Page 63 of Reign By Wrath

I shot up, beating it across the lawn. Saylor’s none-of-this-bothers-me stroll was cut short when she found me in her face. “Ugh, get away from me, Sinclair.” She shoved me. “If you fuck with my life one more time, I don’t care what the rules say. I’ll bury you.”

“Following the rules, huh? Guess that means you admit we’re cousins.”

She got a frozen, frowny look on her face, realizing what she admitted. “No. We’re not related. Get away from me.”

I kept in step with her increasing pace. I didn’t care what she said or what I had to do. Saylor was going to listen to me.

“I’m not going anywhere until you stop running your mouth for half a second,” I snapped. I wanted her to listen. I didn’t want to be nice to her. “If I had any other option, I wouldn’t be doing this, but you need to know. Everleigh is not your friend.”

“Of course she’s not my friend. No one is, thanks to you!” Saylor shoved me again.

I tripped over my feet, nearly going down. That sudden stumble was enough to let her put eight feet between us. I jogged to catch up.

“That’s not what I meant. Everleigh wasn’t your friendbeforeI sold your texts. She’s been playing you all this time, Saylor.” I was huffing and puffing, running after her. How long had it been since I worked out with Lucien? “The only reason she’s put up with you all this time is because she hoped you’d get her closer to Alistair. Everleigh hates him. She’s plotted to kill him for years.”

“What?” she shrieked. “My gosh, you are insane. Every time you open your mouth, bullshit comes out.”

“It’s not bullshit! Everything that happened with Winter was because of Everleigh. She orchestrated the whole thing because she found out we’re Alistair’s daughters, and she wanted to drag him out into the open. Torturing Winter didn’t work. Trying to kill me didn’t get her what she wanted. The next step... is you.”

I grabbed her shoulder, spinning her to face me. “I’ve never made any secret of how much I despise you, so the fact that I’m here warning you now should tell you something!”

She frowned, brows drawing together.

“Everleigh is determined to get revenge for her father any way she can. She’ll hurt whoever gets in her way. She’ll keep knocking down the people Alistair cares about until she finally gets to him. This doesn’t end unlessweend it, Saylor. You and me.” I forced out the last word. “Together.”

She glared at me through slitted lids, but she was listening.

“So?” I asked. “What do you say?”

Saylor punched me dead in the face.

I snapped back, knocked off my feet. I dropped flat on my back—my head bouncing off the earth.

“I’m getting a restraining order, you crazy bitch. Don’t ever come near me again.”

Pushing up, I swiped the blood from my weeping lip. I didn’t try going after her. I knew what was coming. I had a feeling that in the end, Saylor would come to me.

I got up and made for the café. Victor promised to meet me there after rugby practice.

He waved me over when I walked in. My man already had my favorite foods laid out on the table, waiting for me.

“Hey.” I leaned in for a kiss and plucked the bacon from his fingertips while I was at it.

“How did it go with Saylor?”

I just shook my head.

“I’m not surprised she didn’t listen to you. She and Everleigh have been friends since diapers. She won’t believe it... until the knife is in her back.” Victor gave up on eating and shoved the rest of the bacon away. “I’m saying that, but she can’t really do this, can she? No one in the decades we’ve lived in Regalia has pulled off what she’s planning to do, and believe me, they tried.”

“I’ve seen her plans,” I said, teeth gritted. “It’ll work, Victor. It’ll work all too well.”

I grabbed his hands, gripping too tight by his raised brows. “Did— Did anything happen last night? We didn’t come back because I got a cryptic message from Wilder’s brother that made him think a SWAT team was waiting for us back at the beach house.”

I breathed a little easier when Victor shook his head no.

“Nah. Last night was quiet. No one busted in the door or anything,” he replied. “But if they were watching the place, they wouldn’t have. None of the guys they wanted to arrest were there.”

Fear filled my bones again. Of course Victor was right. Why would they bust in and give themselves away until they knew for sure theterroristswere inside and clueless?

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