Page 71 of Reign By Wrath

She shot to her feet. “Careful, bitch. One more word and I’ll—”

“Kill me?” I practically screamed. “You’re threatening to kill me again! What is wrong with you? Why can’t you let me and my family live in peace? What do you get out of torturing random Dregs?”

“Stop it!” Everleigh balled her fists and took a breath.

I took an inordinate amount of pleasure in getting to her.

“This isn’t why I called you over here.” She got in close, dropping her voice. “There was a boat in the marina and now it’s gone. I don’t know what you said and did to convince him to leave you behind, but it won’t work. I got him here once. I’ll make him come back again.”

“You’re not touching another member of my family, Starling. Your silly little plan is out in the open. No more cards to play. No more tricks. No more traps. It’s over.”

She smirked. “Oh, Luna. It’s so far from over. There are still a few pesky little contracts to be broken with your stepfather’s business.”

My expression hardened.

“The Burkhardts still own his land, but I’ll have everything else. Wonder if Daddy will come back and save his old whore and her new rich fuck toy when they’re eating cold soup on an empty mansion floor.

“There’s still his niece, who I haven’t even begun to screw with yet,” she said. “Saylor got her kicks from making everyone dangle on the edge of her strings. Let’s see how cocky she is when she’s expelled, arrested, and exposed. In a month, everyone will be saying, ‘who’s she again? Could’ve sworn I’ve seen that raggedy trash slut somewhere?’

“And then there’s you,” she hissed. “After what happened to the last one, I can’t believe he left another daughter behind.”

“What, Everleigh? What happened to the last one? Admit what you did.” I threw my hands out. “You’re clearly proud of it. Why keep lying and hiding? Everyone already knows the real you.”

She drew back. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she breezed. “Anyway, I called you over here for a reason. I have a proposition for you. I’ve won, Sinclair. You just haven’t seen it yet because you think the guys you’re fucking can protect you, but they can’t.

“Your Rogue freaks will be arrested the second they pop their heads out of the dirt, and that guy”—she flapped a hand at Victor—“has been neutered. It’s bad enough for you, but I’ll make it worse unless you get Alistair back here and make him face me.”

“Huh, let me think about that— No,” I blared. “Now here’s a proposition for you. Go fuck yourself.”

“Everleigh,” Katie spoke up. “Let’s leave it, yeah?”

“She’s right, Everleigh.” Piper popped up and kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t waste any more of your time on this trash.”

Everleigh held up a hand, silencing her. “I’ll make this simple for you. Get Alistair back here, or your stepfather is out of the Royal line. I’ll have you and yourfiancéexpelled. Everyone will find out Professor A is fucking a student. Yeah,” she said, catching the shock on my face. “I know all about that.”

“If you say a fucking word about my brother—!”

I swung out my arm, holding back Victor. “Are you done?”

“Not even close. I’ve got a hacker on my side too now. From what I hear, he’s even better than yours.” She winked. “Wilder loves threatening people with putting them on the sex offender registry? Wonder how your mom will like it? After I leave your folks with nothing, the poor old perv won’t even get a job cleaning houses. Can’t have a handsy housekeeper around the kids.”

I blinked lazily. “Really, Starling? You think those bluffs are enough to get me to offer my father up to die? You really are dead inside.”

“I’m not bluffing. All of that is just to start.” The look in her eyes chilled me. “We haven’t even gotten to what people could be dared to do.”

I nodded slowly. “All right, I heard your proposal. Now hear mine. You back off, stay away from the people I care about, confess all your psycho-killer crimes... and I’ll tell you where your sister is.”

Her smirk twitched into a frown. “What? I don’t have a sister.”

“Don’t you? You’re telling me Daddy Everton never got around to telling you about that one-night whoopsie he conceived while on the run?”

Everleigh stilled. I couldn’t be sure she was breathing.

“That’s right,” I continued. “You have a little sister. Cute kid too. Looks just like her daddy. The only other piece of him living in this—”

“You’re lying.” A dangerous ferality darkened her face. “You’re a fucking liar.”

“I’m not lying.” I was lying through my shiny teeth. “Her name is Melanie. She’s ten years old, and living a sweet picket-fence life in... Oh, where is it again?” A grin stretched my mouth. “I’m so forgetful when people are threatening my family. I can’t remember anything until they confess, turn themselves in, and swear to stop.

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