Page 114 of Trial of Deceit

Jediah’s eyes narrowed slightly.“Yes.”

Quadre dug into his pockets, then pulled out a piece of paper.He stretched his hand toward Jediah.“Malia said to give this to you.She wants to speak to you.”

Jediah looked at the paper resting between Quadre’s fingers.He dreaded the thought of speaking to that woman.Seeing that woman.Breathing the same air as that woman.Ever again.In this life, or the next.

But Malia caught him at a time he was most vulnerable: he was thinking of the child he had strapped to an oxygen tank and several tubes, and the boy who couldn’t shed a tear at his mother’s funeral because Reine would cry harder and Kayon would reprimand him.

Jediah turned his back, tucking the pistol into his side while continuing toward the cars.“Somebody get the paper and let’s go.”After he entered the car and it drove off, Jediah accepted the paper.His brows furrowed at the number scribbled on the paper in black ink before he pulled out his phone and dialed it.

The phone rang once before the call was answered: “Jediah.”

Jediah stiffened at the woman’s voice.It’d been so long since he heard it over the phone.Her voice was aged, raspy from a bad cigar-smoking habit, and still, her sweet femininity remained.Malia was assertive, but not too much to overpower her motherly gentleness.

Jediah’s grip tightened on the phone.“Wa yu wan’?”

Malia paused.“Is that how you were raised to speak?”

Jediah clenched his jaw.“Malia,” he gritted out.

She sighed.“I’m growing tired of repeating myself—”

“Imagine me.”

“I want to meet.”

“Why?”

“To finish our conversation.”

Jediah closed his eyes, leaning his head backward and inhaling a long drag of air through his nostrils.Exhaling the breath, he willed his heart to steady.“I’ll set a date and we can meet at a location of my choosing.You’re allowed to bring exactly one person wid yu,” he said.“But I won’t come unless my baby makes it through the night.If mi youth don’ survive, I will hunt you for the rest of your life.”

Jediah pushed his ring off his finger, rolling it across his knuckles as he watched Dimitri pat down the woman.He was surprised Malia brought Treasure with her.When did they become close?

She should’ve brought a guard.That would’ve shown her fear.

Bringing Treasure meant Malia was being smug.

Jediah’s eyes narrowed as Treasure smirked at him, as if she could hear his thoughts.Realizing his annoyance had seeped into his expression, Jediah relaxed his facial muscles.

Dimitri finished his search.It’d been a week since Jediah had last seen her.He allowed them entrance into the grand hall of the restaurant.As always, Malia Valcourt was dressed to impress.She didn’t care that they lived on a tropical island, she sported an almost identical outfit to the one she’d worn to Kayon’s funeral.The black bodycon dress hugged her slim curves and stopped at her ankles.She swapped the layered gold necklaces for a fancy pearl choker.This time, her hat had long fringes.

Malia removed her glasses, placing them on the table while sitting across from Jediah.The table was at the center of the room — far from windows, in case Malia managed to have hidden snipers; far from exits, in case she tried to outrun Jediah’s guards stationed at different points in the room.She removed her glasses and placed them atop the table, holding his stare the entire time.

“You’re dressed like you’re going to a funeral,” Jediah mused.

Reaching for the wine bottle in the cooler, Malia shrugged.“Might be my own,” she said, filling both hers and Treasure’s glasses while her eyes flickered about the room.“I heard about what you did to your first wife.”

“Fiancée,” Jediah corrected.He was fed up with people constantly giving Acacia a title she never deserved.

Treasure’s smirk grew.“You look like you’ve seen a ghost, little brother,” she taunted.“It’s a pity our father died before he could see how I’m going to take over the family.”

Jediah didn’t resist rolling his eyes.This woman and her son were more delusional than he’d been when he convinced himself that marrying Ashari would deter her from betraying him.“You’re not a Richardson.”

“Thorne might be the name on my birth certificate, be we both know that I was here before you.”

“Mi shoulda kill yu when mi did have the chance,” he gritted out.

Treasure’s cocky expression faded.Her eyes glazed over, probably remembering how viciously Jediah had killed her mother.