Page 10 of The Reckoning
“On what?”
“The Hayes empire. Its vulnerabilities. Pressure points.” He leans forward slightly. “Its heirs.”
And there it is.The twins.That’s what they’re after.
“I don’t know anything,” I lie.
“Miss Hayes.” His smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “We both know that’s not true. You’ve been rather intimately involved with both Hayes men, haven’t you?”
My cheeks heat despite my best efforts to ignore the images flashing in my mind. The implication hangs in the air, heavy and humiliating. Is nothing private anymore? Some part of me had hoped that maybe they weren’t watching the intimacy I had shared with Arson and Aries. A fat chance that was. They need to know everything, so of course they’d be monitoring everything.
“I don’t think what I do or don’t do with either of them is any of your business.”
“On the contrary. It’s very much our business.” He crosses one leg over the other, perfectly at ease. “You see, we’ve invested considerable resources in this venture. And now you’ve become, well, a complicating factor.”
The younger man finishes bandaging my arm and steps back, disposing of the bloodied gauze with meticulous care. His movements—precise and practiced—remind me of a doctor’s. Or maybe a butcher’s.
“I didn’t ask to be involved in any of this,” I point out. At least not with these assholes.
“Yet here you are. By choice, I might add.” The older man’s gaze is penetrating, seeing too much. “You could have walked away when you discovered the truth. Instead, you chose to help Arson destroy your family.”
“They’re not—” I stop myself, but it’s too late.
“Not what, Miss Hayes? Not your family?” His expression shifts, interest sharpening. “An interesting perspective, don’t you think? Care to elaborate?”
I press my lips together, mentally kicking myself. Never volunteer information. Another one of Mother’s rules.
“Don’t worry. We know that the Hayes family has many secrets,” he continues when I don’t respond. “Some buried deeper than others. Your mother has been particularly…creativein her recordkeeping.”
My heart skips a beat.
Are they referring to my mother’s files?
The ones I found hidden in the attic. The ones that led me down this rabbit hole in the first place.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” My response is too quick, and I mentally kick myself.
“I think you do.” He leans forward, elbows on his knees. “I think you’ve known for some time that all is not as it seems in the illustrious Hayes household. That certain…truthshave been obscured.”
There’s something in his tone, something probing and expectant. Like he’s waiting for me to connect dots I can’t yet see.
“Why do you need me?” I ask, changing tactics. “If you’re backing Arson, if you want the Hayes empire destroyed, why involve me at all? I’m not even a true Hayes, only by marriage.”
“Insurance,” the younger man says, speaking for the first time in minutes. “Leverage.”
“Against who? Arson? Aries?”
“Against anyone who might deviate from the plan,” the older man says smoothly. “Including ourselves.”
That doesn’t make sense.
Why would they need leverage against themselves?
Unless...
“You’re not just Arson’s backers,” I realize slowly. “You have your own agenda.”
A flicker of approval crosses the older man’s face. “Very good, Miss Hayes.”
