Page 32 of Knot in My Wildest Dreams: Part 2
“No.” I stepped closer, cutting him off. “Don’t lie to me.”
Memories slammed into me without permission - Elijah’s infectious laugh over cards, his steady presence in the middle of chaos, his unshakable loyalty when everything in Arkala went to hell, and him picking me up after I spiraled. When he protected me, even when we were just kids.
“He’s not alive. Hasn’t been for some time now. And you know that.” I said. Elijah stared at me for a moment.
Then, his mask slipped. He sighed, leaning back against the table. “Fine. He didn’t give them to me. But does it matter? We’ve got them, and we can use them. That’s what counts.”
My fists clenched at my sides. “You lied to me.” The silence afterward might as well have been ear shattering. “You lied to me!” I roared, standing up and flipping the table, papers raining down upon us as Elijah backed up.
“Hey! Stop! Let’s talk about this! Yeah, I pulled some strings. You didn’t need to know the details. It would only have implicated you. What matters is that I got the proof you needed! Celeste’s reign is over!” He said, backing up and looking at me warily.
“No. You betrayed me.” I walked closer, pushing him into the wall and grabbing his shirt so tight he choked. “Tell me now, no lies. Are you working with Gideon?”
He hesitated for a moment, then sensing the futility of his position, he reached up, gripping my wrists. “It’s not like that, Dante, hear me out!” He said, struggling against my grip.
“How is it like, then!”
“Listen, listen, okay? It started as a collaboration, a way to get him to back off of the attacks on Manticore. I figured I could strike a deal with him to stop, and your pack would stop dragging Celeste in the press, and it would be a ceasefire!” He said, panting as I shoved him higher up against the wall. How could this be? How could he go behind us like this?
“You trusted someone fromHarringday?” I yelled, my face so close to Elijah’s that I could see the perspiration as it grew on his skin.
“Wait, wait!” Elijah begged, gripping my arms. “I knew you wouldn’t like me working with anyone from Harringday. I knew you’d never allow it. But it was at least a shot at trying to work with them!” He said, desperation in his voice. I glared at him, unable to form words at how furious I was. This meant that everything Celeste had said was true. We’d been played this entire time.
“Face it, Dante, Manticore was floundering!” his voice changed as he stared back at me. “Harringday was one step ahead all the time. But her uncle, Gideon, he wants her out as badly as we do!” Elijah said, trying to reason with me. “He knows how bad she is! Knows how to get her removed! We’re almost there, you have everything you need to unseat her!” I clenched my jaw at his words.
“Elijah, cut the bullshit. If he had all this on her, why didn’t he release it himself?” I growled, my body shaking with rage. “He wantsusto be the ones to do it. Tell me, why do you think that is?”
I was nearly blind with rage. I could see the entire plan from Gideon’s point of view - blame his misdeeds in Celeste, blame her downfall on us. He gets everything he wants without getting his hands dirty. And there was something bigger in the picture, too. He wanted us gone - Manticore Tech in its entirety. No matter what he promised Elijah, the company posed a threat, and Gideon wanted Manticore out of the way.
“He can’t be placed on the board if he’s the one to take her down!” Elijah stammered, and I closed my eyes, breathing hard.
“You idiot.” I said through clenched teeth. “You screwed us.”
“No, I saved you!” He shouted. “He offered me something I knew was priceless - a chance to depose her. He was on our side!” Elijah explained, and I wanted to tear him apart. How could he trust someone from the Harringday family?
“Why didn’t you come to me before this stupid idea!” I slammed the wall with my fist, distraught. Elijah had messed everything up.
“I knew you wouldn't want me to, but look, Dante, it’s really for the best! Think about it. Gideon has everything on Celeste. She’ll be done for.” He said, a victorious smile on his face.
Celeste was innocent. She was being used, as we were, and as Elijah was being used. He just didn’t see it yet.
“Gideon is the one behind everything!” I growled, trying to get Elijah to see the truth. He gripped my wrists, pleading with me. Then suddenly, he went slack, looking at me with a sad resignation.
“Dante, listen. Try to understand. You were never going to win.” His statement stopped me in my tracks. “You know it, deep down. With how Harringday plays, Manticore Tech would always be behind, sabotaged. Gideon is willing to work with us, so we can both win. Once Celeste is out!” His explanation was ridiculous.
“Why would he want us to win at all!” I yelled, trying to understand how my best friend of years had been going against me, and with such stupid promises.
“He knows we have the Western Province as a market. He said he’d work with us so that each of us would become the most powerful in our respective province. Think about it, Dante. Two monopolies, on different coasts!” His eyes darkened.
“The rest of the pack doesn’t have the nerve to do this. Their whole ‘ethical’ thing has held you back. You know it, I know it. Manticore won’t survive unless you play dirty. You can do it, Liam and Vigo can’t. I can help you take Manticore Tech to new heights. We can’t do it without Gideon on our side. He rules so much more than we ever realized.”
My mind was spinning. He really didn’t have faith in us - in Manticore Tech. He thought we couldn’t survive without playing the same dirty games that Celeste’s uncle had been playing.
“What I did got results,” he said, his voice serious. “Results your precious ethics couldn’t get. My way got you revenge, Dante. Or have you forgotten what she did to Arkala?”
Arkala. He was still talking like she was behind it. She couldn't have been. She wasn’t nearly as devious as Gideon.
“Make a choice, Dante. Gideon wanted to take your pack out of the equation. I’ve been holding him off.” Elijah said, and I balked.
