Page 29 of Wreck Me

“A wakeup call, Caspian. You have come a long way and accomplished much, but you are still young. Your inability to trust and form alliances makes you vulnerable.”

“Your overt friendliness reeks of desperation, Mancini.”

Word had clearly reached him of the moves I was making against him.

“The war you’re preparing to rage is needless and misguided. I am not the man you seek. I would never have harmed your father under any circumstances. He was an ally and one of my closest friends. Family in fact.”

“The evidence tells another story.”

“I am aware. It seems indisputable, yet, it’s been manufactured.”

I scoffed. “You’re telling me you were framed?”

“Indeed.”

“Obtaining his ring is just more proof that it was you. How else would you have gained access to it unless you were there that night and stole it off his fucking corpse?”

“I retrieved it from Elijah Bane.”

I stilled.

At my shocked silence, he went on, “Well, retrieved it is an understatement. Moving heaven and earth would be more accurate. That is what I was prepared to do for you to demonstrate that we are far from being enemies.”

“If he had it all these years, then–”

“He collects trophies of his coups. That ring was one of them, one he cherished above all else, seeing as though he’d believed at the time that he’d actually destroyed King. Of course, he didn’t anticipate your ability and wherewithal to not only save that legacy, but to transcend what your father had accomplished several times over.”

He was laying it on thick.

Accusing Elijah Bane of being the architect of my parents’ murders was a whole other level.

And smart.

Extremely smart.

It was well-known that Bane had become my major competitor over the last year, and a slimy one at that, a real underhanded bastard. He and his multinational conglomerate, Bane Industries, was the same to Mancini. Me turning my attention to Bane would benefit him and the Mancini Syndicate greatly. We’d have a chief enemy in common, which would force an alliance between us.

It was also true that the war I was preparing to wage against Mancini would hurt King. It was a hurt that the empire could survive, but it would be a painful hit to absorb, nonetheless. It would cost a lot. Bane was a different story, especially given that Mancini also had him in his sights. It would be much easier to contain the fallout.

“I don’t act on rumors,” I told him.

“You should not act on falsified evidence either.”

“There is nothing pointing to it being falsified, except for your word.”

“My word counts for a great deal.”

“Not to me.” I grimaced as I found myself adding, “Not yet.”

“Yet? That bodes well.”

“What you’re claiming makes logical sense. Bane would have had the resources, the opportunity and the motive. You were lacking the latter.”

“Without a doubt. As I have explained, your father and I were close. Brothers bonded by something greater than blood. Something not known to you, I’m aware, due to the need for our relationship to remain covert, given who I am.”

“The closest of friends can become enemies with the right motivation.”

“The ring is a peace offering.”

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