Page 57 of Crown of Lies

A muscle in his jaw twitches. “Yeah, well. Sometimes I wonder if I’m just being a sucker.”

“You’re not,” I say firmly. “It’s admirable. Really.”

He lets out a long breath. “Thanks.”

I shift in my seat, an uncomfortable knot forming in my stomach. Seeing that kind of loyalty up close, especially when he has nothing to gain from the situation, makes me feel like absolute garbage for betraying him and the other Princes.

I had my reasons, I remind myself as I push the guilt down, locking it away. I can’t afford to second-guess myself now.

“So, who’s next on the list?” I ask, my voice a little too bright.

Nico glances at me, his expression unreadable. “Guy named Hector. Your notes say he’s working as a mechanic downtown.”

I nod, grateful for the change of subject. “Right. The mechanic. Got it.”

The rest of the drive is mostly silent until we pull up to Hector’s auto shop. Nico hangs back as we get out of the car, letting me take the lead.

“Hector?” I call out, spotting a pair of legs sticking out from under a beat-up Chevy.

There’s a grunt, and a moment later, a stocky man with grease-stained hands rolls out on a creeper. He squints up at me. “Yeah?”

I launch into my spiel, explaining that I’m looking for information about my dad. Hector listens, wiping his hands on a rag as I talk. But as I start to describe the time period I’m most interested in, I see a familiar look of confusion cross his face.

“Sorry, miss,” he says, shaking his head. “I knew your old man, sure. But that time you’re talking about? I guess I’m drawing a blank. Didn’t see much of him then.”

I press on, asking about any jobs my dad might have pulled, any associates he might have run with. But Hector just shrugs.

“Like I said, he kinda dropped off the radar for a while there. When he popped back up, he had that crew of his. But before that?” He scratches his head. “Not much to tell.”

I feel my frustration mounting. This isn’t the first time I’ve hit this wall. It’s like there’s this chunk of time in my dad’s life that’s just… missing. And the more I dig, the more I realize how little I actually know about what he was doing during those years.

The drive back is quiet, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I can feel the tension radiating off Nico, his jaw clenched tight. I know he’s not thrilled about this whole situation, about having to help me after everything that’s happened.

As we pull up to the house, Nico’s phone buzzes. He glances at it, his expression darkening.

“Shit,” he mutters, quickly unbuckling his seat belt.

“Everything okay?” I ask, although I have a pretty good idea what’s going on.

He shoots me a look that’s part irritation, part resignation. “Just something I’ve gotta go deal with.”

I nod, guilt feeling heavy in my gut. I know my actions are the reason he’s been running around putting out fires lately.

Nico hops out of the car and strides over to his bike. As he swings his leg over the seat, he turns back to me.

“Atlas and Killian should be back soon,” he says, his tone carrying a hint of warning. “Don’t do anything stupid while we’re gone. Remember, this alliance thing is still on thin ice.”

I hold up my hands. “Jesus, I fucking get it. I’ll be good.”

The memory of my recent captivity is still fresh, and it pisses me off that he thinks he’s still calling all the shots here. But at least he’s not insisting on keeping me under constant surveillance. It’s clear he trusts that I know the smart move is to stick to our agreement.

As I watch Nico speed off on his bike, I can’t help but feel a twinge of relief. The constant presence of the Princes, while necessary, has been suffocating. I take a deep breath, savoring this moment of quiet.

The night is still and there’s no noise coming from the nearby houses. If I close my eyes, I could almost pretend I was all alone in the middle of nowhere.

Well, right up until the moment my mind starts inevitably recounting the day’s events. The visit to Hector was another dead end, but it’s all part of a larger pattern. There’s a gap in my dad’s history that no one seems able to fill, and it’s driving me crazy.

Determined to indulge my racing mind but still wanting to enjoy the calm evening for at least a few more minutes, I pull out my phone and dial Willow’s number.

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