Page 73 of Sinful Palace

I gritted my teeth. “That’s not an answer.”

“I know. I’ll answer what I can, though you must understand there are many things I cannot discuss with you.”

We fell into an awkward silence as the masked guard returned with two bottles of sparkling water, each containing a black straw. Q briefly lifted the bottom of his mask, just enough so that there was space for the straw to slip under it, and then he took a sip. I did the same, but I ignored the straw and drank from the bottle instead.

Q finally put his drink down and looked directly at me again. “You’re somewhat correct. The body-drop was one of my private operations, and it was a threat,” he said. “But you’re mistaken about the intended target of that threat.”

“I don’t think so. The corpse was dropped right next to Willow,” I said, narrowing my eyes.

He leaned forward slightly. “No. It was actually dropped right next to Willow and Stephen.”

“Her father?” I arched a brow. “Wait, that’s who the note was for?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Q made a breathy, guttural sound. I could only presume it was a sigh, heavily distorted by the voice-changing device. “Stephen Rhoades seems to have developed an unfortunate conscience in the last few months.”

“What do you mean?”

“Apparently he’s been wracked with guilt over his decision to sell his daughter to your family,” Q said, leaning back in his seat again. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he’s refused to attend the last couple of Order meetings and parties.”

“I did notice. I thought he was just busy.”

“No. He’s been avoiding the society to make a point. He’s also been begging for a private meeting with me for weeks. He hoped I would allow him to cancel the marriage contract.”

“I see.”

“I said no, for obvious reasons, and I thought that would be the end of the issue. Unfortunately, a credible source later informed us that he was planning on betraying the Order after failing to get what he wanted.”

“How?”

“He was planning to go to the media. Expose us to the world. I think he hoped that would destroy the entire society, making the contract null and void.”

My pulse picked up. “So that’s why he’s gone missing? You killed him to shut him up?”

Q let out a dark chuckle. “The stunt we pulled at the parade was merely a warning designed to frighten him into submission. It wasn’t some sort of death warrant.”

“Why would he get a warning if he was going to betray the Order so badly?” I asked.

“Because he’s been a loyal member for thirty years. I understand that he’s going through a rough time right now, and I understand the regret he feels. After taking that into consideration, I decided to give him a chance to make things right.”

“So the warning was basically just a message saying: don’t fucking do it.”

Q dipped his head in a nod. “Exactly. All we had to do was remind him of the Order’s power. I knew it would be enough to make him rethink his decision to betray us.”

“And it worked?”

“It must have, because he hasn’t gone to the media, has he?” Q tilted his head slightly to one side. With the giant horns attached to him, he looked almost comical.

“Where is he, then?” I asked. “He’s been missing ever since the parade.”

“I don’t know. Hiding out somewhere, I presume.” He paused to cough. “I’m sure he’ll be back when he’s ready to come back into the fold and make amends.”

“Right.” I frowned and scratched my jaw. “If he wanted to betray the Order, doesn’t that mean he’s the most likely suspect for the recent leak?”

“We considered that, but our investigation has proved him innocent in that regard. He wasn’t the leak.”

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