Page 40 of Reign By Wrath

“Everleigh doesn’t want to lead the Rogues, even though that’d be her right after she kills Alistair Burkhardt. She’s happy to stand aside and let me have the throne as long as I help destroy every trace of him from existence.”

“Then why are you here?” I shot out of my seat. “What’s the point of telling me? Why go after my guys first? They’re not even Rogues. You should know my father doesn’t let teenagers in.”

“Because, Luna, Everleigh had one thing right.” I drowned in his bottomless black pools. “The way to Alistair Burkhardt is through you. Forget ropes, knives, abduction, or murder. I’ll destroy everything you love by doing what I do best.

“Daddy will do everything he can to help you. Further compromising himself. Further exposing himself. When he finally comesto meand begsmeto stop, that’s when he’ll pass the leashes he has on the Rogues into my hands. That’s when I’ll hand him over to Everleigh.”

“Why would you tell me this?” I asked, stepping back. “You know I’ll go straight to Alistair and tell him everything.”

“I’m telling you this because despite what you’re thinking of me right now, I’m not a complete evil bastard. I made a deal with Everleigh, but I could just as easily make one with you— Scratch that.” He hopped off and closed the distance so fast my feet tangled stumbling back, and I fell on my ass. “I want to make a deal with you. The way Everleigh handles her business is sloppy. Look at what a terrible job she did tying up your loose end. And making an enemy of Leon Dumont?”

Wolf tossed his head. “She’s the succeed-or-die-trying type and I’d rather not get tangled up in that kind of crazy if I can avoid it. You, on the other hand, are clever. The way you infiltrated and used the T.O.D. Club to turn it on itself was genius. Plus, I do take some responsibility for not creating a system to flag and remove the kind of dares that pushed your sister to kill herself.

“That changed as of yesterday. From now on, I’ll get a warning if more than three dares target the same person. Also, the words rape, murder, bully, kill, etcetera will result in an immediate block and admin review.”

Wolf held out a hand. “Consider that a gesture of goodwill to prove that I’m serious. I want to make a deal with you, Luna. I’ll hold up my end as long as you hold up yours.”

I eyed his outstretched digits. “What deal?”

“Alistair Burkhardt is a ghost. He runs his entire empire from the shadows, and he does it from a laptop. It’s his dark vault.”

“Dark vault?”

“Where he keeps his blackmail, account numbers, contacts.” Wolf got tired of waiting. Tugging my wrist, he pulled me in and didn’t let go. “It’s where he protects the true names and information of every Rogue in the world. All you have to do, Luna Burkhardt, is get it for me.”

“Get it for you?” I repeated slowly. Visions of that very same laptop floated in my mind. Wolf smirked like he plucked the memory from my head. “I can’t.”

“You can. You’re his daughter. You’re the only one who can get close.” His fingers skated down and tickled my palm. “Get me the laptop, and I’ll disappear. I won’t hurt you or Victor Wilson. I won’t help Everleigh kill your father. No need after I take his keys to the kingdom.”

My thoughts spun too fast for me to catch one and think it through. What was he saying? He’d betray Everleigh if I gave him a laptop? It’s that easy? “Why did you leave out Rafael, Cato, Lucien, and Wilder? Do you swear not to hurt them either?”

“Sorry.” He let go and spun away so fast I jumped. “It’s too late for them, I told you. Things are already in motion. Cops probably already polishing the riot gear.”

“I don’t believe you,” I cried. “Wilder’s your brother. You wouldn’t do this to him.”

Wolf cocked a brow, amused. “Wouldn’t I? Who the hell even cares about that brother/sister stuff? All that means is that we came out of the same woman. Hardly the basis of a lifelong bond.”

Taking a deep breath, I let it out slow. Of course he didn’t give a shit about his brother. This guy clearly had a meat grinder where his heart should be. Normal human feelings were sucked in and ground up.

“Okay,” I began. “Let’s say I’m open to this. You didn’t bring me here to make a deal. You brought me here for a negotiation, so let’s negotiate. You refusing to help Everleigh doesn’t do much for me. She’s got more money than the total national student loan debt. She can easily hire another hacker.

“Also, I noticed you claimed you put protections on the site, but I didn’t hear you say that you revoked Everleigh’s access. Get serious,Wolfie. If you want me to steal from my bio father and hand you the keys to the most dangerous criminal organization in the world, you’ll have to offer more than getting my boyfriends locked up, then skipping out of town.”

Wolf leaned back, his expression shifting. “Respect, Burkhardt. Your proverbial balls are in a vise, and you try to make demands.”

I smirked—forcing confidence I didn’t feel. “My balls aren’t in a vise. You play at being the king, but the actual king is on my side. He already forced you to put yourself at risk, facing me in person.”

His lips twitched almost too fast for me to catch his displeasure.

“If you want that laptop, you’ll do more than turn Everleigh down. You’ll help me put that crazy bitch in the ground. And, oh yeah, you’ll undo whatever you fucking did to frame my boyfriends as terrorists!” I shoved him. “I lose them and the only thing you’ll get is the honor of being next after Everleigh.”

“Uhhh, rude. No need to get physical,” he said, making a show of dusting his shirt off. “How many times do I have to tell you there’s nothing I can do for your boyfriends? Even without my nudge in the right direction, the cops found those weapons in their place. What exactly do you think I can do to make them forget that? I erase hard drives, not minds.”

“There has to be something—”

“Even if I could, I wouldn’t,” he replied, “because this is not a negotiation. Everleigh’s plan gets me what I want too. I’m the one with choices, Burkhardt, while you have one. Get me the laptop, your father lives, and I don’t touch Victor Wilson.” He brushed past me. “You should be thanking me. I’m leaving you with the richest of your boy toys. Quite generous of me.”

“But you can’t—”

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