Page 176 of Eight of Swords, Part Two

Julian… gave him information?

Did Troy torture it out of him?

‘I don’t understand,’ he says quietly, feels dumb.

Troy rolls his eyes. ‘Maybe if you weren’t such a little sneak, you’d have let me introduce you both properly tonight like I planned.’

‘Don’t talk to him like that,’ Julian warns. The layers in his voice ripple like the surface of the ocean transporting deep sounds. Riley wonders if he’s the only one who can hear it. ‘He’s my brother.’

‘Yeah, well,’ Troy sighs, grabbing a bottle of painkillers from the cupboard. He dry-swallows four. ‘Your brother is the one who went and called Penhalyx. He told him Iron Star has you both.’

Julian pales. ‘What?’

‘I…’ Riley croaks, heart sinking hard and fast. ‘He kidnapped you.’

‘No, I paid him to get us out of there.’ Julian runs a hand through his hair. ‘Did you give him the location?’

‘I don’t know where we are.’

‘OK, so then, assuming Danya has explained everything to Lachlan by now, we should still have enough time to—’

‘Yashin is dead,’ Troy tells him. ‘I got confirmation from my source a few hours ago. Didn’t wanna upset you, I’m sorry. It was him. Tanner.’

‘No.’ Julian’s eyes are wide. ‘No, he loves Danya. He wouldn’t do that.’

‘I warned you not involving him had downsides.’

‘He… no. No, I need to talk to him. I need to call him.’

‘Kid, if what you told me about your bodyguard is true—’

‘It is.’

‘—then we need to get you out of here and stick to the original plan.’ Troy looks at Riley with determination. ‘All three of you. Your aunt can do it. Her and the sister.’

Hand over his mouth, Julian stares at a fixed point of nothingness.

‘If Lachlan comes here, he’ll kill everyone. The only thing that’ll calm him down is me.’

‘I won’t risk it. I’m getting you out of here tonight,’ Troy says. ‘We’ll have to accelerate everything, but it can still work.’

Riley shakes his head. ‘I don’t understand.’

Julian links their hands together for comfort.

‘Troy’s going to fake our deaths,’ he explains. ‘My father will never stop trying to find me if he thinks I’m alive. This is the only way to get free.’

‘But she said… she said she loves her daddy, that you both do.’

‘Mimi?’ Riley nods and Julian smiles a little. ‘She means our bodyguard. Lachlan Tanner. Our real father is a monster. Alistair Penhalyx. Did you tell him… about you?’

‘No.’ Riley looks down, violently ashamed for having potentially ruined the plan for Julian and Mimi’s escape. He always does the wrong thing, hates himself for it. ‘I didn’t know. I thought Troy took you, I thought…’ Tears slide down Riley’s nose. ‘I wanted to protect you both. I’m so sorry.’

‘Can we still do it?’ Julian asks Troy quietly.

After several moments of silence, Troy says, ‘We work with what we’re given. Yeah, it can still work, but it’s gonna take everything we have to pull it off and if even one thing wobbles…’ Troy pulls out his phone, frowns. ‘I need to make some calls.’

‘Let me help,’ Riley begs, doesn’t reach for Troy, never has, never will, but he wants to try and make this right. ‘Please.’