Page 42 of Vengeful Lies

That would take time, though, which gave him time to play a little.

One thing he found himself torn between hoping for and against was that Gabriella had seen John while she was being held captive. If she’d seen his face, she would have passed that along to his brothers, who would know for certain that the man was involved. That would give them time to dig deeper into who exactly this man was because Cade would bet anything that John Jones was not his real name.

But if Gabriella had seen John, he had no doubt the man would have done something to hurt her, and that alone filled him with enough rage to keep him well and truly fueled even though he hadn't been given anything to eat in hours.

“Shedding blood like this is so barbaric,” John continued, and this time Cade couldn’t hold back the eyeroll.

“Sure,” he scoffed. The man was very clearly enjoying every single second of this. While John might not enjoy getting his hands dirty and putting them directly on people, he absolutely did enjoy watching, knowing he was in control, that he got to play God and decide who lived and who died and what happened to them until he ordered their death.

Narrowing his eyes in irritation that Cade wasn't fawning all over him and giving him the adoration he was obviously used to receiving, John huffed. Whoever this man was he was definitely powerful enough to be the one who kept ordering teams to attack his family. But it was also clear to Cade that John didn't really know anything about how to formulate and follow through on a targeted attack. His attacks had been too random, attempting to discern and go after the weakest link. Despite his power, money, and being accustomed to being in charge, he was afraid of their family.

Finding out the names of the men who had raped their mother would bring John’s world tumbling down around him and Cade found great satisfaction in knowing that.

Because it was happening.

Nothing John Jones could do short of killing them all would stop them from getting answers. And killing them would draw far too much attention to him, and besides, Prey would continue their quest.

These men weren't getting away with what they did, and if John had gotten involved in this mess by trying to help cover it up, he was going down with them.

As far as Cade was concerned, it had always been a foregone conclusion.

Deciding it was time to push John a little, anger him enough that he gave away his true identity, Cade cocked his head to the side and studied the man until he began to squirm a little. Despite his big talk and air of superiority, this wasn't a world John was used to. He had rich, spoiled, entitled brat written all over him.

“You know, Becca would never have gone out with a man like you,” Cade told the other man, smirking when anger painted John’s cheeks red. Becca was like a little sister to him, and even if she and Connor hadn't been able to work through their issues, there was no way Becca would have been attracted to a man like John. He had no heart, no soul, and she was one of the most loving, giving, caring people Cade had ever met.

“If your brother hadn't come back, she would have,” John insisted in a huffy tone that only served to prove Cade’s point. Becca didn't go for men like this, who were arrogant and cocky and thought they were way better than they really were.

“Nah, man, she doesn’t go for rich guys who can’t even hack it in the jungle,” Cade taunted.

“I was hacking it,” John gritted out. If looks could kill, Cade would be dead already.

“Not what Becca said. When you called her the other day, she told us how you creeped her out, that she thought it was odd you didn't seem to care about the people or want to be there.”

“I never creeped her out,” John insisted.

“If you say so.” Cade shrugged as best as he could with his arms chained to the chair. It did the job though, because John was fuming.

“All women like me.”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so,” John snapped, sounding more like a petulant child than a fully grown man talking to his prisoner.

“Sure, bud.” Growing up with three younger brothers and a baby sister, he’d well and truly learned the art of provoking others. Just because he’d had to grow up quickly when he was fifteen and his dad had died, and then his mom had been arrested and “committed suicide” didn't mean that he hadn't been a regular kid before that. Given the fact that the boys were all fairly close in age, they’d driven one another crazy while at the same time being close friends, not just brothers.

Now he was using that finely honed childhood skill to his advantage.

“What's not to like?” John exploded. “I'm richer than you could ever hope to be, I'm well respected, I have a job where I can make connections with people who are going to be industry leaders in every field you could possibly imagine. I have everything any woman could ever want.”

“And yet Becca rejected you. I’m guessing she’s not the first woman to turn you down. With an ego like that, you're pushing away any woman who wants more than an accessory and a meal ticket,” he taunted.

“You have no idea who I am and what I can offer a woman,” John roared. “I'm the principal of the most exclusive school in the country. Politicians’ kids, ambassadors’ kids, celebrities’ kids. I have connections to almost every wealthy, powerful businessman in the country, as well as connections in the government and the military.”

As though realizing what he’d just blurted out in anger when he registered the smug smile on Cade’s face, all the air left his sails, and John Jones deflated right in front of him, regret marring his features.

With that information, it finally clicked, and Cade knew exactly who John Jones really was.

“John Gaccione,” he said slowly, looking the man up and down. No wonder he looked familiar. He was the principal of the most exclusive private school in the country, following in his father’s footsteps. His father, Richard, would have known Tarek Mahmoud, and could definitely be one of the rapists. Richard might even have had contacts who helped him take out a Delta Team and then set up someone to take the fall.

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