Page 66 of Unmasked Prophecy

He grins. “Not the first time I’ve hidden a weapon.”

I smile, just slightly.

I have been wanting a moment with Kael since this all went down, to ask him about what Talon told him before he left. It is playing on my mind, like a bad movie rewinding and beginning again. I need to know why Talon decided to do this, mostly, I need to know what he said.

“What did Talon say when he left?” I ask, my eyes meeting Kael’s.

Kael crosses his arms. “Not sure we should get into that one, darlin’.”

“Please.”

He mutters a curse. “Said he was goin’ in to get the kid, so that you could leave and he wouldn’t have to see you again.”

The words hit like a physical blow, and I swallow hard, trying not to let it show.

I knew it, deep down, but hearing it...God.

“Ouch,” I murmur.

“Let me finish,” he goes on, “he wasn’t sayin’ that because he doesn’t care, he was sayin’ it because he cares too much. Talon is in love with you, I’d bet my life on it, and you hurt him. You hurt him real fuckin’ deep. The only way he knows to get that pain away, is to get away from you, but that ain’t really what he wants.”

I swallow the lump in my throat. “I fucked up.”

Kael nods. “Yeah, you did. But you’re a good person, Nia. Give him time.”

“I think he’s gone for good.”

Kael shakes his head, a slow, knowing smile on his lips. “Nah, darlin’. He’s got it bad, he won’t stay away long.”

I want to believe him, but I wonder if I have pushed too far.

“Now, you ready for this?” Kael asks, his eyes searching mine. “We’re gonna get them out. We’re gonna end this.”

“I’m ready,” I say, my voice steady. “I can’t wait for the moment my father is exposed to the world. Everything he has ever done, it will be out there. He won’t be able to hide, and that is worth every fucking second.”

Kael nods, a grin spreading across his face. “Atta girl.”

“Hey, Kael?”

“Yeah?”

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I made a mistake, but I promise I never wanted anyone in the club to get hurt. I just...I wanted to protect Lily. I know I messed up, but I need you to know that you have become someone I really care about. Before I go in there, before whatever happens, happens, I just needed you to know.”

His eyes flash, and he reaches forward, curling a hand around the back of my neck and pulling me closer. “Appreciate that, darlin’. Need you to come out of there alive, yeah?”

I smile, but it’s shaky. “Yeah. I’ll try.”

A low whistle sounds, and I see Wolfe motioning us over, the club gathered and waiting. “Time to move,” he calls, his voice carrying over the noise. “Let’s do this.”

My heart pounds as I follow Kael, the weight of the knife a small comfort against the fear that’s rising inside me. We’re doing this. We’re really doing this. We load into the trucks, the engines rumbling to life, the tension thick and electric. I sit in the back, wedged between Mera and Kael, my mind racing with everything that could go wrong, everything that could go right.

Now is not the moment for hesitation. Right now, I need the kind of strength that is unwavering. I need to go in there with the confidence I had when I waved that gun in my father’s face. Only this time, I don’t plan on leaving without destroying him first.

I will bring them down, every last one of them.

I swear it on everything I hold dear.

If it costs me my life, then so be it.

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