Page 95 of Pretty Lethal
“You knew my mom?” Hawk stares up at Carrie with furrowed brows and a frown on his face. His mom was a power-hungry bitch, so it makes perfect sense that the two of them would be besties. I bet they drank wine while plotting world domination and discussing how they could manipulate and use their own children for their nefarious plans.
“Maria and I were close. We had similar ideals, albeit all she cared about was Nocturnal Mercenaries, whereas my goals were more… lofty.”
Yes, since crushing innocent people beneath your Manolo heels is truly aspirational.
“We would help one another out when needed. She made me a silent investor in their company and, in return, I offered her the financial backing they needed.” Reaching down, her long, slim fingers extend from the oversized cuff of her robe and her talons dig into Hawk’s skin as she pinches his cheek. “Such a shame you ended up weak like your father.”
Hawk seethes at her. “Yet it’s my mother whose corpse is rotting in the ground.”
“Mmm. Your sister, though. She’s a whole different breed. I’ve seen tapes of her too.”
“Leave my sister alone,” Hawk snarls venomously, poised like a viper ready to strike despite being bound as he unflinchingly meets my mother’s gaze.
My mother clucks her tongue. “I have no interest in your sister. Her defiance has proved problematic.” As though Hawk is nothing but an annoying fly buzzing in her ear, she pushes him away and turns her back on the three of them as she strides over to stand at Robbie’s side before me. Smiling down at me with motherly affection and a hint of crazy in her eyes, she says, “I have all I need right here.”
“We all killed people that night,” I tell her.
Reaching out a manicured hand, my mother threads her fingers through my hair in a jarringly affectionate touch. “Yes, my dear, but you were the only one who enjoyed it.”
My mouth opens and closes, but no words come out… because she’s right.
I did enjoy it. The violence. The blood. The chaos.
It soothed me in the same way Emilia does.
“Don’t listen to her, Wilder,” Emilia pleads. Her voice cracks and I turn to stare into her wide, beseeching eyes.
“She’s right, though,” I admit, barely able to look at my Angel yet unable to look away. Accepting my darkness and knowing what it’s capable of, knowing that I don’t necessarily resent it, are two different things.
“So what?!” Emilia growls, her green hues incensed as they bore into mine. “I don’t care.Wedon’t care. We love you regardless. We love youbecausewe know the lengths you’ll go to for us.”
“She’s right, man,” Kai agrees. “Even when I wasn’t convinced about you, I still trusted you with Emilia’s safety, because I knew you’d never let any actual harm come to her. I don’t give a shit if you enjoy it or not, so long as she’s safe.”
Emilia’s lips part, more than likely to continue her argument. Although perhaps noticing that they’re winning me back to their side, my mother intervenes.
“Please,” she sneers. “Love.”She spits out the word like it’s shit in her mouth. “So fragile. So transient.” Reaching out, she wrenches my head around to face her. “They mightloveyou now, but how long until they realize they’ll never change you? That the darkness will always be there—interfering and getting in the way. How long until arguments break out? Until you’ve angered them one too many times and they’ve had enough?”
Pasting on a soft expression, she attempts to soothe, “I will be here long after they’ve forgotten about you. The Elites are yourtruefamily. We will never abandon you. The Elites are your legacy, Wilder. Can’t you see that?” she implores before a manic smile splits her face.
“Mother and son reunited to take over the world. Together we can control it all—healthcare, the stock market, the political ring. No one will so much as sneeze without our approval.” Mania shines in the brown depths of her eyes as she stares straight back into mine, waiting for my answer…
Chapter30
EMILIA
No air moves in or out of my lungs as I wait on tenterhooks for Wilder’s response. I want to say I’m confident that he’ll choose us—choose me—but I’m terrified his mother will have wormed her way into his head. Not with her promises of power and control—I know Wilder couldn’t care less about those things. But with her poisonous words. We would never leave Wilder. Never abandon him. We are his family, and family sticks together no matter what. Regardless of how difficult things get.
Wilder can be challenging. He tests us all and doesn’t always think through the consequences before he puts whatever asinine idea he has into action—like disposing of my contraceptive pills without so much as a conversation. Still, as Kai said, he would never do anything to put us in harm's way. Everything he does is because he loves me and wants us to be a family. To be the family he never had growing up; the one he’s craved his entire life.
I can feel Hawk and Kai’s bodies tense beside mine, as unsure as I am about his response.
Please don’t let his bitch of a mother poison him against us,I pray to anyone above who is listening. We’re on the cusp of obtaining complete happiness. It’s right at the tip of our fingers, and I couldn’t bear it if it’s ripped away before we can reach it.
And all because of a duplicitous bitch who has been pulling Wilder’s strings for far longer than we could have imagined.
To attempt to murder your own son… What sort of vile person would commit such a heinous act? She thinks Wilder has darkness in him, but it is nothing compared to the evil within herself. Wilder would never—could never—hurt those closest to him.
I know without a shadow of a doubt that he will love our children unconditionally. He will coddle and protect them. Hell, he’ll probably be the very definition of a helicopter parent, and I can only imagine the shit that will go down if any kid dares mess with ours on the playground because you know Wilder is going to be there, threatening them with his ridiculous knife, regardless of how inappropriate that is.
