“Yeah. All my family’s dead.” He said automatically. Besides, he definitely didn’t have any uncles who’d survived the war. “Long gone.”
“Then why would someone pretend to be a member of your family?”
“Given the fact that we’re Tris and in hiding . . . your guess is as good as mine. I can’t imagine anyone who survived the war would ever be stupid enough to contact the League for a contract.” Not with the number of people who wanted to enslave their handful of survivors.
“What about your brother?”
“He’s not out taking contracts against my life. Trust me. If he wanted me dead, he’d do it himself and bury my body where it wouldn’t be found.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“Positive. He knows all the best hidey-holes.”
Snorting, she rolled her eyes. “Not what I meant. You sure you can trust him?”
“Yeah.” Nero was the only one he trusted. “So . . . we have to find a bathroom, shelter, weapons, and some asshole pretending to be my relative.”
“How do you know they’re pretending? You and your brother survived. What makes you so sure someone else didn’t, too?”
She had a point. He could cede that to her, however . . . “Pretty sure if one did, they wouldn’t be so keen on killing me.”
“Why?”
“No reason to. I’m not the heir. My brother is. Why get rid of me while he’s still alive?” Not that anyone could inherit the throne of a dead nation. “Besides, why bother?”
Jayne paused at that. He was right. That wouldn’t make any logical sense.
Trisa was a fallen empire that had been split up and divided among human races. The people living there now would have no loyalty, or any reason to reestablish the royal house they’d overthrown.
“What other enemies do you have?”
“I don’t. Never stay around any one place long enough to make any. For that matter, no one knows my real name. Never mind the names of my dead relatives.”
Yet they’d taken out a warrant while pretending to be his uncle. “You sure?”
She could feel the withering stare he was giving her. “Yeah. Positive. I know what info I let out.”
“You talk in your sleep?”
“Wouldn’t matter. I don’t close my eyes around strangers.”
She arched a brow at that.
“Rare exception.”
For some reason, that thrilled her. It was rare to meet a guy that good-looking who wasn’t a man-whore. One who didn’t trade on his looks.
Yeah, but it’s not like he has a choice.
True. There was no telling what he’d have been like had he not been forced to lie low for the whole of his life.
Jayne took her comm back and stared at the warrant. “This is hopeless. We’ll never figure out who did this.”
“Don’t be so sure about that. I think I know someone who could be helpful.”
ChapterThree
Jayne paused as Hadrian led her into what had to be the shadiest looking dive she’d ever seen. And she should know given that her father had a penchant for hanging out with the sleaziest, most disgusting creatures that had ever belly-crawled out from the primordial ooze.
