ran with him because she overheard a meeting where I was told Levi was informing on his family to the FBI.”
Ice ran down my spine.
She wasn’t afraid for her life. She was scared for her boyfriend’s. It all made sense now.
“Brooke knows I’ve recently been more ambitious in reaching out to the Midwestern part of the States, to the families who run those territories. She assumed I would either kill Levi as a gift to his family or I would turn him over to them.”
Rats got killed. That’s just what happened.
I nodded, swallowing faintly. “I see.”
“You don’t.” He leaned forward, moving without making a sound. The chair didn’t squeak. There was no shift in the floorboards. If I hadn’t seen it, I would never have heard him. There was an almost ghostly quality to the way he moved sometimes. Silent. Stalking. Hunting.
His eyes grew fierce now, pinning me down. “If you reveal what I’m about to tell you, I will have you murdered.” He paused.
He meant what he said, and I forced my head to nod. The shiver wrapped around my entire body, but I had to listen. It was important.
“I want in on the Midwest. That’s my goal, and I have done extensive research into all the controlling families. Brooke’s boyfriend’s family is weak. They’re my way in, so my sister was wrong about my intentions. I have no wish to kill her boyfriend. I want to use him. He’s going to be my way in to destroy his family.”
Of course.
I hung my head, whispering, “You don’t really want to find your sister. You want to find her boyfriend.”
“No.” I heard his chair move now as he leaned back again. “You’re wrong. I want to find my sister because I love her, and because the longer she’s out there…”
I looked up, his voice beckoning me, and I saw him nod toward the window.
“…the more unsafe she is. She’s a Bennett. You think I’m the only one looking for her? I have enemies who would relish hacking her to pieces—while she’s alive, while she’s screaming my name, and videotaping it all for their sick pleasure.”
He stopped, his eyes closed tightly. His jaw clenched, and then he shoved back his chair. His glass in hand, he dumped the rest of his bourbon down his throat before stalking to the liquor cabinet. “I have been protecting my family since I was a child. Against who is the only component that’s changed.” He poured his glass half full. Capping the bottle again, he remained there, his back to me. “I have to find my sister. I need your help to do that.”
He looked back, his eyes stricken. “Please.”
A lump formed in my throat.
God. I knew the danger of the Bennett name, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that most of the danger was from the family itself.
“I can’t,” I whispered.
His nostrils flared. “But you know where she is.”
I couldn’t touch that either. I hung my head again, closing my eyes.
I suddenly wanted all of this to go away.
I didn’t want to be in these clothes that reminded me of my past. I didn’t want to be here in this room, with him, knowing he would do anything to find his sister. I wanted to be back at my home with Blade, with Carol, with my cover job as a nurse aide who spoke in inspiring quotes.
I missed being Raven, not Riley.
“Where is she?!” Kai roared, throwing his glass across the room.
It shattered against the wall, falling to the floor, and I didn’t flinch. Not. One. Bit.
I shook my head. “I can’t help you, and you know it.”
He returned to his seat, and this time I refused to look at him.
The room was tense, the air thick and oppressing, and for a moment, I felt as if my father were with us.
I shoved that down. I would not cower. I would not be intimidated.
“Our father killed my brother,” he said softly.
What? I looked up.
He wasn’t looking at me. His gaze was trained on the table, but I knew he wasn’t seeing what was physically in front of him.
His fingers tightened around the bottle he now held in front of him.
“Anthony Bennett was a sadistic father.” He shuddered. His hand twitched, and his head shook slightly. “He was obsessed with power, and Cord was getting to the age where he was supposed to start taking over some of the responsibilities of the family. Our father didn’t want that to happen. He knew Cord was kind—weak,