27. Rook
Thunder boomed,lightning flashing through the sky as I stood in the shadows of a copse of trees, watching and waiting. Out beyond, the waves crashed against the shore, and I wondered, not for the first time, if he would show.
Finally, at ten minutes til, I saw the small boat cut smoothly through the choppy water. It shuttled into the dock, a spotlight blinking twice before it turned off.
They would wait five minutes, and then they, and the opportunity, would disappear forever.
Studying the boat, the water beyond, and the area around me, I waited until four minutes and fifty seconds had passed, then stepped out from the shadows.
Maxon”s eyes were immediately on me, as if he”d known I was there the whole time.
Deep-set eyes followed me—from the man standing next to Maxon, as I made my way towards them.
”This is Cillian,” Maxon introduced, calling out over the pouring rain and pointed to the man standing next to him.
“Hello.” I nodded.
Cillian didn’t answer. Wearing black jeans and t-shirt, a gun and knife tucked into his side, he only stared at me with narrowed eyes.
”Don”t worry about him.” Maxon responded, turning the ignition. “He”s not happy to be doing business with you, but he”ll get over it. Let’s go.”
“That’s it?” I asked. “We’re not going to discuss an agreement?”
“No. You enter this boat, there is no going back.”
Unease settled in my stomach, but I didn’t hesitate for long. This was what I’d waited for, planned for, for so long. Coming to an arrangement with Maxon was the shortest way to Saul.
Hopping up into the boat, my unease growing, I mentally assessed whether or not I would return alive. But I stayed silent, feeling Cillian’s eyes on me the whole time, as we headed towards open water.
I kept to the edge of the boat, preferring the pelting wind and rain to trusting the two men under the hardtop covering. Though they seemed to know their way, they used a powerful spotlight and a high tech navigation guide. The motor was unusually quiet, easily moving through the restless waves, though we bounced roughly.
After an hour, the rain began to wane as we approached a small island. With tall cliffs and a large, looming mansion, I knew I was truly seeing the inner working of the Veritas for the first time.
They were smart to use different islands off the coast for distinct business.
On Greybone Island, the Magnolia reigned, dealing in secrets from all over the world. Although a huge source of income for the Veritas, it wasn’t the only one. There were much more evil ones, ones I pretended didn’t exist.
I had a sinking feeling all that was about to change.
We steered the boat up to a small cove, where Maxon turned off the engine and dropped anchor.
The cove was silent, except for the sound of the waves lapping the shore.
Maxon and Cillian watched me as I stood, staring them down, my hand on the gun on my back. Neither one of us moved, until, finally, “How far are you willing to go to kill Saul?” He didn’t mince words.
Not here.
No more games.
Tonight, everything was on the table.
I also knew that if I didn”t answer things to his satisfaction, I wouldn”t return.
The image permanently impressed into my mind, the one that appeared every time I closed my eyes, the one that would never go away—Nana. Cold, eyes lifeless, vomit around her mouth. Dead. ”How far do you need me to go?”
Maxon took me in, and I felt the stare of Cillian”s burning gaze on my side. Finally, after a long moment, Maxon nodded.
”You said you were willing to do anything--”
”I didn’t--” I protested, but he cut me off.
“You got into the boat. That was a commitment.”
I swallowed down my protest and, instead, nodded. “I did.”
”From here on out, everything we do together stays between us and the stars above. No one can know what we”re doing. I”m putting my life in your hands, do you understand me?”
I was taken aback by his words. He was taking a risk by bringing me here? Blinking, I swallowed my surprise, then nodded. ”Understood.”
Cillian joined the conversation, coming to stand next to Maxon. ”We need you to reach out to your contacts in Vegas.”
I panicked. My throat suddenly tight. Anger surging through me, I growled out. ”How did you know about them?”
”We know a lot of things. I”m trusting you with my life, I wouldn”t have done that without some...assurances...of my own. Just as I”m trusting you with my life, your life is also in my hands.”
”Why haven”t you gone to Saul with this information?” If he knew about my contacts in Vegas, then he knew the truth about me. The whole truth.
”Because, your history, and your plans for Saul are none of my concern.”
”It should be. You are Saul”s head of security.”
”I have my own agenda, things you don”t need to know about. What you do need to know is, I need something from you. And what I need from you is more important than the job the Veritas has entrusted me with.”
”What makes you think I would have any desire to reach out to Vegas?”
”I think, once you know what we”re dealing with, you”ll be happy to do it.”
”Unlikely.”
“I’m willing to take that chance.” Maxon replied with a shrug, his meaning unspoken but clear all the same. Otherwise, I’ll just kill you and get on with it.
I nodded. ”Show me then.”
Maxon went first, easily jumping over the side of the boat and into the water.
I felt Cillian at my back as I followed suit, my boots wet with salt water, my body cold from my drenched hair and clothes, even though the rain had now calmed to a drizzle.
A foreboding feeling washed over me as we walked up the rocky shore and into a large, dark opening of a cave.
A salty, refreshing breeze blew through the entrance, causing a mournful howling noise that echoed off the walls.
We walked in darkness for several steps until Maxon”s phone lit up his face. He tapped on it a couple times, then suddenly, a pathway was lit up.
Now that I could see, I easily followed him deeper and deeper into the cave.
He could be marching me straight to Saul, or to kill me himself, Saul not wanting to get his hands dirty.
I hoped that Hawke would keep his word and take care of Summer and Callie if I didn”t make it out of here alive.
As we walked, a waft of sulfur filled my nose, and there was an occasional sound of dripping water or flapping bats.
