Page 56 of Pin-up Girl

Elise slid her chair back, her chest rising and falling in rapid succession. I tried to catch her eye, but she stared straight ahead, like she was waiting for the final anvil to drop. Like she was guilty.

What the hell? That didn’t make any sense. Not at fucking all.

“You see, son, someone in the organization suspects you’re trying to break away, or stage a takeover, more likely. Elise is their little rat, telling them exactly what your motives are. Genius really, since she’s just enough Infinity to be trusted, but not enough to care about sacrificing.” He shrugged like he didn’t just tear my world apart.

“Where does Cassidy fall into this?” Emmett’s voice was dead, toneless.

“Cassidy’s family is another one that’s inside just enough that you could call her Elise’s handler. She passes information to Cassidy, and Cassidy is kind enough to pass it on to her boss.”

Jules slammed his closed fist on the dinner plate, sending shards of porcelain flying everywhere. Blood dripped from his hand as he glared at Elise, and all his tender feelings seemed to die a slow death.

“Jules, was that really necessary? The maid is going to have a hell of a time getting blood out of this cloth,” my father said, as if he didn’t really care at all.

“And what do you know, Dad?” I grabbed the napkin I had spread over my lap and tossed it on my plate. My nonexistent appetite turned to nausea. Fuck Elise, we could deal with her later, but we needed to know if all of our plans were pointless. One good thing in our favor, it didn’t appear my father wanted us dead.

“Oh, I know all your plans. It actually makes me proud to see how you’re handling your exit. Your execution has really been a work of art, I couldn’t have done it better myself.” A small grin played at the corners of his mouth.

“We aren’t out yet. The question is,” I said as I leaned forward, my chest almost touching the plate, “are you going to report us?”

He rolled his eyes. “If I had planned to sell out my own son, I wouldn’t have warned you about your little bed partner here. Instead, I basically handed her and her handler over to you. What you do with her, that’s up to you. Let me just remind you—you’ve been smart up until now, but don’t leave a trail of glowing evidence to trace back to you. Like I said, she’s Infinity, but not enough that anyone would retaliate for her.”

Elise closed her eyes, one tear trailing down her cheek. I could have loved her. I think Emmett and Jules already did, and this is what we got for trying to take a little bit of happiness for ourselves.

No one could be trusted. We knew that. We fuckingknewthat, and we still got burned. There was no one to blame but ourselves.

It had been too good to be true. I should have realized she didn’t react the way any other girl would have.

Fuck, was any of it real? We couldn’t trust her now, but the question was, should we kill her?

“I don’t think we’ll be staying for dinner.” I stood and gripped Elise by her arm, my fingers biting into her skin. Let the bitch bruise.

“I didn’t think you would. Mrs. Barrons is actually due back in twenty minutes to take care of the food. Will you be taking both girls with you?”

The anger gathering under my skin like an electrical current needed an outlet, and she was the perfect one. She was going to see exactly how the kings exacted revenge.

“No, we’ll only be taking Elise for now. Can you keep Cassidy here until we know what we want to do with her?”

“Why, son, are you asking me to be an accomplice?”

I whipped around. “Goddamn it, yes! For once in your life, be a real father and have my back. Keep herthe fuckhere until we come for her.”

He laughed.

He fucking laughed.

“I planned to. But you only have two days. After that, people will start to question where she’s at, and I don’t need curious members snooping around my estate.”

“Got it.” I jerked Elise toward the door. She tried to yank her arm out of my hold, but she wasn’t strong enough to break it. “Emmett, Jules?”

They followed me out of the room, the tense pulse of anger clouding the air around us.

Pin-up was going to be in for a long night.

Part Two

Elise

Everything was breaking around me.

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