Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Lyam
I thought I couldn’t protect her.
I thought that being with me meant that she wasn’t safe anymore.
I never dreamed she would betray us. Again.
I hang up the phone and shake my head, staring at her.
Disbelieving.
“You plotted against us,” I say, disbelieving the words as they come out of my mouth. “You actually did betray us.”
I think back on the day I took her into custody, the way I buckled her in the car and brought her back here with the intent to punish her for what she’d done.
I wanted to believe she was innocent, but deep down I knew she wasn’t.
When she told me her reasoning, I believed her. I let myself believe that we could make this work, that she’d have my baby and we’d marry each other and Cosette would be mine forever.
And now I know, she was never mine to begin with.
Who even is she?
“Lyam,” she says tearfully. “You have to believe me. He doesn’t even know who I am. We have no relationship. I hate Paris because of him. He had me with my mother when he was already married and in the public eye, so he never made it known to anyone.”
She goes on and on, but why wouldn’t she? I can’t even process the words she’s saying. Cosette knows who I am. She knows who my family is. She knows we would have killed her once for betraying us and now she’s left us no other choice.
But she’s pregnant with my child.
“If you’re innocent,” I say, interrupting her pleas. She reaches for me, and I push her away. If she were anyone else—I shake my head and draw in a breath, making myself stay calm despite the anger that rises in me like a tide.
Only the weak need to hurt the vulnerable.
“If you didn’t know him and have no affiliation with him whatsoever, then why didn’t you tell me? You knew there were politicians threatening us. You even knew Montague was involved. You had a hundred chances to tell me and yet you didn’t. So why should I believe you now?”
“Because you know I love you,” she says tearfully. “Because I wouldn’t betray you. I was going to tell you so many times but every time, I was afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
It looks as if the very words she speaks pain her to say them. “Afraid that if I told you, you’d leave. That you wouldn’t want me. That you wouldn’t believe the truth.”
“I changed my mind,” I say. She flinches at the harsh sound of my tone, but I’m doing everything I can not to hurt her. She betrayed me. Betrayed all of us. My only choice now is to give her a safe space so she can have our baby safely before she faces the ultimate punishment.
Everything in me screams against this, but I clench my hands.
“You knew. You knew who he was and why he’s after us. Were you a plant by him?”
I stand and stalk over to her. I hate the way she flinches and backs away.
“No! No, we don’t talk at all. I didn’t even know he knew I existed.”
“And why should I believe you?”
“Because you trust me,” she says emotionally. “Because I love you. I would never betray any of—”
She snaps her mouth closed as she hears her own words. She did betray us once and even though we know why, what’s to prevent her from doing it again?
When she reaches for me, I turn away. “I don’t know what you want from me,” I say to her. “You’ve put me in a position of choosing between you and my family.”
“I just want you to believe me,” she says on a sob. “Please!”
I shake my head. “Montague has put half the city’s resources into hunting us down. He’s intentionally set every single news organization against us and is hell-bent on making sure that we take the blame for every single fucking crime in this city.”
I blow out a breath.
“Don’t you see how this complicates things?” I snap, so angry at her I want to shake her. “If Montague knows that one of his whipping boys knocked up his daughter, we’ve just given him the very best ammo.”
Her face crumples. “But he doesn’t see me as his daughter, Lyam.”
“Won’t he, if it fits his narrative?”
She shakes her head, as if confused and not sure how to proceed.
“You’re carrying my baby, so I’ll keep you safe, but only then. And it won’t be a pleasant stay.” I shake my head. “I need to get out of here.”
I watch as her eyes shutter and close. She shuts down completely.
“You know what? Don’t believe me. Maybe I don’t believe you, either. Maybe you only wanted me because I’m carrying your child.” Her voice breaks at the end. Angrily, she swipes at the tears that fall down her cheeks.
“Atta girl,” I mutter.
The look of betrayal she gives me almost makes me cave. But I won’t be taken in, and I won’t let her sway me now. I have to pull away from her. There are no other choices.
My phone rings. The last time this fucking phone rang, I got the worst news imaginable. Now, to think—
“What?” I snap.
It’s Philippe. “The woman you had me call is here, sir.”
I hold Cosette’s gaze. “Send her up.”
