SECRETS & LIES 7 (Secrets & Lies #7) - H.M. Ward Page 0,20
maybe I’m going to do the devil’s handiwork. FML.
CHAPTER 9
Ferro didn’t leave me any time to spare. I stop my bus in front of Nate’s house. There are moving trucks at two homes on the block, packing up, and heading out. They’ll see me if I go through the front door. Good. Pita rushes between my legs and disappears in the neighbor’s bushes.
I walk up to the front door and ring the bell. Nate is at the college, and I know he’s not here, but I need to double check.
To my surprise, Ferro pulls the door open and waves me inside. “Miss Hill.”
This is going to be bad. I move past him, feeling my skin prickle as I walk into Nate’s house. “What do you want?” I glance out the front door just as it closes. No one seems to notice us. Not the moving men or any of the neighbors. For a split second, I’m worried Ferro is going to kill me, but that feeling fades after a moment passes. I’m still alive, and a dead girl can’t repay a favor.
“What do you want?” I’m still wearing jeans and a t-shirt. I’m in desperate need of a shower and wishing he'd chosen somewhere else to meet. Nate will be pissed when he finds out we’re here without his permission.
“A favor, my dear.” Ferro is clean-shaven with a gleam in his eye. It makes my stomach sink. He holds out his hand, gesturing for me to sit on Nate’s couch. “Let’s be direct, no bullshit. No wasting time.”
I sit slowly but remain tense, ready to run. “Agreed.”
Ferro paces as he explains. “There are some things people are willing to die for, causes that lead nowhere. Weak dreams meld into something that resembles taking a stand. After all, if you stand for nothing, then you’ll fall for everything. However, that type of life is fleeting. Youthful arrogance blinds my son so he can’t see what is truly happening to him.”
“And what’s that?” My voice drips with disdain. This is the only time I’ve heard him claim Nate as his own.
“That misplaced passion is sucking every last drop of hope from his body. Nate won’t sell, and I’m out of time. I could have come late last night and taken care of this, but he’s kin.” Ferro offers a wolfish smile and opens his hands, palms up, speaking casually as if murder is normal.
“What do you want me to do?”
The corner of his lips pulls up into a grin that sends a shiver down my spine. “Burn it to the ground.”
CHAPTER 10
I blink at him, unable to reply or peel myself off the couch. I want to get in his face and scream. I want to fight back, but I’m screwed. I can’t. There’s nothing to fight.
Ferro slips his hands into his suit pockets and tips his head to the side, studying me. “You can save Nathan if you set the fire. You could do it now, in the middle of the day. No one will say a thing. You have my word on that.”
I scoff, “Like that matters.”
“It matters a great deal, assuming you care about Nathan at all. Listen carefully to what I want you to do. If you fail to achieve the desired result, my men will return and make sure there’s nothing left but ashes. If that occurs, I can no longer guarantee Nathan’s safety. This is your decision. Your choice. You can save him, or you can walk away.”
My jaw drops. I’m suddenly on my feet and rushing at him. I stop short, ready to slam my fist into his temple, but his eyes unnerve me. Breathing hard, I keep my fists at my sides. “You’d kill your son? For a piece of land?”
“People have done much worse for much less.”
I sneer at him. “You’re a disgusting excuse for a man.”
“Words, Miss Hill, do very little in the grand scheme of things.” He snaps his fingers and indicates I should follow. I gnash my teeth and walk grudgingly into the kitchen. He points at a few bags from a hardware store on the counter. “Everything you need is right here.”
He’s serious. It’s already been decided. I either set the blaze myself or let him do it and kill Nate in the process. “I can’t—I don’t know how to set a fire.”
Ferro gives me a look that says he’s not that stupid and neither am I. “It’s simple enough that even you’d understand. Pour the accelerant on the