Page 79 of Broken Truths

“She was so pretty,” I continue. “She would’ve loved this dress.” I glance down, imagining my sister standing here next to Keegan. She would’ve married him in any kind of ceremony. A small, private one like this. A grand party where our fathers would invite every business associate they knew to throw their wealth in the guests’ faces. None of that would’ve mattered. It would’ve only been about joining her hands with Keegan’s.

Fuck me. Is this really happening?

Leon grabs my hand and tugs me closer. “Except it’s you. Now keep your mouth shut and respond at the appropriate times.”

I implore the priest with my eyes, but he gazes down at his book and starts the ceremony. Some book he has there. Does it tell him he can marry people against their will? Does it tell him to listen to powerful men just because of how miserable they can make you? I wonder what Forbes has on this priest. Or if he’s just offered him a sum of money the man can’t back down from.

It’s sickening, actually.

“I’ll match what he’s paying you,” I blurt out.

The priest stumbles, but Leon Forbes’ laugh cracks through the air like a whip. “You have no money. You’re just a girl.”

Next to me, Keegan’s hand starts shaking uncontrollably. He reaches into his pocket, and I focus on what he’s doing to take my mind off the priest’s words about love and courtship. About obeying your partner.

I can’t believe my eyes at first. I suck in a breath, the gasp almost wrenched from me.

“I’m sorry,” Keegan says.

And then he turns, the black barrel of a gun pressed against his temple and his finger on the trigger.

29

Oliver

Ihang up the phone. Every hospital within a hundred mile radius has no record of an Eden Astor amongst their current patients.

My fists clench and unclench as I make myself breathe. It’s harder when it feels like everything is slipping away from me. And by everything, I mean Eden. My love.

The door bangs open, and Leo stomps in muttering obscenities under his breath. I walk toward the entryway and lean against the door frame as Alaric shuts the huge door behind them. He looks as snarly as his copilot right now. Seeing them breaks loose a little bit of my calm façade.

I want to rage at the world, too.

“It’s not the fucking Knights,” Leo grunts.

I’d thought we’d already ruled them out, but they must have done something to make sure. “What about the car?”

“Nothing of real use.”

“Jarvis offered up a team to search for evidence,” Alaric informs me.

Leo huffs. “That’ll take too long. We need to figure this out now.”

He’s right. The stakes seem higher. Two dead Astors—both of their deaths mysterious and smelling of Knight shit. It’s impossible to talk myself out of the fact that Eden could be in real danger.

We’re not just pledging an ancient secret society full of assholes right now. This is real life danger, and there’s no telling what could happen.

“At the very least,” Alaric starts, “we need to surveil the Forbes residence.”

My stomach twists. “My thoughts exactly. I called Keegan from Eden’s phone, but it went straight to voicemail.”

Leo peers at me for a second as if he’s impressed. Keegan might be the only person we know who could just walk onto Forbes’ property to search the place for her.

“Can you get his phone tracked?” Alaric asks Leo.

“Of course I fucking can,” Leo growls. “But that doesn’t mean Eden is with him, and by that time, it might be too fucking late. We’ll just go there.”

“And do what?” Alaric asks. “Question the gate attendant if his boss has kidnapped a young girl?”

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