Page 117 of Taking Jenny
She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Because I don’t think Justice is done with me. He let me beat him at his own game, and yesterday he was…chummy. I think he’s planning something.”
“He is,” I confirmed, nodding. “He doesn’t believe you made it all the way to the finish line on your own. He’s convinced you had help. And based on our talk last night, he thinks it was one person, not a group.”
Longshot leaned back in chair and frowned. “Interesting. He said the same thing to me. Claimed he might appoint me to the new council, but I hadn’t expected him to seek my opinion on this.”
“He told you the same one-person theory?” Discord asked curiously.
Longshot nodded. “Yes, though he lied about part of it.”
“How so?”
“He said that Arrow and Lawson died of hand cannon fire, but we all know that no one out there had a hand cannon.”
I gripped my fork. Hard. The metal bent in my hand. “You didn’t correct him, did you?”
Longshot met my gaze evenly. “I’ve been at court far longer than you, Mal. I know when I am being played. I did not correct him. I acted surprised.”
I exhaled a deep breath and forced myself to relax. “Sorry. I know I shouldn’t doubt you, but Justice is pissed and he is circling, and I wish he would focus on someone else. He tried the same thing with me last night, saying the same lie. He had to know we would confer on the matter, right?”
“Of course. He knows we are friends.”
The details did not add up. “Then why lie so obviously?”
Surge leaned forward. “Maybe he hoped to drive a wedge between you two. Make you doubt Jenny’s Illiapol win. Make you think she seduced someone to help her, and that she’s cheating on you.”
I tried to follow his logic. “So I would turn on her?”
He nodded. “He’s building her up to be a hero of Illiapol, the people’s favorite. If he can shatter that image, make her the betrayer on all fronts, the fall is bigger. And more believable.”
I didn’t know what to think. I glanced at Jenny. Her shoulders had drawn tight.
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “Justice is angry. He might not be thinking clearly. He might just do something rash and lash out.”
“He will,” Longshot said. “If he truly believes she cheated to get to the end of the trial, he won’t let it go. We need to stay sharp.”
“Fire is hot,” Discord added, deadpan. “You should not touch it.”
We all gave her a strange look.
She shrugged. “I thought we were giving each other pointlessly obvious advice, like Longshot.”
Tiger snorted a laugh, but Longshot gave Discord a dagger-glare.
Ignoring the bickering, Surge turned to me. “Do you think he’s suspicious of Tiger, since he’s looking for a solo accomplice?”
I didn’t want to reveal what Justice had said about Tiger, but I needed him to know in case it was relevant in the future. Still, it was uncomfortable to say it, and I winced. “Oddly no. He said, and forgive me for sharing this, Tiger love, but he said he thinksTiger is not smart enough to be able to pull it off. He said he’sbraveenough to have done it, but not clever enough.”
Tiger laughed. “I am fine with that assessment, actually.”
Discord gaped at him, aghast. “Our ruler believes you have nothing between the ears, andthatyou’re okay with?”
He shrugged. “Keeps me off his radar, so yeah. I’m completely fine with that.”
“Why?” Discord could not let it go.
“Justice is the kind of man who believes anyone formidable must be put in their place, which is beneath him,” Tiger explained. “If he doesn’t fear you, you don’t matter to him. When I was little, the bullies always went after my cousin, because he was the strongest. No one gets points for picking on the runt. Justice is just a boy-bully with too much power. If ignoring me means I’m safe, then let him think I’m dumb.”
A subtle smile curved Discord’s lips. “He might think you’re dumb, but you are far smarter than he will ever know.”
