Page 157 of Deceived Wrath

“This is Carl.”

“Hi. Um… I’m F-Fiona Callahan, I’m a friend of Zoe’s.”

“What do you need?” he asks without hesitation.

“I need to find someone. I don’t know anything about him except his phone number.”

“Is he dangerous?”

“Very.”

“Send me the number.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. I’ll call you when I have something.”

“I-I can pay?—”

“No. You’re Zoe’s friend. There’s no payment necessary.”

I swallow hard. I’m not used to asking favors without there being a catch. But it seems that for once, there isn’t one.

“Thank you.”

He hangs up, and I exhale as I set the phone down on the bed.

Maybe there’s a chance that this could work out. Maybe I can beat Lorcan at his own game, and Cormac can find some way to forgive me.

It’s a thin hope, but right now, it’s all I have. If I let it go, the guilt will eat me alive for what I’ve done not just to Cormac, but to Scout too.

My feet move before my mind catches up, and I creep down the hall toward Scout’s room.

I push the door open and peer inside.

The soft glow from the nightlight illuminates the small mound of blankets that Scout has buried himself beneath. He’s curled on his side with his mouth slightly open, and his dark hair sticking up from sleep in the same way that Cormac’s does.

His stuffed dinosaur is tucked securely against his chest with his little fingers wrapped around its neck, as if he’s afraid it might run away in the night.

He looks so peaceful. So completely untouched by the web of threats and secrets that is forming around his family.

My chest tightens until it aches.

What if Lorcan’s mess leaks into this room and steals his innocence away?

The thought nearly makes my knees buckle.

I step fully into the room and kneel beside the bed, brushing a strand of hair from Scout’s forehead. “I’m so sorry. I’m going to fix this. I swear.”

I should have realized how much power I was handing over to Lorcan when I asked him to get information on Amber, but I was so blinded by grief and my own helplessness that I convinced myself I was doing the right thing.

Instead, I became exactly what Lorcan wanted.

A pawn.

But I refuse to make that mistake again.

I can’t let Scout become collateral damage because of me, because of the choices I’ve made.