Page 101 of Hidden Echoes

She really is despicable. I can’t believe she’s the one who gave birth to Zane.

He deserved better.

So did you.

“Paulina brought it to me herself,” she adds. “She has a complicated relationship with him. She’s one of Nico’s victims.”

Victim?

I let out a sharp laugh. Paulina isn’t a victim. She’s one of my father’s most dangerous soldiers.

But that’s her game. Pretending to be weak. Pretending to be nothing.

And then I see it—the moment realization flickers in her eyes.

She studies me now, differently.

“How do you know so much about them?”

I just smile.

Her face twists. “You work for them, don’t you? That’s why you’re with Zane.” Her voice lifts, triumphant. “You’re trying to find out more about that little society he’s involved in.” She pauses, then grins. “I’m right, aren’t I? You’re just pretending to like him. The cartel is weak because of the TSOC.. You’re just another spy.”

My fingers twitch.

These are things I never cared to pay attention to.

But I remember Paulina’s words.

“The Rivieras are founding families, and we were robbed. The Society of Crow is nothing more than a group of disgusting rats. One day, you will be strong enough to kill them all.”

Well.

I have killed plenty of them before.

When my father wanted to give those men a fate worse than death, he’d lock them in the cage with me.

I tilt my head, meeting her stare.

And then, without another word, I grab her hair and shove her face back into the water.

"You can take Zane. No one would miss him—he's always missing. I bet he's healthy, and his organs would be good for something. That should pay for the next three years of drugs, right?"

Her voice drips with desperation, as if I’m torturing her because of Paulina, not because she’s a worthless excuse for a mother.

She doesn’t even acknowledge the pain she’s caused Zane, doesn’t care that she’s the reason he flinches at affection, the reason he walks through life like he’s never been wanted. That’s what pisses me off the most.

For a moment, all I can think about is Zane living the life I lived. Zane being strapped down, violated, experimented on, carved open like a puppet just to see what makes him scream.

Zane being treated like nothing more than flesh to be broken. And all because his mother sees him as something disposable, something she can trade for a fix.

I've never been afraid for myself. But the thought of that happening to him? That terrifies me.

And with her words, I see red.

"You want drugs, right? That’s what you need," I say, and she smiles like I’ve promised her the world.

I glance over at the spot where I know the briefcase with the drugs is hidden, remembering the bartender slipping it into the cabinet earlier. I step up and easily pick the lock, the familiar click of the mechanism giving way to my touch. Inside, I find exactly what I need—the supplies I’ll use on his mother.

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