Page 131 of Blood and Thorns

“Honestly Caden, your language is atrocious.” Alexander swirled his glass of wine, taking a sip before turning to me with a raised brow. “It’s clearly from the company you keep.” He glared at Langdon, who simply responded with his middle finger.

“You want to tell me what happened?” I demanded, frowning down at Ryder tied up to a large oak dining chair. He flinched at my expression, my anger barely contained.

Alexander tutted his disappointment. “You were beingerratic, Sebastian. It was clear you weren’t taking your medication, so I made sure you were keeping safe.”

I narrowed my eyes at my uncle. “So you had me tailed?”

“You seem to forget I’ve been dabbling in this industry for far longer than you’ve been alive.” His gaze was sharp when it met mine. “And I didn’t trust you’d do something stupid, like hire this buffoon.”

Ryder seemed offended, his complaint muffled by his gag.

“Which was why I hired my own tracker,” Alexander continued, taking the seat opposite. “They caught a certain thief stealing something he shouldn’t.”

Then Ryder was dead.

I surged forward, rage boiling pitch-black in my veins. My hand closed around Ryder’s throat with every intention of crushing it, only for Caden to yank me back.

“If you kill him now, he won’t give us the answers we need to get Arabella back,” he growled into my ear, voice low and urgent.

I heard him, but every cell in my body screamed for blood. I wanted to watch the light drain from Ryder’s eyes, to feel his last breath shudder against my grip. Violence was the only thing keeping me from falling apart, the only thing louder than the terror hollowing out my chest.

But I forced myself to nod, dragging myself back under control.

“Why didn’t you stop him from taking Ara?” Caden asked his father, his grip not lessening on my arm, as if worried I’d give in to my demons.

“Because I didn’t get the information until much later. He was told to follow, not interfere.” Alexander downed the rest of his red wine, placing the glass onto the table beside him. His home was as opulent as him, with rich woodenfurniture and expensive art. He sat on his brown leather Chesterfield, having placed Ryder on the chair in his living room.

He’d pre-emptively rolled up the rug, leaving the wood between them bare.

Shrugging free from my cousin’s grip, I reached over to yank Ryder’s head back awkwardly before removing the gag. “Where’s Arabella?” I snarled.

“Yeah.” Ryder winced. “So I think we have a bit of a misunderstanding.”

I released his head, only to reach down and pull his middle finger back until it dislocated. Ryder screamed, his smile turning into a sneer. I did the second finger, enjoying the way the bone cracked before reaching for the third.

“Okay, okay! Stop for just a fucking second and let me fucking answer!” He let out a wheeze when I stepped back, sweat beading down his face from the pain. “I took her to a private airfield in Upminster.”

“Did she go willingly?” Alexander asked, always stirring up shit. I would’ve snarled at him if Ryder wasn’t so responsive now that I’d dislocated and possibly broken three of his fingers.

“Fuck no. Bitch bit me.” He began to smirk. “I like them fiery.”

“This guy has a fucking death wish,” Langdon signed, and Caden simply shook his head in response.

“Where was the plane headed?” Alexander asked, his tone tediously calm, the polar opposite of this maelstrom inside me.

Ryder licked along his bottom lip, eyes darting between all three of us. “Look, I was paid to steal and take her to the airfield. After that, I couldn’t care less, so I didn’t ask.”

I raised my fist, ready to break his fucking jaw.

“Not the face!” Ryder tried to bend back, as far as thechair would allow. “Look, I had a cheeky look at the flight manifesto. The plane was chartered for Paris.”

“And who exactly paid you for all this?” Alexander asked, swinging his leg to hook over his knee. “Let me guess, Margot Laurent?”

“Bingo.” Ryder grinned. “The same bitch I stole the brooch from. I have her address, by the way. Plus, I have details of all the fancy gadgets she has in that posh Chateaux of hers. Top of the range security stuff.”

“How many men work for her?” Langdon signed.

“Mate, do I look like I can read fingers?”