The Knight (Stolen Duet 2)

“Reginald returned here almost an hour ago with the other presumptive heirs and called him out.”

“Why would he do that?”

“He said he suspected Angel no longer had the book.”

“But he does.” I quickly pulled the book from behind my back. “It’s right here.”

“It wasn’t enough to show them. Reginald insisted on inspecting it too.”

“The torn pages,” I gasped. “They found them.”

“If you ask me, Reginald knew exactly what to look for.”

“Do you think Augustine—” He was the only one with something to gain from Angel’s death who would know about the missing pages.

“He’s hiding something,” Z agreed, “but he’s made it clear he doesn’t want Alexander’s legacy.”

“And you believe him?”

“He doesn’t exactly stay around long enough for anyone to question him.”

“Where is he now?”

“He went with them, but he didn’t look too happy about it. He could be our only ally, but right now, I don’t trust anyone outside this room.”

“Are they really going to kill him?”

“Yes. Reginald has been looking for an excuse for years. This isn’t the first time he’s challenged him, but this is the first time he’s won.”

“Won? Are you saying you’ll just sit here and let them butcher him?”

“He only has two options, princess.”

“Which are?”

“After they execute him, Reginald will turn his wrath on you, and there will be no one to challenge him. We either get you and Caylen to safety now or risk dying as we try to save him.”

“And he made his choice very clear, princess.”

When I told Angel he’d have to choose, I didn’t mean this. “Well, guess what? I’m tired of living my life based on his choices. Where is he?”

“Do you think this is easy for us to stand by and let him die?” Z roared. “It’s fucking tearing us apart.” He wrecked me when his eyes glistened with unshed tears. “We have our orders, Mian.”

Mian.

Not princess.

“He’s not your leader right now,” I pleaded brokenly as I balled his shirt in my fists. “He’s your friend, your brother, and he needs you right now.” I couldn’t just accept that he was going to die. Not after everything I gave him this morning.

“The crypt,” Lucas cursed as he pulled me out of Z’s arms. “They took him to the crypt.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Z argued. “We’ll never get in without the key,”

I didn’t stop to think about a plan or even if I should rescue Angel with all I had just learned.

I just knew I could never stop my heart from wanting to try.

“It just so happens I know a way in.”Chapter Twenty-ThreeANGELWE WERE UNDERGROUND the mausoleum where each Bandit before me, including my father and grandfather, were buried. The main chamber was circular with an altar in the center. The floor was made of black and white tiled marble. Surrounding the altar were six crypts, one of them belonging to me.

“I’m almost disappointed you didn’t see this coming,” Andrew whispered as he tied me to the pillar. The rope bit into my skin, cutting off the blood flow. “Our family thinks you’re a legend yet it was so easy to orchestrate your downfall.” He patted my arm once he had finished tying me up. “We’ve orchestrated a lot of downfalls,” he confessed. “It all started with your mother. Your poor, broken mother. Beatrice gave Victor the code to the safe and the tip about the silent alarm. The paranoia Victor implanted in her head made her think she was saving you from yourself.” I kept my gaze forward and didn’t react. My chances of getting out of this alive were slim, but if I did, I needed to know who deserved my wrath. “Then there was Victor who was so eager to prove his potential. My father promised him power if he helped us set you up by stealing the book. When he succeeded, we couldn’t leave loose ends, so we asked him to take your sweet little wife and then you killed him for us. Just as we wanted.”

Reginald and fifteen of my cousins were busy arguing how best to kill me. His suggestions favored pain while the others just wanted to get it over with. My family had long ago divided. There were those who wanted nothing to do with Alexander’s legacy but were too afraid of rebelling.

And then there was Augustine who feigned boredom as he stood silently within our circle of cousins. I knew my warning not to interfere had fallen on deaf ears. He was a calculating player and used every piece in the game of chess as his personal pawn. He once told me himself that it was smarter not to trust him.

“Finally, there was the ambitious Henry Staten who was eager to keep his cozy job in the Senate. We convinced him to deliver the book to you in exchange for erasing his indiscretions, and of course, Mian and the kid. Once he entered those gates, we counted on you making sure he’d never return.” I waited, knowing there would be more. “We promised we’d show up on a white horse with the other heirs to bear witness to how a descendant of Angelo broke the rules. But we didn’t.” He moved closer and whispered, “You weren’t the only one laying a trap,” he taunted. “Staten dead means there’s no one left to tie us to the book being stolen and tampered. You remember rules number five and six, don’t you?”