Lib Novel Page 94
The words hung between us, a silent accusation echoing off the walls. Fear twisted inside me, its icy tendrils wrapping around my spine. My father, the man who had taught me everything about loyalty and family, was suggesting treason within our own ranks. The idea was almost too much to bear.
“Who?” The single word came out strangled, barely more than a whisper.
“Family is complex, Nathan,” Kenny said, setting the knife down on the desk with deliberate care. “Sometimes the ones closest to you are the ones you should watch the most.”
“Who do you suspect?” My voice was a ragged edge, betraying the turmoil that his insinuation had churned up inside me.
“Maybe it’s Justin…” Ba’s words rolled out slowly, each one measured and heavy with implication. “…or maybe even Lily.”
“Justin? Lily?” I shook my head, incredulity sharpening my tone to a point. “That’s absurd.”
“Is it?” The Serpent arched an eyebrow, his gaze unyielding. “All my children are of the Serpent’s bloodline, Nathan. Each one born into our world of shadows and secrets. It makes them…malleable. Capable of deception.”
I couldn’t contain the scoff, the idea so outlandish yet spoken with such eerie conviction. “They’re your kids, Ba.”
“Exactly,” he said with a nod, as if I’d made his point for him. “And what about Abby? We’ve welcomed her into our fold, but she’s still an unknown variable.”
“Abby has nothing to do with this,” I countered quickly, the protective instinct flaring hot within me.
“Perhaps,” he continued, undeterred. “But maybe we should have a more…thorough conversation with them. Down in the basement, where truths tend to surface more freely.”
That…no. I couldn’t take that.
“Stay the fuck away from my family,” I erupted, the words a snarl as my fists slammed down onto the desk with enough force to rattle the lamp. It was a line drawn, a boundary set. I was on my feet without even knowing how I’d gotten there, locking eyes with the man who’d spent years terrorizing me.
Ba’s reaction wasn’t anger; it was amusement, a low chuckle rumbling from his throat as he sat down and leaned back in his chair. “There it is,” he said, his eyes briefly flicking over my shoulder. “The weapon I created from a scared, helpless boy.”
His laughter held no warmth—it was the sound of a snake amused by the defiance of its prey. I followed his gaze and there, looming just inside the doorway, stood one of the bodyguards. He was a mountain of a man, his presence silent but palpable. I didn’t recognize him, which only dialed up my unease.
Turning back to face Ba, I saw it then—a glint of steel as he placed a knife on the desk. It was deliberate, calculated.
A test.
My breath hitched slightly, though I willed my hands not to shake. The knife lay there, cold and still between us, a promise of violence. I could almost feel the weight of the blade in my hand, the imagined sensation of plunging it into the heart of the sociopath before me.
But I didn’t move. The knife might as well have been a thousand miles away. I was caught, suspended in a moment where every choice seemed to lead to ruin. The Serpent watched me, his eyes narrowed, waiting to see if its fangs had venom.
He slid a folded piece of paper across the desk, pushing it closer to me with the tip of his finger. “I found Alex,” Ba said, his voice flat. “But now, Nathan, I have questions about you.”
Questions about me? My heart slammed against my ribs as I unfolded the paper and stared at the address scrawled there in his tight, angular handwriting.
“Here’s what you’ll do,” he continued, tapping the knife handle with an air of casualness that only magnified the dread coiling inside me. “You’ll take this knife, go to that address, and put it in your brother’s heart.”
My mouth went dry, the words sticking in my throat. Why did I feel like I was hearing my own death sentence? “Why haven’t you taken care of him yourself?” I managed to force the question out, though each syllable tasted of fear.
Ba leaned back, steepling his fingers. A shiver ran through me; it was a posture reserved for when he was most pleased with himself. “Because, Nathan,” he said, and it seemed like the shadows in the room gathered around him even tighter, “it’s an opportunity—a test of your loyalty.”
A test of my loyalty. The phrase echoed in my head, mocking me. My loyalty had never been for the Serpent, but for my family, for the organization I’d come up in that had given us power.
Now, he was asking me to stain my hands with blood to prove allegiance to his madness.
Swallowing hard, I looked down at the knife again, its blade reflecting cold light. It wasn’t just a weapon; it was a shackle, one that would bind me to him forever if I complied.
But how could I not, when my family’s safety hung in the balance?
“Fine,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. Inside, something screamed at the lie, but it was a scream no one would hear—not even me.
I straightened up, my hand reaching for the knife with a reluctance that felt like wading through quicksand. The metal was cold against my skin, an ominous weight as I wrapped my fingers around the handle. With every fiber of my being, I wanted to turn the blade on him, to end this twisted game he played with people’s lives.