Page 104 of King of Malice

“You know there’s always more to every story.”

“You’re telling me this?” she challenged. “I know that. I bugged my mother for years, but I finally stopped trying. It was obvious the loss was too painful.”

I had a feeling Theodore had been into shady activity his entire life. Maybe her mother had also wanted to protect her.

“How did he return to your life?” I asked.

“He came to my mother’s funeral. He didn’t ask if it was okay, didn’t prepare me for his arrival. I saw an older man sitting alone. He had tears in his eyes. I was gullible, walking up to him and inquiring if he was an old friend. I’ll never forget the way he looked at me. There was so much agony in his eyes, guilt covering his features. I snapped at him. Right there inside the church, screaming for him to get out. I was so overwrought I had no idea what I was saying.” She closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly. “He wrote me letters. Old-fashioned letters. Just like he did with my mom. She never opened them. Not one of them. But she kept them. Isn’t that strange?”

“There isn’t a person alive who doesn’t need to find answers to the nagging doubts that keep us from moving into the future.”

“The noose hanging around your throat is about what happened to Carrie. Or maybe why.”

“Maybe it is. I’m well aware that nothing can bring her back, but there’s more going on with this than I’d figured out yet, but I will.”

“Then what? The person betraying you?”

I took a deep breath. “Often it cuts the deepest. I will hunt the fucker down.”

She reached for my hand, squeezing my fingers. “Even if you find him, Phoenix, violence isn’t going to alter the recent events. Killing him for her won’t change what happened on any level.”

“It’s a man alright. Spoken from a woman who agreed to marry a monster.”

Her laugh was exactly what I needed. “Said from a woman who’s been able to see right through you. By the way, don’t underestimate a woman’s power.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. What you don’t understand is that often retaliation is solely for the purpose of keeping face. My father took a hit after Thanos’ betrayal, our empire almost crumbling. I swore to protect my family against anyone daring to defy me.”

“Power and money aren’t everything.”

“They are important, capable of extending my life and those of the people I care about.”

“How tragic. Here’s something for you to think about. As my mother told me more than once, you can’t take money or precious things with you when you die. But you can take the love of your family.”

I took her chin between my fingers, drinking in her perfume. “Both you and your mother were and are very wise women.”

“Sometimes I wonder.”

As I pulled her face closer, rubbing my finger back and forth across her cheek, she wrapped her fingers around my shirt. “Do you trust me, Whitney?”

“With my life.”

“Then you’ll need to trust the decisions I make. They won’t be easy for you to accept but are necessary.”

“No, it won’t be easy, and I might not be able to understand the reasons why you do what you do, but that doesn’t change the man who walked through fire to save my life.”

The vibration of my phone in my pocket pushed a snarl to the surface of my mouth. “And I’ll do it again. And again. Whatever it takes to keep you safe.” As I pulled the phone out of my pocket, she turned away. “Gregory. I hope you’re calling with good news.”

He cursed under his breath. “I just received an interesting call. It’s almost ten at night.”

“And that was?”

“Every single charge against your sister has been dropped. What the fuck did you do, Phoenix? Did you threaten the prosecutor?”

Chuckling, I noticed Stavros had moved to a closer seat. “I’m not in the habit of threatening those who can prove to be useful, Gregory. I simply make promises. However, in this case, I did nothing.”

“You’re not a good liar but whatever you did, Elena is in the clear. I suggest you keep that operation clean from now on.”

“Taken under advisement. Have you let my sister know about her good fortune?”

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