“Do you love him?” I ask suddenly.
Three pairs of eyes snap to me.
“Cole,” I clarify. “Did he love Ryder? Is this about loyalty?”
Ryder’s expression hardens, but not in anger. In memory.
“He loved power,” Ryder says. “He loved being needed. When I decided I didn’t need that version of him anymore… he took it personally.”
“So this is ego,” I say.
“It’s always ego,” Finn mutters.
I look at Ryder. “Did you ever promise him anything?”
“No.”
“Did you ever give him reason to believe he was untouchable?”
Ryder’s jaw tightens. That’s answer enough.
I lean back slightly. “Okay. So he feels discarded. You changed the rules. He thinks you owe him something.”
“Yes,” Ryder says.
“And hurting me would… what? Prove you can’t protect what you build?”
“It proves I can’t protect what’s mine,” Ryder says. “And that includeseveryonein this room.”
My stomach twists.
“Do you think he’d actually hurt me?” I ask.
“He doesn’t separate us the way you do,” Zane says quietly. “If you’re inside this, you’re part of it.”
Finn’s hand tightens around his mug. Zane’s gaze drops briefly. Ryder’s eyes lock on mine.
“If he thought it would get to me,” Ryder says, “yes.”
The honesty hits hard as cold water.
“Why didn’t you say that before?” I whisper.
“Because I don’t want you afraid,” he replies.
“I am afraid,” I say. “But not stupid.”
The words hang there.
I press my palms against the table, grounding myself.
“Okay,” I say slowly. “So here’s the part I need you to understand. I didn’t come here to be leverage. I didn’t come here to be someone’s weakness.”
“You’re not,” Zane says immediately.
“But I could be used as one,” I counter.
“You are not a liability,” Ryder says.
