“All you ever did was exist. You had no power. You had no agency. You were allowed to attend Blackwoods because it didn’t matter either way, and I suspect your parents didn’t care enough to stop you. Your future was always decided. You weren’t a threat.”
I looked down at my hands then forced myself to smile. “You aren’t pulling any punches here, you know.”
“I know, but I need you to understand. Maeve knows all this. She was well aware that you were nothing to her, and she wanted to murder you anyway. She wanted to take your life purely because it would hurt your family. You were never important to her.”
I sucked in a breath and let it out. “Is that supposed to piss me off?”
“Yes, Penny. It is.”
“It doesn’t.” I stood and walked across the room. I was sick of all this fighting and bloodshed. I was tired of acting like I cared about the Servant family name, like being an Oligarch mattered at all.
I wanted freedom. I didn’t care about the rest.
“It should,” he said, his tone fierce. “It drives me. I can’t stop thinking about it. Maeve knew you weren’t a threat and planned on killing you anyway. It’s sick and ruthless. I care about you, and I won’t let anyone think you’re disposable.”
“So you’ll get yourself killed and tear my family to pieces in the process?” I threw my hands up, frustration spilling out. “If you stopped this now, Erin wouldn’t keep trying to ruin everything.”
“Erin’s going to follow her own path whether you want her to or not. Maeve is a convenient excuse.”
I clenched my jaw. I knew he was right. I ran my fingers down the marble countertop and wanted to slam my fist against it.
“Is your revenge really worth it?”
“Yes, it is. I’m doing this for you, Penny, and for all the other third and fourth and fifth children that were ignored, neglected, and abused. They should’ve had someone willing to burn the world for them. Instead, you have me.”
I stared into his eyes. He didn’t know a thing about being a fourth child. He was the oldest, the center of the Baskin world. I knew being the heir to an Oligarch family came with expectations and problems and abuses, but at least he was important.
He mattered. He didn’t have autonomy, but he had power. He stood to inherit so much wealth, it was hard to imagine it all.
While I was given nothing. Not a single chance.
I wanted more, but killing Maeve wouldn’t fix anything.
“There can be some other way.”
“There isn’t.” He came to me, stalking like a panther. “We didn’t get Maeve today, but we caught one of men. I planned on speaking to him, but I wonder if you should come with me.”
I stared at him, mouth open. “You’re joking.”
“I’m not. I think you should hear what he has to say.”
“You want to take me to an interrogation. You’re going to torture the guy.”
“I might not have to. Redmond’s likely done a lot of the work already, if I’m honest.”
“What would I possibly learn?”
He stopped a foot away from me. I yearned for him to close the gap.
“You’ll learn just how rotten this whole world can be. You’ll see what Maeve really is. All I ask is that you listen.”
I hesitated, looking away.
I wanted to turn him down. I didn’t want to leave the safety of this hotel room.
But Kaspar was the life vest keeping me from drowning.
He was the only person that ever gave a damn about me.
Even Alice was a traitor.
Livvie loved me, but Livvie was gone. She left me all alone.
Darren cared, but not as much as he cared about the family.
Anthony—well, Anthony was complicated. He had a hard life.
There was only Kaspar.
And if he wanted me to come to this interrogation, then I’d do it.
“All right. I’ll go.”
“Good.” He touched my cheek then kissed me gently. “It’ll be hard, but be strong.”
I got changed into jeans and a dark shirt then followed him and his men outside. They drove in a caravan of black SUVs through the center of the city. Chicago was quiet, like half the population had fled the Oligarch war, like they knew what was happening in the shadows.
We drove past a building that had been torn to pieces and burned.
Maybe it wasn’t all in the dark.
“Not far,” Kaspar commented, and that was when the truck rammed into the side of the car in front of ours.
The two vehicles careened sideways. I gasped in shock as the driver of our SUV slammed on the brakes. Kaspar slammed his hand into my chest to hold me back as we skidded to a stop. Glass and metal screamed along the street.
For the length of two gasping breaths, there was a deep, bold quiet. It fell like a mid-winter snow.