“To marry the king’s daughter, infiltrate the system, and wipe everything out from the root.”
“Why did you drug her?”
“To take complete control of her.”
“What about the real Salvario? Where is he?”
“Hunter is Salvario.”
Hunter is Salvario. Salvario is Hunter. How brilliantly this fucker Chris has played us. I just hope Salvario hasn’t killed him yet. Someone burned his estate and took him. The fire shows it was done by the Butcher of Naples. Now it all makes perfect sense.
“How do you have his memories?”
“We extracted them under hypnosis before wiping them.”
My phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out and see my head of security calling. I step out of the chamber and take it.
“Sir, Hunter Blackwood is at the main gate. He wants to see you.”
“Keep an eye on him. Tell him to wait. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“Yes, sir.”
I end the call and turn back toward the chamber. Zo steps out.
“I’ve had him put in a cell for now.”
“Okay. Let’s go home. Salvario is there.”
He nods. We head for the elevator.
“What else did he say?”
“When they took Salvario from his mansion, he had already lost part of his memory, that’s why Hunter doesn’t have all of it, just pieces. Later, they wiped that too, changed his face, and a few other things. As for him, he learned every habit of Salvario, memorized his memories, had full-body surgery, and was trained to become what he is now. That’s what took them so long. Otherwise, their plan was to send him here a year ago.”
I don’t give a shit about how they played Salvario. But they should not have touched Wen. And especially not drugged her.
When Remi was bringing her to San Diego, along with that piece of shit, she lost consciousness on the plane after throwing up several times. I admitted her to the hospital as soon as she arrived. Her tests showed she’s been drugged, and the number of doses she’s received so far is enough to destroy a nervous system. She’s conscious now and at home, but the state she’s in is worse than being unconscious.
The only man who could have done this to her is that motherfucker. He tried his best to act like he did nothing and had no idea how this happened, but we don’t believe him.
We know Wen well enough to know she’d never take drugs on her own, and even if she wanted to, she’d have no way to get them. The only other person in that house is May, and she’s loyal to the bone.
I have only one regret: that I couldn’t see through his lies from the start. This is the first fucking time someone has managed to deceive me, and my father too. The bastard came too prepared.
Right now, my entire family is on the verge of a mental breakdown over Wen’s condition, including Dad. I’ve never seen him cry like that. Even the memory of the state I left her in when I came here an hour ago is enough to twist my gut. I clench my jaw, blinking back the sting in my eyes.
We’re all fucking failures.
Chapter 40
Salvario
I’m tapping my shoe against the floor in an anxious, annoying rhythm.
So far, I’ve thought of thirty-three ways to kill Matleon, and over a hundred for that impostor. I should have listened to her when she told me I was Salvario. But I didn’t, and that made both of us suffer this much. If I had believed her, I would have done everything to prove to her that he wasn’t real.
I went to Naples and found out she’s here in San Diego. It’ll take me at least three weeks to crack Matleon’s security, and I don’t have a second to spare. So I decide to come forward. I’ll tell him about the impostor. I don’t know if he’ll believe me, but right now I have no other option.
