Page 48 of Lovely Deceit

It’s an innocent enough question, but it sets me off because it makes me look deep within myself for the truth. I have to shovel under layers of conditioning and mine for the sparkle of authenticity like it’s a rare, historical find. “Because I fucking care about you, okay? Look at my fucking chest. Do you see any lights? Do you see me doubling over from the shocks? It’s the goddamn truth.”

She presses her lips together. Her blue eyes widen, but she keeps them zeroed in on me, even while I’m gulping in air as if the admission took it all out of me.

In a way, it did.

I wouldn’t have given Eden Astor the time of day before. Not because she wasn’t from a good family, but because she’s the girl the men laugh about in the after-dinner cigar room. They appreciate the hell out of her body but dismiss her for being strong-willed. I’m furious but not surprised that Leon Forbes hauled off and slapped her. I can remember more than one conversation where women were reprimanded the same way for disobeying.

It’s evident Eden doesn’t know what to say, and I can’t blame her. She’s probably gotten emotional whiplash so much in the last few days she’s been back.

I gather myself, standing up straighter. I try to ease my grip on the bars so I don’t come across as a wolf sniffing out its next meal. The last thing I want is for her to feel like prey in all this. She’s much more than that. “So, why are you here, Eden?”

She bites down on her cheek and shakes her head.

I understand her hesitation. Her brain is still trying to tell her this is all a ruse. That the Knights can hear what I’m saying. That if she blurts out her reason, they’ll kick the door down and drag her right back out to the boat house and string her up by her sprained ankle.

“I’ll tell you what I think,” I start. I’m not sure how long we’ve been in here, but our time is dwindling fast. If I don’t come out with this, she may be too scared to say anything to me forever. “I think a smart woman like yourself has reasons to believe that your sister didn’t accidentally drown. I think you believe the Knights did it on purpose, so you also came into the thick of it all to see what you could find out. You joined the Knights to get close, to unravel their secrets. That’s why you held Keegan hostage. That’s why you’re determined to go through with this no matter the cost to yourself, and before you think you haven’t disguised yourself properly, it was only in the little things that I was able to glean all of this. It was only because I see something in you that reminds me of my predicament. Tell me I’m wrong.”

She places her forehead on the bars in front of her and takes in a deep, shaky breath. “I kind of hate you right now, Alaric Barclay.”

At least she feels something. She never says yes, but she doesn’t say no either. I have her backed into a corner. If she tries to lie, I’ll know. If she tells the truth, it’ll mean she trusts me, and she obviously doesn’t fully yet. I hope yet. “I have some information for you,” I tell her. My grip on the bars tightens, and I can’t believe I may have had something to do with any discomfort Eden’s sister may have felt before she passed away. “I delivered a bouquet of flowers to your sister’s room last year. They were given to me by Leon Forbes.”

24

Eden

The thoughts that churn inside my mind sound like a fifth-grade band class decided to start playing at the same time—badly. Out of tune squeaks. Loud honks. And the ever-incessant, off-beat drums.

Just when I think I’ve gotten Alaric Barclay figured out, he changes the playing field.

“Do you have any idea what was inside that bouquet?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “At the time, I believed it was just another Fledgling thing.”

The loud creak of hinges rings out as the door to the room begins to open. I shoot Alaric a silencing glare, my poker face completely gone when he laid all my truths bare.

Annoyance presses in on me as the same Knights who locked us in here and hooked us up to these machines enter the room. “Finished?”

Alaric nods and relief floods me. He could easily have kept this going. One by one, the nodes are taken off me as I stand there impatiently.

When I’m free, I grab my crutches and move as fast as I can out of the room. Alaric follows after me, hovering as I maneuver the stone steps and then spill out into the main hallway only to stop short when I find Leo, Oliver, and Franklin Jarvis standing in a circle.

The elder Jarvis turns to look us over, lifting his gaze to Alaric who’s just behind me, the warmth from his body heating up my backside. I take a step away, hoping he takes the hint.

“Ah,” Sir Jarvis says, “there they are now. I trust everything went well?”

I screw my face up into a smile but Alaric is the one to answer. “Very well. Thank you, Sir.”

Franklin Jarvis moves closer. “Excellent. I hope you two can put the previous incident behind you and that baring all your secrets has helped push your relationship past this…hiccup.”

“I believe it will,” Alaric responds, dropping his hand on my shoulder.

I don’t flinch away, even though the need is great. Instead, I allow him to guide me around the Elder and toward the exit.

Leo’s face is complete and utter fury while Oliver keeps taking second, third, and fourth glances at me. When we get outside, I shrug Alaric off—which is surprisingly easier than I imagined—before attempting to march away as much as my crutches will allow.

“You’re a fucking asshole,” Leo spits.

“Yeah, well, save it for when we’re at Jarvis.”

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