After a while, the cavern became deeper and darker, the lights below doing little to guide the way. My steps fumbled, but Cillian grabbed my shoulders, pushing me to the left and onto the cold, rough stone until I regained my balance.
It felt odd, trusting the big, muscled man to keep me from falling off the edge and into the darkness below. Maybe Summer was beginning to rub off on me.
Ever since that night, the night she’d been forced into my life, literally into my bed, and I’d been overcome with the need to possess her, I’d woken up the next morning ready to bolt.
I didn’t trust people.
And I certainly didn’t want to keep them around forever.
Women were good for fucking, and nothing else.
And yet—even though I tried to avoid her as much as possible—with her bright smile, infuriatingly persistent optimism, and unyielding determination, she was chiseling away at the impenetrable walls around my heart. Like a flicker of light in the darkest of nights.
It terrified me—I hated it as much as I couldn’t help but be drawn to it.
Without warning, the cave plunged into profound blackness, swallowing all traces of the path ahead.
Maxon stopped and tapped on his phone. After a few seconds, another set of lights blinked on, and the cavern before me came alive.
I gasped a breath and grabbed my gun. Before I could point it, Cillian had me by my arms, his fingers tight on my wrist. ”Put it away.”
I snarled at Maxon. ”You”re going to have to kill me, because I won”t help you with this.”
I had my suspicions that the Veritas might be involved in something like this. That my money might be funding it. But to see it like this, so blatantly before me…
No.
”I hoped you would say that.” Maxon smiled, his eyes moving from me to meet Cillian”s.
”I”m not warning you again,” Cillian growled in my ear. ”Put that fucking gun away, or I will end you.”
I shoved it into my backside. ”You”d better have a really fucking good explanation for bringing me here.”
”I told you. I need your contacts in Vegas.”
”They won”t help you,” I shook my head, ”Not with this.”
”Exactly.” Maxon agreed. ”Now take out your phone, and make the call for me.”
I studied his face, focusing in on his eyes. They weren’t the cold eyes I was used to seeing from men in the Veritas, but had a strange warmth to them I found disconcerting.
When it came to dealing with my enemies, I was used to dealing with dead eyes and apathetic expressions. Men who would kill anyone to get what they wanted. But there was something different about Maxon and his secret.
Could I trust him?
Trust.
There was that word again. The one thing Summer lectured me to try out. The one thing I was determined not to do. I’d trusted in the past, and it was only met with pain.
And yet…could I do as Summer urged me to do? Were there actual men in this world who wanted more from life? Men I could trust?
I didn’t believe it but… I had actually seen it with my own eyes.
The Vegas men were ruthless but also—begrudgingly, I could call them good men. In their own way.
The real question was, who would I hurt by taking this one, small step?
Maxon already knew about Summer and, apparently, about Tatiana.
I had full confidence that she could handle herself. If she had any problems, she had the full force of the Vegas mafia to back her up. Maxon would have to blow through a city of defenses before he could get to her.
And yet, my eyes strayed to the sight behind Maxon.
He was here, with probably the only man he trusted, showing me this. He could’ve easily lured me to the middle of the ocean and dumped my dead body overboard. No one would ever see me again.
Whatever his true motivations, he hadn’t killed me yet, even though it was his job. He was branded, like all of the men beholden to the Veritas. I’d seen it on his forearm. And yet…
Trust someone.Summer’s voice was in my head.
Still scowling, I pulled out my phone. Even though it was late, Tatiana would probably still be up.
When there was no answer, I hung up. “They’re not answering.”
“Try again.”
The phone rang once, twice, three times. Then, I heard a dark growl, “This better be important—the baby was sleeping.”
Instantly, recognizing Knight’s voice, I froze. Baby?
Tatiana hadn’t told me about any children.
Not that I was surprised—our relationship had been built on something that no longer existed—hatred for Knight.
We’d spent so much time planning our revenge on him, that there wasn’t much left between us once he proved to her that he would never betray her again.
Our communication was only ever for work, and nothing else.
“Rook?” Knight’s voice lowered, “are you in trouble?”
“Let me speak to Tatiana,” I growled, not wanting to hear the concern in his voice. Tatiana may have forgiven him, but I never would.
“She’s sleeping.”
“Please.” I grit out, hating myself. Knight may owe me for what he’d done to me, but, at the thought of him and Tatiana being together, in love, having a family… A sudden longing filled my chest.
I realized I didn’t want to die tonight.
Ever since Summer had been forced into my house, I’d been ignoring the feelings growing inside me. The warmth she brought. The lingering, fleeting thoughts…What if…
What if there was more to life?
And, could I have that? What Knight had?
I wanted Summer in a way that I’d never felt before. Not only her body, but her smiles. Her laughter. Safety. Her innocence. I wanted to weave it into a ribbon and wrap it around my dead heart.
Could her love protect me from the pain I’d felt?
Could I trust her?
“Please, Knight,” I repeated, swallowing down the knot in my throat.
There was a soft noise in the background, a grumble, then sounds of shuffling. Then her voice came over the speaker. “Rook?”
“Tatiana.”
”Rook! Ohmygod, I can”t believe you actually called…” Once she’d let Knight back into her life, I’d left her and never returned. We’d only spoken on the phone once, since.
”I know,” I swallowed down the knot in my throat. “It’s been a long time...” I let my apology sit in the air. I wasn’t going to have that discussion with these two men standing next to me.
Tatiana picked up on it immediately. ”What do you need?”