Endless Lies (Lies #6) - Ella Miles Page 0,41
wakes up.”
“Let me see what I can see.” I start to move away, but Corbin grabs my arm.
“Langston and the kids are safe.”
“How do you know?” I can hear my heart pounding in my chest. I saw Langston escape with my own eyes before everything went dark, but I need all the evidence I can get.
“Your father talks about them. He doesn’t want them; he wants you. But it won’t stop him from trying to use them as leverage to get what he wants from you.”
“Where are we?”
“Not sure. We were all unconscious and woke up down here. We could still be in Russia or a thousand miles away.”
“We have to kill him.”
He nods. “I agree. We need to come up with a plan.”
“I’m going to check on Maxwell. We need to know how many people we have on our side.”
I slide across my small cell. It can’t be more than ten feet by ten feet. “Maxwell?” I ask through the bars.
No answer.
I’m able to see what Corbin described—burns cover his skin, and there’s an IV in his arm. I watch his chest rise and fall and compare it to my own.
“His breathing is slightly slower than mine, but he’s alive and unconscious. I don’t know what we could do to help.”
“Nothing. Either he’ll wake up on his own, or he won’t.”
I sigh as I sit back on my bed and lean against the wall. I’m about to ask Corbin if he has any ideas for an escape or how to kill my father when he speaks.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why? This isn’t your fault,” I reply.
Corbin leans against the same wall next to me, with the bars separating us. He lets out a large sigh, seeming to relax.
“No, but I assumed the reason you were going after your father was because you wanted his power for yourself. I knew the men you’re friends with. The Black family seeks power and money at all costs. At least, that’s how it used to be before Kai took over. I thought you were working with your father to gain their trust and overthrow my family before taking over for your father. I thought you were playing us all.”
“And now?” I ask cautiously.
“I know you love Langston. You love your kids. You hate your father for what he’s done to your family. I know you just want him dead. You want to watch his business burn. You’re not your father’s daughter.”
He takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry for my part in hurting you. After this is all over…when we kill your father and escape, I won’t punish you. I won’t take you hostage. And I won’t come after your kids. I—”
“No,” I stop him.
He frowns. “No? I’m telling you that our deal is off. I’ll help you kill your father, but I don’t want you as my hostage. You’re free of our deal. If we survive this, then you get to live your life with the man you love and your kids.”
“No, I don’t think I’m going to survive this. Even with the best medical care, we both know my destiny. I can’t let Langston love me again. He thinks I’m dead. We can’t let anything change that. I can’t let him go through my death twice.”
“So, what do you want from me?”
“If we somehow manage to survive this, then I want you to take me as your hostage.”
“You can live with me, of course, but I’m not so cruel as to take you hostage.”
“You have to. If I live long enough, I’ll want to run straight into Langston’s arms once I’m free. You have to stop me from doing that; make it so I can’t get to him. Promise me.”
Corbin runs his hand through his hair before his head falls back. I know he’s trying to think of another solution, a way he doesn’t have to keep his promise, but he can’t think of one. And he owes me.
“I promise,” he finally says.
I relax, knowing that I won’t have to put Langston through my death again. I have a plan. I’ll only have to break his heart once.
And for now, that’s enough.
The door to my cell pops open, and the creek it makes pulls me out of a dreamless sleep.
I sit up and come face to face with my father.
“Brave of you to come into my cell on your own,” I say, noticing he’s brought no men into the cell with me.
“It is brave of me. I know you’ll try and kill me any chance