Page 91 of Forged in Flames (Made of Steel 2)

"Summer, stop." Eli's voice echoed around me.

Hearing my real name made me immediately let go. I clasped my hands together. I wasn't a monster. I wasn't him. What was I doing?

Jane heaved and coughed.

I stared at her and I felt no sympathy. I am a monster. I'm becoming him. "My mother loved my father," I said. It was one of the only truths I knew. I needed to hold on to that. I was digging my fingernails into my palms so hard I thought I might have pierced the skin. "That was true love."

"True love? What are you, five? Stupid girl, just like your mom. She was still in love with her boyfriend from all those years ago. William Crawford."

Mr. Crawford? "No." My voice sounded small. "You should have seen the way she looked at my dad." It was one of the only things I could remember. The two of them dancing. Her laughing and smiling at him. I could never seem to remember her smiling at me. But I could picture that so clearly. They loved each other.

"She probably looked at him without any guilt because she was a terrible person. Haven't you been listening to anything I've said? God, I wouldn't even be surprised if William was your actual father. That's probably why he's helping you."

It felt like all the air left my lungs. "My father is David Brooks," I said as firmly as I could. But my mind was on Mr. Crawford. He was probably in his mid-forties, somewhere around the age my parents would have been. And he definitely wasn't who he said he was. But I had a father. I had the best father in the whole world. "My father is David Brooks," I said more firmly.

"Wrong tense, Summer. Your father was David Brooks. And your mother was a slut!"

It happened so fast it took me a moment to register the fact that V's fist slammed into Jane's jaw. I swore I heard a cracking noise.

She spit out some blood and stared at him.

"Don is going to kill your niece," V snarled. "Are you going to help us or not?"

"She's her mother's daughter and I want nothing to do with her," Jane said.

"You're her family."

"I have no family," she said.

"You have to help us." V's voice sounded desperate, like he was holding on to one last hope.

"It's too late. It's already written in her blood. You can't do anything about it. Her life is going to end tomorrow."

"In her blood? She's talking in riddles. We should probably tase her again," Liza said from behind us.

Jane laughed. "And it's not just her. You're all going to die. Don's going to take over this city and destroy it. Like he destroyed me. Like he destroyed you," she said and looked at me. "Like he destroyed your mom."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked. "Did Don kill my mom?"

She laughed. "What do you think?"

I suddenly realized I had a million questions to ask.

"Is Julie Harris still alive?"

She laughed. "What do you think?" she said again.

"Just tell me!"

"Finally," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Time's up."

I looked down at my chest. A red light was shining right in the center of it. With a quick glance I verified that each of my team members had a matching red dot on their chests as well.

"No one move," Eli said calmly.

"Now untie me," Jane said. "I've done my part. I'm finally free."

None of us moved.

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