Page 154 of Vicious Knight

I saunter away and answer the door. When I open it, I’m so glad that I insisted on getting the door. It’s Thorne.

I’m so excited to see him that I throw my arms around him. “Oh my gosh, you’re here.”

“I’m here, Bambi.” He holds me as if this is the first time we’ve seen each other in centuries.

When he releases me he cups my face and I notice the deeply troubled look in his eyes straight away. He’s also carrying a big envelope.

“Are you okay?”

“Where are your mom and Levgen?”

I notice that he didn’t answer the question, but he doesn’t look okay. “They’re out back.”

“I need to speak to them. I need you there, too.”

“What’s going on, Thorne?”

“I’ll tell you in a minute.”

“Okay. Come with me.”

I lead him to the living room where Mom is. Levgen walks in after us carrying a tray holding several slices of cake.

The venomous look Thorne gives Levgen sends a cold shiver through me. I’ve never seen him look at anyone like that. Not even Aiden when he threatened to kill him.

The look is so potent that Levgen sets down the tray.

“Is everything okay, Thorne?” He looks him up and down. “It’s late?—”

“Fourteen years ago my father commissioned you for business on a hedge fund. The two of you worked together for years before that.”

I glance at Levgen. I wasn’t aware that he knew Thorne’s father.

“I work with many members of the Knights' council.”

“Yeah, you did. Except my father was the one who put your company on the map. Your wealth grew exponentially after that. Sure we all want a piece of the pie, but what my father didn’t know was that you were working your way up to become a senior Knight. To do that you needed to possess a certain net worth.”

“Where’s this going, son?”

Thorne shakes his head. “Don’t do that. Don’t call me son.”

“Thorne, what’s this about?” I cut in, curiosity getting the better of me.

His eyes soften for a fleeting moment when he looks at me but quickly return to their previous hardness.

“When my parents found out Levgen was stealing from his clients they threatened to expose him, so he hired an assassin to have them killed. He wanted the entire family dead.”

“What is he saying?” Mom steps forward and looks at Levgen, then at Thorne. “Thorne, Levgen would never do that.”

“It’s the truth.”

“This is nonsense,” Levgen speaks up.

“Levgen, don’t fucking deny the truth. I have all the proof right here.” Thorne holds up the envelope and pulls out a few documents. “These are encrypted emails between you and the mercenary group.” He throws the documents on the floor at Levgen’s feet.

“This is the contract for thirty million that you signed with them to kill my family.” Thorne throws more paperwork down. “This is the fucking contract you signed with them for fifteen million to plant false evidence at the palace when you set up Ivy’s father. And this is a fucking picture of you and the scar-faced man.”

My lungs lock and the fibers of reality slip from my grasp leaving the air around me thick like tar.

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