Page 48 of Forbidden Pawn

Tyler shifts uncomfortably. “She thinks you’re responsible for her father’s death. She needed to get close to you, to get revenge for him and take you down.”

I don’t believe what I’m hearing. My pulse races, and betrayal cuts through me like a knife. I knew she had secrets, but I did not see this coming. What was she planning? To kill me? To ruin me?

And for something I didn’t even do?

“I killed nobody,” I hiss, clenching my fists. “Why would she even think that? Who was her father?”

Jack and Tyler both shrug, as if it doesn’t matter. And to them, it probably doesn’t.

“To be honest, we never asked,” Tyler says. “We were just happy to have someone help us buy some time.”

“To take me down,” I finish for him, my words coated with bitterness.

Jack raises his hands, trying to smooth things over. “No, not exactly. This was about getting those Cortesi assholes off our backs. We had a deal with them. June had nothing to do with it.”

“She didn’t even know,” Tyler adds.

“So, you betrayed her, just like you betrayed me?” I want to know, fighting with every fiber of my being to keep it together.

“I guess you could say that,” Tyler says, sighing. “But we never meant for her to be harmed! We just made a deal with her to take our sister’s place for a while. She would have a chance to get close to you for her own revenge, and we wouldn’t have to send our sister into your harms to buy us some time to get things done with the Cortesi. We planned to drive to your house and get her after…”

He clears his throat and averts his eyes.

“After they killed me, you mean,” I finish for him.

Jack shakes his head. “The Cortesi are many things, but not murderers.”

I almost burst out laughing at those words. “Are you fucking kidding me? They were ready to kill us just now!”

“But they didn’t, did they?” Tyler interjects. “Even though we took down two of their own.”

“They were still breathing when we left,” Jack adds. “Let’s hope they live. I really don’t want for things to get worse. This was never meant to include the death of anyone.”

“Except for mine,” I add for consideration.

Jack looks at me, his expression serious. “That was never part of the plan, I swear! The Cortesi said they simply wanted to take over your money laundering operation and promised to leave us alone if we brought them to you. They got information about this water property deal and tried to poison Mr. Stern’s mind, but it wasn’t working as well as they’d hoped.”

“Information?” I ask. “So, the mole in my ranks has been working for them?”

The Reids exchange a look that tells me they don’t know what I’m talking about.

“All we know is that the Cortesi deceived us,” Jack says eventually. “They pride themselves on not being murderers, but they’re big on hostages and blackmailing.”

Tyler nods, agreeing. “I guess that’s why we’re all still alive.”

“So, that means they took Grace—I mean, June—to blackmail me?” I ask.

“No, they want to blackmail us into giving up our operation,” Jack clarifies. “I doubt they even care about you at all. It’s our operation they’re after, and they think June is our sister. They heard about our pawn deal with you and wanted to get to her.”

Fuck, and I delivered her right into their arms.

“But how would they know that I’d bring her along?” I ask, to which they both shrug.

“Honestly, after what just happened, I really know nothing anymore,” Jack says, sounding defeated.

I take a breath, trying to calm the storm inside me. “Okay, but where are they now? Where is… June?”

Saying her name feels weird to me. I always had a feeling that there was more to her than she let on, but I never expected her to be an entirely different person. A person with such a beautiful name, June.

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