I hang up the phone and we stare at each other for long minutes in silence. “You don’t have to believe me,” she says. “And I’m glad you’re being honest with me. Because you’ve told me everything I need to know.”
“Oh, have I?” I want to shake her. I want to put her over my knee and spank her until she begs for mercy. I want to kiss her and fuck her hard and demandingly, to punish her for what she’s done.
To think, I almost trusted her—
There’s a knock at the door.
“What?” I snap. She winces.
“Philippe, sir. Is she ready?”
I stare at her.
“Get in the bathroom and put some fucking clothes on. I’m out of here. I’ll have Philippe bring you to your new apartment. I’ll see you tonight and we’ll talk about the new rules we have.”
She slams the door to the bathroom.
I slam the bedroom door behind me.
I don’t miss the note of finality.
I’m deep in my head when I hit the streets of Paris.
Normally, I’d check my weapons and scan the exits and make sure Cosette is fucking safe before I step foot out of this place.
But this time… I can’t.
Because Cosette actually did betray us.
All this time, she knew who her father was. She knew we were being hunted by local politicians and she didn’t say a thing.
I close my eyes and shake my head.
And I fell for it.
I fell for it, like a goddamn sycophant. She told me she was carrying my baby, and I lost all sense of reason.
I’m not paying attention, my feet just plodding on, one after the other. I know I should be paying attention, but I’m a million miles away.
It takes a lot of effort not to follow her. It kills me, because even now, I want to keep her safe.
Rousseau is dead. Yesterday, she was alive and breathing and today, she’s gone.
And I’m to blame for that.
I sent Cosette away because I knew being around me meant she’s as much of a target as I am.
Just like our informant was.
Whatever it was that Rousseau unearthed led to her execution.
There was a reason we paid her well, of course. She knew from the beginning the risks associated with socializing with us.
That doesn’t make me feel any less shitty.
I sent a military-level team with Cosette to take her to a new place, secure and apart from me.
And it kills me.
I brought her here to punish her for her betrayal and the sense of relief I had when I knew she didn’t betray us… but now…
“Monster Gerard!” I look up in surprise. No one ever recognizes me here. As soon as I look up, I see three university students with backpacks carrying bags ahead of me.
Wait. Did they say Monster?
“Is that him?”
More people look my way.
“It’s him, the one on the news!” one shouts.
“The bastard responsible for hurting all those poor orphans?” another asks, loudly.
Too loudly.
Orphans? What now?
What the fuck is going on?
“Gerard,” one repeats.
“Gerard?”
They’re repeating my name with horror and hatred, and I can almost feel the swell of the mob mentality.
I’m not one to run away, but I wouldn’t even know who to target right now. My gun is safely secured in the harness, but if they’re ridiculing me for being violent and bringing violence to Paris, drawing a weapon will only throw fuel on the fire.
My family doesn’t target civilians.
I turn to face them, finding a wall of people behind me.
That quickly, they’ve gone from ambivalence to hatred, swarming and screaming.
Some are throwing things and others are taking pictures with their phones.
Someone pushes me and I shove back, which elicits a scream. “Don’t let him hurt us! Get him!”
What?
“Hey, I’m not hurting anyone.” I don’t want to draw attention to myself. That’s not how I work.
A big, burly guy puts his hand on me, and I lose it. I’m no fucking pacifist. I hit him so hard I break his jaw. He falls to the ground screaming, holding his jaw in his hands. The crowd presses in on me. I can’t breathe. I’m smothered by their hands on me. I’ve never seen these people before.
I can’t call my brothers or even fight my way out. The crowd begins to pull me down. I’m on my knees when someone leans down and breathes in my ear.
“Don’t fight it, Lyam, if you know what’s good for you.”
I shove my way up, looking for the person who spoke to me.
“Who the fuck was that?” I manage to extricate myself from two men when three more who look vaguely familiar grab me from behind.
“He’s trying to hurt us!” one yells.
“Call the police!” another yells.
Cameras flash again. I’m shoving and pushing but getting nowhere. A prick hits my neck. I flail as realization dawns on me.
It was a setup, all of it. These aren’t tourists or students. This was a setup.
I punch the guy in front of me as the world gets hazy.
“We’ve got him.”
Cosette.
Our baby.
I sink into a world of darkness.