Page 41 of Conquer

“I betrayed you,” I said.

“I thought you would own up to it. I appreciate that, Adrian.”

“I didn’t intend to,” I said.

Maxim shook his head. “Don’t try to make it better. Just tell me, Adrian,” he said.

Something else I had momentarily forgotten but shouldn’t have—Maxim hated excuses. Hated them so much that people who started to offer him one were rarely around long enough to finish them.

“I didn’t trust Michael, so I followed him. Found out Gordon Towles was feeding him information. After Michael…was gone, I had him start feeding it to me.”

“And her?”

“You asked me to find out about her,” I said.

“Indeed, I did. But I suspect you were aware of her long before that,” he said.

“Yes,” I replied.

“How long, Adrian?”

His eyes were icy, but he’d slightly clenched his hands, as much of a display of emption as I would get from him. More than I needed.

“More than two years,” I said.

Sam inhaled sharply, but I didn’t look at her.

“And what did you find?”

“Nothing… Not at first. But she was doing her own investigation, getting information about the Syndicate on her own, though she didn’t really know that.

“And what did she find?”

“That we stepped in after Santo’s demise. That we probably have some high-level sources. And she identified some low-level personnel,” I said.

“All by herself? Or did you help her?” Maxim asked.

“All by herself,” I said.

I had weighed the question, wondering which answer was best. If I said I had helped her, it might make Maxim think less of her, make it so that he saw her as less of a threat.

But if I lied, I might lose any favor I still had.

“So, what am I to do?” Maxim said a long moment later.

I stayed silent.

I knew what the answer was, knew the one that I would have given myself.

“May I ask something of you?” I said instead of answering.

“After what you’ve done, you’d dare ask something of me, Adrian?” Maxim said. His voice hadn’t changed, but I knew he was serious, knew that I was pushing whatever luck I had—luck that was almost nonexistent at this point.

But I’d do anything for her.

I met Maxim’s eyes. “Not for me.”

I glanced at Sam when she squeezed my hand, shocked that she’d touched me but not at all surprised by how much that touch buoyed me.

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