Ruthless Knights (The Dark Elite 2)

“Brian is dead,” Hale says, straightening his back. “And yet you continued to operate. You had help with the attack on my father. So who else are you working with?”

I keep my eyes trained on Leland, not shaken by whatever he has to say about Brian. By the way Zaid and Lucas shift, I can tell they’re concerned about the mention of my ex-fiancé. But it’s not new information that Brian was working with Leland—or that Brian was a dirty cop.

I’m done mourning anything I once had with that slime-ball. I’m done being hurt by his betrayal. I’ve found four men who are better than he could ever hope to be, even though once, I was convinced the opposite was true.

Before I had my eyes opened.

“We sent the dog to scare her,” Leland pants. “She ran from you once. We wanted her to run again. It was a warning. That’s all.”

“You’re still not answering the question,” Hale says. “You’re not working by yourself, Leland. I’m not stupid. Choose your words wisely.”

“I don’t actually work for her, you see.” A hint of panic creeps into Leland’s voice. His wounds are bleeding profusely, and his words are slurred. I don’t know if it’s because he’s on the edge of consciousness or because his mouth is too swollen for him to speak properly. “I didn’t want to help her. I didn’t want to get roped into her fucking plans. I tried not to give in, but she—”

“Who?” Hale demands. Ciro steps forward, grabbing Leland’s forearm and twisting.

I flinch at the sound of bone breaking. Leland gives a wail of pain as Hale leans down, saying something low in his ear that I can’t make out from where I’m standing.

“Camilla,” Leland finally says, face crumbling. “She wanted Damian dead. She had Brian go after Grace. She set all of this up.” He coughs, spitting out blood. His gaze flicks to me before returning to Hale. “It was Camilla Weston.”

My entire body jolts, shock making my heart thud heavily in my chest.

Mom.