Page 78 of Beautiful Liar

“Yeah. I’m in. If this fucker removes the collar.”

Luca growled. I didn’t blame him. Wren and Kieran didn’t look like they’d let him walk out of this alive. My head exploding notwithstanding. “It’s not live,” Luca said. I could hear the eyeroll. He shoved me forward. Instinctively I rubbed my skin under the leather. While I believed Luca, it didn’t look like Kieran did. “The collar stays on. Alessandro must believe I have him contained or this won’t work. My brother might be insane, but he’s not stupid.”

“Runs in the family,” Kieran mumbled.

“Hey,” Wren said, feigning hurt.

We climbed into the car.

From the front seat, Wren turned to Kieran. “And you want an explanation.” Wren pulled out the coat tag I’d gotten at Renew for Jack’s coat.

Kieran looked to me for an explanation, but I had nothing and shrugged. “You care to share what you have there?” Kieran asked.

“It wasn’t the coat that had the evidence, but the tag. Graham found a video file in here.”

Just then, my door opened, and Fox pushed me to the center with his hip as he climbed in. “Yeah, I’m not sitting this one out. We got ten to make it to the gates before Casera closes it. We only have this small window of time. Isn’t that right,Spawn of Satan?”

Luca glared at Wren. “Uh, he found me and dragged me out of the trunk space. Did I fail to mention that part?” Wren explained sheepishly.

Growling, Luca put the SUV in drive. Then he floored it. We made it out of Arcadia and onto blacktop without trouble. My brain was rushing through all the questions I had, but Kieran beat me to it.

“Can someone please, for the love of Satan himself, tell me what the plan is?”

Fox glanced at me. Something I’d never seen before in his eyes. Compassion. For me. I had become used to Fox’s hatred. This new look freaked me out.

“Alessandro is expecting me and Tomás. Since no one, not even Maddox, knows he’s still here, he only has four on his protective detail. It’s a perfect time to take him. If the three stooges kill the four guards, you can have Alessandro.” This he said to Wren. “If you fail, you all die.”

“Oh, not a bad plan at all, Wren,” Kieran said, slapping Wren upside the head. Wren didn’t have a chance to duck. “If we die, I am going to make your dead life a living hell in Hell.”

Fox snorted a laugh.

Kieran glared at him.

“What?” Fox asked on the defensive. “I never thought you were so funny.”

By Kieran’s expression I really didn’t think he was joking.

Chapter Thirty-One

Kieran

I had questions. Lots of fucking questions. Like how long had Fox known of Wren’s ridiculous attempt to go after Alessandro with Luca alone? And why the hell hadn’t he told me about it? And what the fuck was he doing in the fucking woods all this time leaving Tomás unprotected after he promised,promised, that he’d keep him safe?

My body vibrated in anger and my best friend felt it.

“We were dropped into the field on fucking horseback, individually,” Fox explained. “I searched for Tomás and the others but only found a few of Ashton’s idiots. Until I came across Wren, hiding for shit. I knew he was up to something when I caught him with the son of Satan. Then I followed him to the SUV and cornered him. He spilled his plan of going after Alessandro. He’d stolen the tag from Graham and … uh, we saw some of it.”

Tomás took my hand in his and squeezed. His knuckles busted. Blood under his fingernails and … I pulled his hand toward me and looked at the brand. Blood had dried on it, the skin lifted. The wedge in my throat didn’t allow me to speak.

Tomás turned to look at Fox. “What’s in it?”

Fox cupped his mouth without answering.

“Alessandro recorded them,” Luca answered for him. His voice deep and without inflection. “Twelve girls and one boy.”

Tomás’s grip on my hand slackened and I squeezed, hoping I was giving him some of my strength.

Luca went on. “He video recorded them during their first meeting. Most under the age of ten. Then every year after, a snippet as they grew. He trained them. What to wear, how to talk. Those that had natural talent in the arts, he kept. Those that didn’t, he returned. Most of those that stayed under his tutelagewent on to prestigious institutions and a smaller number became successful, living the dream he gave them.”

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