Page 67 of Reign By Wrath

She just looked at me. “I don’t have anything heartless to say. Everleigh had those guys do all of that to her, including Ashton, just to force Alistair out into the open?”

“Yes.”

She nodded slow. “I see. That’s... excessive.”

It wasn’t an apology. It wouldn’t make up for all the terrible things she said and did to Winter. But it was the first she acknowledged that anything wrong had happened. Maybe that could be the start of me hating her a fraction less.

Saylor cleared her throat, looking away. “Obviously, this can’t stand. I let the Truth or Dare Club survive because I thought it was just a bunch of idiots messing around, pranking Dregs, and throwing lattes. But a rape-for-hire club? No,” she said simply. “What’s your plan, Sinclair? If it’s not completely stupid, I’ll consider going along with it.”

They both looked at me. This was my cue.

I opened my mouth and said, “I don’t know.”

“Excuse me?” Kate and Saylor replied.

“I don’t know. I had a plan until I snuck into her cabin and saw that room.” I sank in my seat, staring up at the ceiling. “I don’t know why I thought Everleigh’s evil started with Winter and ended with me. Alistair said there’d been a few false flags in Regalia that may have been someone’s attempt to lure him out of hiding, but I didn’t think about what that meant.

“Winter wasn’t the first person Everleigh tortured to get them to raise the flag. She did it herself and no one responded. Then, she figured a Rogue had to do it, so she did some incredibly terrible things to find one, then even more terrible things to force them to fly the flag. She went through a couple people until she learned about my mom and Alistair and their kids.

“I wanted to deal with Everleigh while we were alone in her cabin.” I let them imagine what I meant by that. “But I couldn’t after I saw that. The club members who took those dares are walking around innocent and unpunished. The people who suffered don’t know why or who was truly behind this. Win—” I swallowed hard. “Winter wasn’t the first sexual assault.”

Katie covered her mouth, eyes huge. She clearly didn’t think she could still be surprised by the depths of Everleigh’s depravity.

“If all that evidence goes up in smoke, they’ll never get justice. I can’t take that away from someone in the name of getting mine. We have to figure out a way to break Everleigh’s control over the Royal line, destroy the T.O.D., make sure no one can ever revive that disgusting dare club, and get justice for all the people Everleigh has and will hurt to avenge her father.

“If I knew how to do that all on my own, or even with my guys—I wouldn’t be here.”

“Of course you can’t do it by yourself. Who knows why you even thought you could? You’re a Dreg.”

“Saylor,” Katie hissed.

She blinked. “No, I’m not being mean.”

“Really?” I shot back. “Because everything you said was mean.”

“What I meant is that you didn’t grow up here playing the game that Everleigh perfected before preschool.” Saylor drained my glass. “Why do you think no one knew what she was doing before she wanted them to know? She’s covered herself in so many layers of protection when the shit blows up, it won’t even hit her windshield. The only way you’re going to hold her responsible for any of it is if she confesses. Do I have to tell you that she won’t?”

It cursed me not to argue with her. Rafael, Cato, Wilder, Lucien, and Victor all said the same thing. Without a confession, we had nothing.

“Then we get her to confess. Put the pressure on her until she cracks.”

“How?” Katie asked. She typed something in her phone, giving us both half her attention. “We can’t come at her the same way. Piper and Gabriella joined the club, but Saylor and I didn’t. From what happened this morning, they’re on her side, so they won’t put in any dares for us. We can’t threaten her with removing her from the Royal line. We can’t turn the Royals against her. We’ve got nothing.”

“We know where the cabin is,” I put in. “What about an anonymous tip to the captain...?” I trailed off as they shook their heads.

“Luna, she didn’t do anything when you went into her office and told her that Everleigh tried to kill you,” Katie said. “What do you think she’ll do when a pile of evidence lands in her lap? She’ll destroy it. Crazy as it is, we have a better chance of protecting that evidence if the copsdon’tfind it.”

I groaned, flinging back. “I know, I know. You’re right. It has to be a confession, and it has to be public so that no one can deny, dismiss, or erase it. Okay, let me think.”

“No, I’ll do the thinking,” Saylor said. “You’ve strained your brain cells enough.”

Again, what did this girl think mean was?

The three of us fell quiet. The only interruption was Giselle bringing me another plate of food. That’s who Katie texted.

“Secrets.”

Katie and Saylor broke out of their musing. “What?”

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