Page 140 of Knights Game

“From what I can gather, or at least hazard a guess from everything you have found and that your grandad added to over the years, our parents were working to bring down the Covenant. And they unearthed information that the corruption had seeped into the government.”

“How do you know that?”

“I don’t. But it makes sense. Why John was so interested in you, why Levi attempted to blackmail you.”

“Levi tried, not your uncle though.”

“Who do you think pulls his strings?”

“You think it was John?”

I nod, taking a sip of my whiskey. “I do now. After the gala dinner a contract was put out on you.”

“Contract? Like—to kill me?” Her voice is shrill and I hold her thighs as she tries to stand.

“You're safe, Layla.”

“Safe? You’ve just told me that there is a contract to kill me! Who put it out? John, or Terry Peyton?” She takes a breath andlooks up at the ceiling, muttering to herself. Then glances down at the picture.

“You were an unexpected loose end, sunshine.”

I can see the turmoil, I can see the fear, I can see every emotion play out on her beautiful face, followed by question after question.

“Why, what are we going to do? What about grandad? And Katy.”

All valid questions, but it sends me reeling. She’s being targeted, and I’ve been played.

Fuck.

I stand and launch the glass against the wall.

I’m fucking spinning.

She flinches on the desk, her shoulders rising in shock at my outburst, she pulls back. I breathe through my nose and drop my head, she reaches forward and runs her hands through my hair.

That feels good.

She tugs at the roots then drops them to my shoulders and I clench my eyes shut as betrayal rips through me like a fucking bullet.

“I always had a sense there was more to my mother’s disappearance. You don’t just disappear in our world. I always thought it was the Russians … My mother was hit by a couple who had lost control of their car. I’d never even thought it could be linked to your parents. There was never anything in the news.” I look into those stunning ocean blue eyes.

“You think he killed his own sister?” she asks, and I nod solemnly.

“And your parents.”

“I swear to God, Luca, you put a bullet in his fucking head, or I’ll do it myself.”

There she is.

48

Layla

“What next?”

“We wait.” He says it so calmly and casually that I swear my eyes have just bugged out my head.

“Wait!” I exclaim, fully aware of how shrill my voice is. “Are you insane? I’ve just found out my parents were some sort of government agents, that they were assassinated, that your mother was the third person in the crash. That I’m wanted dead, and you want me to wait.”

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