Ruthless Secrets (Elites of Macedon High 2)

My father shakes his head, taking two steps toward me. He pauses to lean against his desk and explains, “If only it was that simple.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Felipe was working to merge the five families in Macedon against the Persian, but his plan was discovered, which led to his death.”

My hand instinctively plunges into the pocket where the card is hiding. A chill runs through me, causing me to stiffen as I recall its ominous message. What falls into place next makes my blood as cold as the world outside.

“I see,” I state in a low voice.

My father clears his throat. “The gap between your ambition and abilities is too wide, and your ego can’t fill the gap.”

“You don’t know what I’m capable of doing.”

“I’ve seen plenty of what you can do,” he says with a firm tone. “You still need me, Parker, whether you like that or not.”

And I sure as fuck don’t like it. “Whatever.”

When I march away, I feel the tension follow me out of the room, through the foyer, and into my Mercedes. Rugged hip hop blares through the speakers when I turn the key in the ignition, and I try to tune out anything that crops up on the way to the coffee shop near the school.

The Persian is still a problem, I reflect while tapping the steering wheel. That means the cards are a calculated tactic. And someone might be watching to see how we scramble.

Hearing what my father had to say didn’t help my mood. None of this seems like a coincidence. And his opinion about my ego is misplaced. I have more capability in my goddamn pinky than he does in his entire body. If I can handle these cards, then I can prove to him that I am more than competent in leading an empire.

Especially with a woman by my side who doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty.

Surviving in Macedon means sacrifice, but thriving here means doing so much more. Is Alex capable of meeting that challenge?

The way she looked at me at the boathouse...like she trusted me. Panic swells in my solar plexus as I pull up to the drive-thru line. I think I prefer her to hate me instead.

After I put in my coffee order, while reluctantly adding a latte for Soren, I sit in my car, allowing everything to percolate. Regardless of my feelings, we have a huge mess on our hands that’s only going to get worse if we don’t do something about it right now. The question is, what the hell are we supposed to do about it?