Page 119 of Bonds of Pain
I tighten my grip on the edge of the desk, mind racing. “Not possible. This system is completely siloed off from the palace network. That’s the whole point of having a closed-circuit security system.”
“So you’re saying it had to be someone physically at your terminal,” Logan presses, his voice dropping to a dangerous register.
I reluctantly nod, my throat suddenly dry. “Should be impossible otherwise.”
Logan’s eyes narrow to slits. “Then what am I supposed to make of this evidence, Ares?”
The accusation in his tone makes my muscles tense, instinct screaming at me to prepare for a fight. But I force myself to stay calm, to think this through logically.
“Look, we were all pretty messed up last night,” I say, reaching for an explanation that doesn’t end with me dead.“Maybe someone snuck in while we were passed out. Servants are always in and out.”
“Servants with your access code?” Logan questions, voice dangerous.
Poe clears his throat, interrupting the standoff. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the small bag of blush, now noticeably lighter than it was yesterday. “We weren’t just drunk. We were drugged.”
Logan’s eyes flash to the pink powder. “What?”
“I found this by the bar after everyone was already out cold,” Poe explains, his voice carefully neutral. “I was going to mention it this morning, but then,” he gestures at the current chaos, “I got distracted.”
My brain clicks the pieces together, and I let out a humorless laugh. “Makes sense now. Maya seemed to really enjoy the stuff when we were watching your fight at the games.” I remember how she writhed on my lap, inhibitions completely gone. “Maybe she thought she was doing us all a favor.”
The words feel wrong as soon as they leave my mouth. Something doesn’t add up. Maya wouldn’t drug us just for fun—not after what happened last time. And she definitely wouldn’t record herself sexually assaulting Logan while he was unconscious.
Would she?
A cold feeling settles in my gut as I remember finding her with my tablet yesterday, how quickly she’d pulled her hand away when I entered the room. The flimsy excuse about fashion magazines. The way she’d avoided my eyes afterward.
I don’t want to voice my suspicions aloud. But from the darkening expression on Logan’s face, I don’t need to.
“Has anyone else received strange messages recently?” Logan asks, his voice deceptively calm. “Something that seemed off?”
Poe shifts uncomfortably. “I received an encrypted message a few days ago. I assumed it was from Ares, since only pack members have access to that communication channel.”
My head snaps up. “I didn’t send you anything.”
“Show me,” I demand, gesturing for Poe to hand over his tablet.
He hesitates, then passes it to me. I pull up his secure communications and find the message in question. My fingers fly over the keyboard, breaking down the encryption patterns.
“Fuck,” I mutter as the source code appears. “This message shows it came from my terminal too.”
Poe’s expression darkens instantly. “You set me up?”
“No!” I protest, rising from my chair. “I didn’t send this. I swear on my life.”
“Then who did?” Poe demands, stepping closer, his hand drifting toward the knife I know he keeps concealed at his lower back.
“Both of you, shut up,” Logan commands, his voice cutting through our argument like a blade. Though he’s still clearly seething, a calculating look has replaced the blind fury in his eyes. “If I believed for one second that you did this, Ares, you’d already be dead.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “So you believe me?”
“I believe you’re smart enough not to use your own console to send incriminating evidence,” Logan says flatly. “Which means someone else accessed it.”
Poe turns to Logan, his expression grim. “What was in the message that got sent to Farrow?”
Logan’s jaw tightens. “Me, restrained and unconscious. And Maya...” He trails off, but we all understand what he’s not saying.
I review the evidence aloud, needing to hear it laid out clearly. “So we have the drugged drinks last night, an encryptedmessage sent to Poe from my terminal, and now this video sent to a reporter—also from my terminal.” I look between them. “There’s only one explanation that makes sense.”
