Page 89 of Pride
“Parker, this is serious. Your identity was compromised.”
Liza blurted, “Is this about the attack at your office? I never got any reports it was you.”
“Who’s blackmailing you?” asked Wyatt.
Everyone in the room started talking, protesting, and arguing over each other.
“Why is this the first time we’re hearing of this?” Griffin shouted. It was so unlike him that everyone stopped, and then Alice remembered he had a baby on the way. If Parker’s identity was in question, then his was too. They’d all committed crimes against civilians. Not everyone would consider the Lazarus family justice as righteous. They could all go to jail. There would be no one left to protect Griffin’s mate or his unborn child.
“Because I have it handled,” Parker said.
“You’ve gone too far this time, Parker,” Griffin replied, every muscle in his body tensing. The smart business shirt he wore could not hold his bulging muscles, or keep every piece of metal in the room from vibrating. “You should have told us the moment you knew.”
“I said I have it sorted.”
“And when are you going to let us in on your plan?” Mary asked. “You’ve endangered not only every one of your siblings, but their mates and their children. Even Flint and myself.”
“They’re not going to the authorities,” Parker insisted, nodding at Liza for confirmation. “Just like I knew they wouldn’t.”
Liza shrugged in agreement. “This is the first I’m hearing about blackmail.”
“So they’re just going to take your company, and that’s okay? When did this happen?” Mary shot back. “Why haven’t you told me or your father?”
“Mary, wait.” Alice put up her hand and refused to shrink under the animosity. “After you visited me at the office, the Syndicate arrived and attacked. Parker saw it unfold on camera and came over. There was no time to waste. He forgot his mask and one of the executives saw.”
“I was probably still in the neighborhood,” Mary said, folding her arms before glaring at Parker. “You could have told me to head back.”
He narrowed his eyes at his mother. “You had justattackedmy mate.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Sloan put up her hands. “Everyone chill. The important thing is that I scrubbed all the footage. There’s no proof of Parker being Pride, and Alice acted in self-defense.”
“That’s right,” Parker said, giving everyone a look that said they should just calm the fuck down. “They can accuse me all they want, but it’s this executive’s word against mine. I’m just using this opportunity to our advantage.”
“I don’t like it,” Wyatt thumped his fist on the table. “You should have told us.”
Parker rolled his eyes. “If I told you every one of my machinations, you’d get bored. As I am right now. Moving on. I’m holding a retirement party. I’ll invite the new investors.”
“I still don’t understand how this is going to help us,” Liza said.
A slow, smug smile stretched Parker’s lips, as though he never expected anyone to understand his diabolical level of planning. “The executive who is blackmailing me was paid off by the Syndicate to get into the building. The Syndicate want their claws in my company. The new buyers of my shares will be the leaders Prudence gave us. They never needed to take my company. They’re poised to destroy the world. We all saw their replicate tanks ready to be deployed. So what have they been waiting for?” Everyone looked at each other, unsure. “I’ll tell you what,” Parker continued. “They’ve been waiting to take my company, to watch me fall, to crush us first.”
“That’s a bit of a leap,” Flint said.
“They’ll come,” Parker replied. “Trust me. I know pride. We’ve been a thorn in their side for years. They’ll come to gloat. To rub some salt in. Especially Julius Allcott, isn’t that right, Evan?”
Evan shrugged and nodded and looked at the data files of the Syndicate leaders. “I think he’s right. I mean, I’ll try to see if any of my sketches can give us more detail, but I have to admit, I saw the party. I might even recognize some of these faces. It’s going to happen.”
“And while you distract them with their egos,” Max said, narrowing his eyes. “The rest of us will grab their biometrics, just like we did with Barry Pinkerton at that charity ball.”
Sloan ditched her empty lollipop stick at Parker. “Only you, bras. Only you would bring the enemy to you instead of chasing after them.”
Tony smacked her over the head and scowled. “Stop calling people lady’s undergarments.”
They all laughed, and it was Alice’s worst nightmare. Couldn’t any of them see the potential for disaster here? Was she the only one who knew how much his sin had been overwhelming him when they weren’t touching? Parker could lose everything. The Syndicate would come, like he said, because they were so sure they would win. And they were probably right.
She wanted so desperately to say just set off the explosives. Be done with it. Save the world, but knew the biometrics could save the world and save innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.
“And when we get a face-to-face with Julius,” Parker added, his tone suddenly solemn. “I’ll trade something he’s always wanted in return for Daisy’s release.”
