him. Maybe for a while, but it won’t last.”
“The way I see it, I haven’t been happy here in years, and now I am, and it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with him. I have a feeling you’ve gotthe message. You have everything to lose if you go against Owen, and even then, you won’t ever lay a hand on me again. I’d rather burn myself alive. Look me in the eye and say you understand me, or this is going to be a very long and painful night for you.”
Knowing that he’s lost this battle, Nate nods. “I understand.”
Will holds his gaze for a long time before finally standing up. “You’re a great liar; I’m sure you’ll find a lie to tell at work to explain your bruises. I’ll let you get yourself free. The place needs some tidying up.”
Nate lowers his gaze and smiles to himself through the pain.
You’re right, Will. I am a great liar.
*
The mayor watches him for a long time, barely blinking. The man has the kind of glare that can turn a man into a puddle. Nate wishes he were a puddle so he could slip under the door and out of this house. He’s aware of Veronica standing close behind him. She’s so quiet she might as well be dead, but her gaze presses against Nate’s back like she’s poking him.
“Haven’t I been paying you well?” the mayor finally asks.
Nate clears his throat, wishing he had something to drink. “You have, sir. As I said—”
“It seems to me that you have been playing for both teams. That makes me feel like a fool.” He shakes his head, still unblinking. “I will not be made a fool by the likes of you, Nate.”
What are the likes of me?he stops himself from asking. “That was never my intention. We both… we agreed that I should never make the sheriff suspicious about my work for you.”
“That has nothing to do with the information you kept hidden from me.”
I know.“The idea was getting them to befriend Owen so they would trust him and offer him a job.”
“You already said that.”
“And I’m here telling you everything before they offer him anything.”
“You are telling me about this now because the same Owen you worked with behind my back is now dating Will, with whom you are infatuated. You are also telling me about this now because someone—likely Will—beat you up.”
Nate crosses his arms, his stomach swirling unpleasantly. “You’re right.”
“It makes me wonder how many other things you have been keeping from me.”
“What? No! I told you everything the sheriff was working on. You know I’ve been helpful.”
“None of what you have ever told me has put me at a greater risk than this undercover job. I trust thosepawns to hold up under pressure because I can take care of them if they’re caught, but if they end up willingly giving names to the wrong people…”
Nate shifts uneasily, wishing at least one of the tall windows were open. He has nothing more to say, and he’s now doubting his decision to speak with the mayor. After Will left his house, and Nate managed to get himself free, he sat for hours on the floor with dark thoughts raging inside his aching head. A feeble voice suggests he should cut his losses and move on, but that voice failed to break through his rage until it faded into oblivion.
