Page 182 of Shadow

“Why do you have Fox Evans?” Church demanded again once we were inside.

“Take off the mask,” Everett said, going to his bar.

Church shoved his mask back and glared at his father. “Answer me. How did you even get him?”

“I wanted to have a little leverage. No one likes to be lonely, and I’m fairly certain Ethan Masters needed a friend.”

“It was bad enough taking Ethan, now you’ve taken Fox. Do you have any idea what will happen? Fox isn’t just some-some regular guy. He’s popular. Football. Another horsemen. They’re going to fucking know he’s missing and attention will be drawn to us. A goddamn Heisman winner can’t just up and go missing. The entire empire you brag about will come under fire?—”

“It won’t. It’s why I brought in the Russians to help.”

I glanced at Stitches, who fidgeted.

Everett noticed him. “Malachi, my son. How are you? You look… perfect.”

Stitches shifted and put his head down. Sin and I crowded around Stitches as a means to hide him from the monster in front of us.

Everett chuckled and went back to talking to Church.

I watched as Everett settled behind his massive desk.

“What Russians? I thought we cut off ties to family?—”

“New family.” Everett hit a button on his desk, and a door opened. A pretty girl walked in wearing a short red dress and high heels, her auburn hair tumbling down her back. She went straight to Everett, slid onto his lap, and kissed up his jaw.

“Who the fuck is that?” Church asked, sneering at the sight.

“This.” Everett kissed her deeply before looking back at Church. “Is your new sister. Or wife, depending on what you want. Celeste.”

“I want her dead. Can she be my corpse?”

“Why? You want to fuck her?” Everett smirked at him. “She obeys quite nicely. Greet your new brother.” He pushed the girl off his lap.

She slinked over to Church and ran her manicured fingers down his chest.

In the flash of an eye, Church had her back to him and his knife at her throat. Her eyes flew open wide, and she gasped.

“I’ve killed bitches for less,” he snarled in her ear. “Never fucking touch me.”

Everett chuckled.

“Don’t kill her. She’s doing God’s work for me,” Everett said.

“We got you Ethan. We want Cady. Cut the shit and give me the exchange.”

“Easy,” Everett said, not looking the least bit ruffled. “Let go of Celeste and we’ll talk. OK?”

I knew this wasn’t going to go anywhere good. The look in Everett’s eye convinced me, but I also knew him. There was a catch. Always a fucking catch.

And we were about to play hardball.

CHURCH

“Give me what we agreed to,” I said, glaring at my father. “We had a fucking deal. A blood contract. I fulfilled my end of it, now fulfill yours.”

I adjusted the knife on the bitch’s throat against me, more than willing to end her pathetic, scheming life.

“I want you to get me the recipe. That was the deal. I don’t have the recipe, do I?” My father stared back at me.

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