Page 81 of Seal My Fate

I click out of the video in a hurry.

“It wasn’t just you,” I tell Wren in horror, bile rising in my throat. “This has been going on for years. Countless victims.”

She looks back at me, stunned. “What the hell have they been doing down here?”

“It’s called loyalty.”

The voice makes us spin around. Hugh is standing in the doorway, a grim smile on his face.

And a gun in his hand—pointed directly at us.

Chapter21

Tessa

Instinctively, I move in front of Wren, shielding her from Hugh’s aim.

“Loyalty,” I repeat, furious. “What the hell does that mean? What kind of sick bastards are you?”

“I assure you, we take no pleasure from it. Well, not always.” Hugh chuckles, a dark, unpleasant sound. “But certain assurances must be made. Old deals require new guarantees, you see.

“Guarantees about what?” I demand, curious—and stalling for time. If I can get him talking, long enough to distract him, maybe lunge for that gun…

“Aboutpower,” Hugh replies forcefully. “What else is there? Raw, unfettered, unaccountable power. It’s our birthright,” he adds, sneering. “Never mind the façade of democracy. The powerful families in this country have run things for hundreds of years, and we will for hundreds more. As long as everybody remembers their duty,” he adds. “That’s where this little setup comes in. We have to ensure the bonds of loyalty don’t fray with time. For each new generation taking the mantle, we need a little… insurance.”

“You mean blackmail,” I say, sickened.

“Privilege has its cost,” he replies with a shrug.

“So… You’re saying that these people, from powerful families, come here and…” I swallow back my horror.

“They do what it takes to prove their loyalty,” Hugh finishes for me. “Call it mutually assured destruction.”

The scheme is stunning in its evil simplicity, I realize. The crimes recorded on those discs could ruin anyone, if the truth ever got out. But if they’re all guilty, none of them will ever tell.

My eyes fall on the cases, scattered on the desk. “Your father’s on here,” I say, my mind racing. “Max too. And you’re here somewhere, with Wren.”

“Yes, I am.”

Hugh plucks one of the discs that’s fallen to the floor and holds it up. “Is this what you’re looking for?” he asks Wren, taunting.

She lets out a cry of anger and distress behind me, but I’m close enough to see the scribbled label. It’s not just Hugh’s name on the disc.

Robert.

“Saint’s brother was there with you?” I ask, shocked.

“Of course,” Hugh replies casually. “There’s always a witness. And since Saint would never have agreed to play a part in all of this, Robert had to represent the family. Of course, the St. Clairs are always kind enough to offer up use of their lovely wine cellars here.” He gestures around with the gun, and I realize, that’s where he’s been holding us.

The St. Clair Estate. Saint’s childhood home.

My heart leaps with hope. Saint will put the pieces together. Somehow, he’ll figure this out. But for now, it’s just the three of us, and I can tell from the way that Hugh is waving that gun around that he’s growing impatient. I’m not sure how much longer I can stall.

“They sent you after her, didn’t they?” I ask him, hoping to distract him a little more. “Once she started asking questions about the Ashford drug trials, they ordered you to take Wren.”

Hugh nods. “I was due to pledge my loyalty, so it was the perfect timing. The drugs were supposed to wipe away everything,” he adds, talking to Wren over my shoulder. “But clearly, we didn’t get the dose just right. Too bad. But you still should have kept your mouth shut and left us all well enough alone. But no, you and your sister just had to stir up trouble at the worst time. My father is weeks away from becoming Prime Minister, and we all stand to make billions from the drug launch. We can’t afford any loose ends.”

With that, he raises the gun again.

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