I clear my throat, trying to dislodge the firm lump. “And does Safra know?”
He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You belong to Velarium, not Thiago.” His words hit like a slap—sharp and final. A reminder that I'm not a person here. I’m property. A pawn in someone else’s game.
Chapter Twenty- Four
Thiago
My eyes follow Elijah as he moves through the space, and even though I’m just recovering, I feel like a prisoner locked inside a cage. I prop myself up, and pain shoots through my ribs while a headache pounds at my skull. I didn’t like not being in the loop, especially when it comes to Zayden.
“Stop pacing so much, it makes me uneasy,” I say through bated breath, and Elijah turns to me, running a hand through his curls.
He shrugs casually and, with a forced smile, says, “I’m sorry, just been thinking…” He stops, taking a seat across from me, stretching his long legs like he owns the place. “Do you know they want Zayden to lose tonight?”
My ears perk up, and my focus centers on him. I swallow the dread that worms its way to my chest when he asks, “You did know Zayden was fighting tonight?”
Iclearlydid not get the fucking memo, and I hope the look on my face is enough to answer his question. He pinches his index and thumb, rubbing them together, creating an imaginary spark.My stomach tightens as I wait for him to continue, and when he doesn’t, the question tumbles from my lips. “Who?”
Elijah shrugs again with a slight shake of his head. “Not sure, they didn’t say. All that was ordered was that he lose.”
My brows furrow as I nibble on the inside of my cheek, racing thoughts loop viciously through the crevices of my mind. “What, why?”
“Yeah, well… I’m not sure. Ask E, he knows.” Elijah glances at me, studying my reaction. I shift, pain flaring down my side. Fucking Ezra is doing things behind my back, especially when it comes to Zayden. It was the one boundary I had in place, and he crossed it.
“Why would he do that?” I ask almost timidly.
Elijah shrugs—his eyes bulging like it’s an obvious answer. “Because it’s Peter.”
Fair point.
I inhale deeply through my nose, forcing my lungs to expand… forcing my body to work through the pain. I didn’t like this, not one bit, and knowing Ezra didn’t even tell me shows that he’s indeed hiding things from me. And that I hate the most. Right now, there’s only one person I need to see. My eyes flick to Elijah, who looks bored as he picks his nails.
“Wyatt?”
“Still missing in action, Ezra has been looking for him,” he responds eagerly, eyes cued on my reaction. I give none. Wyatt is still missing can’t be any good, which makes me wonder what he’s really up to.
“Do you think he could be the mole?” His question doesn’t take me by surprise, but it does make it feast on my brain.Could he?After what I saw, it could be possible, but I wouldn’t let Elijah know that. And given what I know, there’s plenty of reason why he would want to burn the club down. Wyatt is violent, and sometimes I wonder where his own line is. But onecould never know. I needed to speak with Wyatt first and pick his brain.
I stare at Elijah, trying to figure out his angle in all this. “What are you trying to say?”
“Nothing.” He leans back, hands behind his head, his eyes fixed on me. “Just funny how he always vanishes, not completing jobs. You know, I did see him talking to Wesley?”
“Wesley as in Weasle?”
He nods. “That very one.”
I lean back, trying to organize my scattered thoughts, trying to piece together the information so I can finally determine the missing link because I know that I’m missing something. My ribs throb when I move, and I bite back the urge to scream. Elijah watches me with something akin to curiosity, or maybe amusement, before he asks, “What happened out there?”
“I lost control,” I respond flatly, not wanting to talk about myself or really anything else. The only thing I want is for him to get out and to find Zayden. I didn’t like any of this… “Look, T… I’m just saying you should watch who you trust. People change when power shifts.”
And he isn’t wrong…
I watch him stand and shove his hands into his pocket. “Do you know where Wyatt was the night of the accident?” He pauses, looking out the window as if searching for someone who could hear him. “He was with your father and Mr. Roberts.”
The confusion is back, clinging to me like a second skin. “How do you know?”
“I was busy with a girl and saw them before it happened..”
His response turns my blood into a thick sludge that struggles to circulate. So many players and all of them keep secrets.
