Page 69 of Bed of Thorns

His smile was genuine, the flash of his eyes telling me he was pleased. “Adam was one of the founding members of the group almost thirty years ago.”

“Then why is he in prison?”

“Even members can make mistakes, Edmond. We are human. Often certain circumstances predicate the need.”

“Who is he, Mr. Walters?”

“First of all, please call me Carl. Adam’s real name is Markus Collingsworth. He comes from a family that were some of the original settlers in this great country. His ancestors built their wealth on hard work. They formulated dozens of various corporations over the years, many of which have gone on to make other men and women rich as well. They are also powerful in the hold they have over thousands of individuals.”

“Blackmail?”

He laughed, the sound booming. “In a crude term, yes, but it goes much deeper than that. With a single phone call, Markus could destroy an entire Fortune 100 company within twenty-four hours. For that, he’s given tremendous respect; however, he also has dozens if not hundreds of enemies.”

“That’s why he was in prison under an assumed name.”

Carl patted me on the shoulder then shifted toward his desk, easing down in his fat leather chair. I found some of what he’d told me difficult to believe, but I was no fool. Power came in many forms, including owning information. With the added benefit of extreme wealth, anyone could potentially rule the world.

There were still so many unanswered questions, too many riddles. “He was placed in that cell with me. Wasn’t he?”

Carl took his time answering, still debating how much I should be told at this point. “Yes, Edmond. He was.”

“For what purpose?”

“To find out what you knew for one thing.”

I narrowed my eyes, trying to put a few of the pieces together. “My father had something on the organization. Didn’t he?”

My God. The man was smiling. This was some kind of crazy game.

“Yes, Edmond, and he still does.”

Several of the pieces were starting to fall together, the reason my father had been so secretive.

“You sent Damian to his office that night to kill him. Didn’t you?”

When he smiled, the darkness in his gaze exuded evil.

Jesus Christ. What the fuck had I stumbled onto? “You can’t find that information. Correct?”

“Let’s just say if it got into the wrong hands, we could be severely damaged. From what you told Adam, the information you gleaned, attempting to bring your father to justice, could prove to be very beneficial for us in the future. Damien was also very important to us. His military training provided us with certain expertise that had proven useful on more than one occasion. The truth is it was fortunate that your father decided to return to the office that night.”

This was a barter and nothing more. Swallowing, I’d never wanted a stiff drink more than I did at this moment. “You want me to remember what happened that night, the details I learned.” I tried to remember if I’d ever told Adam about the box I’d buried. No. I’d purposely kept that to myself, fearful if the wrong person found out, it would be destroyed. There were too many thoughts in my mind.

“In exchange for my acceptance into the group.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, Edmond. Your talents far exceed whatever information you can provide. That includes your desire for retaliation. Adam found that trait… admirable. Even if you aren’t providing the information we would like to find, the fact you are determined to bring down your father’s regime is powerful indeed. You’ll be given opportunities to make that happen. Although I will say, your father is doing an excellent job of imploding. What a shame. He had such potential.”

Jesus. All the years I’d spent with the man in my cell, and he’d lied to me. I wasn’t certain how I felt about it. Or maybe I was in shock. What I knew for certain was that this moment was suffocating as fuck, my throat tightening. “Who was my father to your group?”

His laugh sounded bitter. “I’m certain you can figure that out.”

I took a wild guess, my throat tightening. “He was a member.”

“Yes. Recommended by someone we trusted implicitly. We take recommendations as the number one reason to consider allowing someone to become a member of the Prism Group.”

“My father had nothing for most of his life. Why would he be considered a viable candidate?”

“An excellent question. It’s not always about someone who has money and power, Edmond. It’s about building a future, nurturing those with the right qualities into becoming the perfect group member.”

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