Page 48 of Fierce Monarch

Him. Nate.

Dominic and Greyson settled close by, the latter with his tablet out and ready for notes.

“Why would I believe you?” I asked, getting close enough to whisper. “You’re a liar and a thief.”

He panted in the chair, eyes wild as he tried to find an escape. “Because he was my contact. I did this for my family, I swear!”

“Tell me, and we’ll see if I’m feeling lenient after.”

Derek nodded over and over like a bobblehead. “I first met Cash when I was a teenager. My father introduced us.”

“Your father, Marshall. Correct?”

Derek nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s him. He brought me to the docks for my first day, and on the way home, he said he had a stop to make.”

“Cash.”

“Yeah. Before we got out, Dad told me to do whatever he said. When I asked why, he said we protect our family.”

I looked at Grey, who flipped through his tablet quickly. “Two sisters, both younger.”

“Three,” Derek corrected quietly. “My old man had an affair after Molly, the second youngest, was born. They had a baby, though she stayed with her mom.”

“And instead of threatening to reveal that child to your mother, Cash threatened to kill her?” Derek didn’t even have to answer. I could read between the lines and see I was right. Pulling up a chair in front of him, I settled in for a long story. “Go on.”

“Cash said he’d called the meeting to meet me.”

“You, specifically?” Grey asked.

Derek nodded. “Said it was time to meet the new generation.”

“Was Nate there?”

“Yeah, but he was younger than me.” A teenager, if my math was correct. Had Nate been working for Cash his whole life? Derek continued, unaware of where my thoughts were leading. “After they asked me a bunch of questions, they beat my dad. Told me to remember this because it was my future if I said a word against him.”

Or if he didn’t do what they asked. “Tell me everything.”

And he did.

Derek told me about Nate being in charge of pickups, about how he destroyed Derek’s apartment as a “warning.” He told me all about how they made the overages work and how Porter got involved. He gave me the names of the others, even though I already knew them. Strapped to a dirty chair in my basement, Derek spilled every secret he’d ever had. And the whole time, Dominic sat in witness and Greyson typed his little notes.

I knew it was coming; I expected every second of it, but I wasn’t prepared for how much it hurt. Nate was deeply enmeshed in Cash’s empire. Despite the fact that his brother was dangerous, he was the man’s second. His go-to guy when he was home.

How did I reconcile that Nate with the one who’d stolen my heart?

Dominic not so carefully fed Derek some water, splashing half of it down his chest. The man had talked for hours and I knew he was dying of thirst, but he didn’t complain.

I’d long since stopped interrogating him, instead letting him get it all off his chest. We all knew Derek was going to die, so who cared if I was a little kinder to him than others? He wasn’t going to tell. He’d fallen into this shit because his father had forced his hand. He didn’t know any other way. I understood it, even if it was the wrong choice. “Nate wasn’t here the whole time, though. Right?”

“No, he left for the military after he graduated high school.” He looked down at his legs, eyes growing unfocused. “When Nate was gone, Cash sent his other henchmen. Let’s just say, I preferred his little brother.”

“Why?” Dominic asked. He looked as relaxed as ever near the door, but the tightness in his jaw said he wasn’t happy with what we’d heard.

“Because he has a soul.”

“What makes you say that?” Grey’s silence hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Before he left, he hid my sisters. All three of them.”

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