Page 77 of The Rebel King

“So did I, Cade,” he says, with affected wonder. “So did I, but these nice natives helped me when I washed up on shore. Ya know, I find indigenous people to be so kind. It’s really a shame how we’ve treated them. Speaking of, how’s my squaw?”

I don’t trust myself to answer. Nor do I even look at Lennix, though I feel her gaze riveted to my face. I hazard a glance at Grim, who mouths,Stay calm. Keep him talking.

“What do you want, Gregory?”

“Ahh. Look at you, doing your homework. I guess you used my dead brother’s DNA to figure out my name, huh?”

“Yeah. That’s how we did it.”

“It wasn’t enough that my mother died because of the shitty systems America calls democracy and capitalism. You had to go and take the one thing I had left worth caring about in this world. My little brother.”

“He held a gun to her head. I had no choice.”

“And you’re so fiercely protective of the ones you love, aren’t you, Cade? It must have torn you up inside when someone got to your do-gooder brother.”

I swallow a growl, close my eyes, and beg for patience.

“Funeral was today, right? I saw your speech on television. Nothing to fear. Who are you? Fucking Franklin D. Roosevelt? Of course there’s shit we should fear. Thingsyoushould fear. You should fear me.”

“I’m not afraid of you, you demented piece of shit.”

“Oh, but you should be. Look what happened to poor Owen. I had this entire speech planned,” he says, regret in his voice. “You ever seenPrincess Bride? What am I saying? Everyone’s seen that movie, am I right?”

I don’t reply but let my rage simmer.

“So I was gonna do the dramatic Inigo Montoya thing,” he says, affecting a bad Spanish accent. “You killed my brother. Prepare to die.”

He laughs, but it only lasts a few moments before he slides into demonic silence. The tension is a wire at my throat. “I killed your brother, Cade, and I’ll kill you, too.”

Lennix draws in a sharp breath, but I don’t look at her. Even though I suspected it, hearing Gregory’s careless confession tears through my gut. Owen’s killer is on the other line, and if I could strangle him through this phone right now, I would.

I clamp down my guilt and rage to remain focused on every word he says.

“Did you know our girl was supposed to be in the car with your brother that night?” he asks, his voice soft and malevolent likepoisoned butter. “God, I was this close to completely decimating you. I know how you feel about that piece of ass. It was all over your face when youshot my brother.”

He draws a shallow breath before going on. “When I’m done with you, you’ll know how this feels. Mama’s gone. Jackson’s gone. What do I have left to lose? You thought this wasn’t a game, but it totally is. And I’ll win. By the way, I get bonus points for the girl.”

And he disconnects.

Controlling my movements, I lay the phone down on the table and lean my elbows on my knees. For Nix’s sake, I’m trying to keep my shit together when all I want to do is flip furniture and burn the hotel to the ground.

“You did good,” Grim says, narrowing his eyes on a small screen. “We got him, but he knew we would. He’s at JFK. Probably already tossed that phone and boarding a plane. At least we can start piecing some possibilities together.”

“Uh-huh.” I steeple my fingers and clench my teeth.

“What are you gonna do about the fact that he wants to kill Maxim?” Lennix asks. I look at her for the first time, and all the rage and emotion I’m holding back burn in her stare. “That son of a bitch. Did you hear him? He wants to kill Maxim, and you’re what?” She gestures toward the table where the equipment is laid out. “Fiddling with your little toys? He’s at JFK. Go get his ass. Take him out. We have to kill him first.”

Grim and I stare at her in silence. I’m unsure how to respond. Grim’s hard mouth lifts on that one side. “I like this one. For your information, Rambo, I have operatives in several high-risk locations, one of which is New York. They were listening in and have already dispatched to JFK, though we know it will most likely be too late. A guy like this doesn’t play into your hands. He’s already three steps ahead. You just have to take what he gives you and keep looking on your own until he trips up and you get him. Maxim’s safe.”

He glances at me while he puts away the rest of his equipment. “I’m guessing he’s more concerned about you.”

“You can put security on me,” she says, looking at me across the table. “I’ll wear the tracker. I’ll be fine.”

Owen should have been fine. Every aspect of his event was heavily vetted and the details planned weeks in advance. All of the facility staff had been cleared. We’re still sorting out how Gregory penetrated the security to plant that bomb. There was one guy, a valet, who had called in sick at the last minute. We’re digging into that and hopefully should have an answer soon.

The police and the FBI are working on Owen’s case, and we’ll have to share some of this with them. I trust very few people right now, so I don’t want to widen the circle beyond those we know can be trusted.

“I have an idea,” Grim says, “but I’m not sure either of you will go for it.”

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