Page 70 of Brutal King

“In order to get to him, I had to use someone as hostage. My second in command watched over her and unfortunately seems to have grown attached. Last night there was an attack. The girl called my second for help, and she responded. Could have gotten herself killed.”

“She?” I ask before I can stop myself. “Your second in command is a woman?”

Gideon’s lips pull up. “Jealous again, are we?”

“Not at all. Go on.”

“I’m concerned that this will be a problem. It’s a weakness. When I put them together, I never considered that they’d form a bond. If she was willing to risk her life, would she be willing to betray me?”

“Is your second able to do both? Remain loyal to you while maintaining a friendship with this girl?”

He considers this. “To an extent. Her older sister is with Arran Maxton now. He’s a part of Luca’s alliance.”

“Oh, shit.”

“Exactly.” He nods.

“How much do you trust this woman… What do we call her?”

“I trust her,” he replies, conveniently omitting her name.

“You’ve known her long?”

“Yes.”

“Is she a blood relative?”

“No.”

I don’t allow it to bother me, this close relationship with a woman who isn’t related to him. Why would it? He’s nothing to me but a means to keep Luca safe.

“Well…” I think about it for a second. “If I were in your position, which obviously I’m not a villain so it’s hard to exactly put myself in your shoes, but if I was, I’d monitor her. If she’s proven to be loyal for years, then she might be willing to sacrifice herself without compromising you. Put a tracer on her. Have someone else you trust as much follow her. That’s what I would do.”

“Hmm.”

“Hmm, what?”

“That’s exactly what I was planning on doing. I just wanted to see if you had a devious mind, like mine.”

“We aren’t alike, Gideon.” I roll my eyes.

“So you keep on reminding me.”

I choose to ignore him. Standing, I shut the book and place it on the coffee table. “This was good. It makes my hands itch to do some of this myself.”

“Would you like to?”

“Like what?” I ask.

“Take some outdoor photos.”

“Outside? Here?” I glance out the window and the idea of the outdoors suddenly seems daunting. It feels like an eternity since I’ve been under the big blue sky, have suppressed any desire to do so by immersing myself in the dark room.

“The estate is large. There are many points of interest. I can take you to them.” He sits up as he considers it further. “There’s a spot, a small clearing, where the sunsets cast the most beautiful shadows. Or, we can visit a cave I discovered years ago, on the south side.”

“Is that where you go every day?” When his brows pinch, I clarify. “I’ve seen you going into the woods with flowers. What site are you visiting?”

“Ah. That. I can take you there too.”

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