Page 149 of Outcast’s Vow

“No, she’s at college. Reclaiming the life that was taken from her.”

There’s a sharp intake of breath on the other end.

“Good. Then she won’t have to witness this. Open your door. I’m standing outside your building.”

* * *

“What do you want, Elwood?”

My father-in-law sits across from me at my table on my balcony. He doesn’t have a drink in his hand. I didn’t offer him any. He’s probably not expecting hospitality. He probably wasn’t expecting me to use his first name and not his Castaways title or sir.

He stares at me. I stare back. Neither one of us is planning to break.

It was a surprise for the Supreme Elder to appear like that at my door. It was even more of a surprise for him to ask to enter and talk with me. I would’ve thought he’d want nothing to do with me, especially after yesterday, but here he is.

At my penthouse.

“What do you think I’m here for, Baptiste?” he asks me.

“I’d take a wild shot in the dark and say it’s something to do with Sylvie,” I reply.

The Supreme Elder pauses. His lips tighten.

“I’ll cut to the truth,” he says, “for both our sakes.”

“I’m a busy man,” I tell him. “I’d appreciate that. Shoot, Elwood.”

“You weren’t the first pick for my daughter.”

It’s curt, even from him.

A little fire burns inside me. A little of the same rage that spurred me on yesterday. I nearly lose control, but I restrain myself. This is not the man to make an enemy of, even if there are a million vicious things I’d love to say to him right now.

“I’d already guessed that.”

“You’re the son of a single mother,” Elwood continues. “You have no name. You weren’t tied to the Castaways network before you were initiated. You came from nothing.”

“I’ll try not to take offense at that,” I reply darkly.

“But you were initiated because of your skills. Not because of your name. You were noticed because of the wealth you accumulated through your talents. Because of the unique intelligence and natural abilities you possess.”

Where the hell is this going?

“Sure.”

“You were invited into the Castaways Order because we believed you had earned your place among the elite of this world,” Elwood explains. “All on the back of your own effort. And that comes with interest from people like us, but it also comes with enemies. Leopold has been one of those. He was close to eliminating you yesterday, but I spared your life for a reason.”

“And what reason was that?”

“Sylvie. My daughter. Because of what you’d do for her. You were willing to sacrifice everything for her.”

“And I broke the Code of the Castaways,” I remind him.

Elwood scoffs.

“Sometimes the Code can be broken, despite what some of the Elders might think. And sometimes the Supreme Elder has the power to say fuck the Code and spare the life of someone worth sparing.”

I take a breath. I’m not going to let him off the hook this easily...