Page 39 of Reign By Wrath

I gritted my teeth. Was this the kind of smiley, twisted mind games he put Wilder through his whole life? I no longer wondered why Wilder cut himself off from connection and saw everyone as a threat. No one born in a den of vipers ever felt safe.

“Why are you here, O’Rourke? What could we possibly have to talk about?”

“Nothing.” Wolf dropped his feet and crossed to the dry bar, pouring himself a healthy amount of scotch.

I couldn’t be sure if he was old enough to drink it. Wilder never specified his age, but they shared the same mature features that concealed their birth dates better than boyishness.

“I came here to speak to Wiley after that little stunt he pulled with the T.O.D. Club. He recognized my code the minute he peeked under the hood but didn’t stop there. Your doing, I’m sure.” He toasted me, smirking. “Ah, the things Wiley will do to impress a girl. He’s a hopeless romantic, you know. Don’t let the stoic act fool you.”

“Does this have a point?”

“Why yes, it does.” He hopped on the desk, gesturing again for me to join him.

I did. Moving slowly, I lowered myself in the seat—not taking my eye off him for a second.

“As I was saying, I came here to have a little chat with my brother about messing around in the wrong person’s business, only to find out he learned that lesson the hard way. His place got burned down, and the cops found his stash.”

He clicked his tongue. “I’ll make sure they know that whatever lies he’s spinning aren’t truth, and he stockpiled all those illegal weapons and material. You’ll send your love letters to supermax. I hear the way the sunlight glints off the rusted, chain-link fence is beautiful this time of year.”

The breath knocked out of me. “What? Why would you do that? He’s your brother!”

He shrugged, taking another swig. “Doing it out of necessity, not malice. I got a call last night after you showed up in Toussaint’s very much not dead. The T.O.D. Club is a little side project a couple friends cooked up six years ago. They brought me on board to lock down the site, but I didn’t find out until you did just how much free rein little Everleigh Starling had in the club. The lady knows how to twist a dick around her finger.”

I lifted my chin, fighting the weight pressing on my chest. “How tight has she wrapped yours?”

He laughed. “Come now. I meant what I said about feeling sorry for you and your sister. Those guys went way overboard. The club is about having a little fun with Dregs. It’s not about driving them to suicide.

“When Everleigh called, I hit record and started working on the computer virus that would deliver her confession to every phone, iPad, and laptop in a hundred-mile radius. I stopped halfway through.”

“Why? What could she possibly have said that changed your mind and made you think putting your brother in prison is a necessity?”

“She said she’d make me leader of the Rogues.”

I made a huge mistake. I should’ve walked out when I had the chance.

“Leader of the Rogues?” I forced a laugh. “Don’t know who you’ve been talking to, but the Rogues don’t have a leader. Rafael, Lucien, Cato, and Wilder don’t take orders from anyone. Definitely not each other. They’re friends who work together.”

His smile turned nasty around the edges. “I’ve been calling you Burkhardt since you stepped in the room. Why play dumb when we both know what conversation we’re having?

“Everleigh used Winter, then you, to lure Alistair Burkhardt out of hiding. You didn’t die like you were supposed to, but it still worked. He’s here.

“Problem is the element of surprise is blown to shit. You’ve already started blabbing to everyone who’ll listen about the real Everleigh. Alistair didn’t become the longest-reigning Rogue king by being an idiot. He’s already weaving a cocoon of protection around you. I only slipped that email through because I sent it from the dean’s actual computer.

“The text I spoofed from your friend Katie’s number bounced back as undelivered. So much for that little distress call—getting you to run out and help your poor friend whose car broke down on the way back from her hookup’s place.”

My muscles went rigid.

“I mean, look at me,” he sighed, flapping his hand. “Out in the field. I prefer doing my work behind a computer screen. I’m definitely not into Everleigh’s suggestion that I kidnap you, hold you for ransom, and force your father to give his life for yours.” Wolf shook his head to my growing horror. “Where’s the finesse? Any brute can overpower a hundred-pound girl and lock her in a closet. But only a few people in the world can link a trail of weapon purchases, extremist sites, and a manufactured manifest to turn your boyfriends into the deadliest terror sleeper cell this world has ever seen.”

“You can’t—!”

“It’s already set in motion,” Wolf cut off. “First step in taking down the enemy is weakening their defenses. With one hit, my brother, his friends, and their resources are gone. All that’s left is Victor Wilson and, of course, the king himself.”

He winked. “Forgive me if I don’t tell you what I have planned for them.”

“Why are you doing this?! What kind of monster are you?!”

Wolf’s eyes flashed. “The same kind of monster your father is. Do you have any clue what he did to crown himself king of the Rogues? He put a collar around their necks that strangle every generation. No one gets in who doesn’t submit to him.

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