Page 146 of Contested Crown

Cade handed it over, watching me. I looked at Declan’s desk and smirked. The monitor had been turned off, but as soon as I clicked it on, an array of security cameras filled the screen. I ignored the ones from the stairwell, showing the bodies we’d left behind.

Instead, I found the ones from the sealed-off floors. The guys from Declan’s crew were trying to use tables or chairs to break through the doors, but it wasn’t having any effect on the spellwork that sealed the doors shut.

Bones cracked and popped, and skin tore. I looked around to see the pack shifting, coming back to their human selves. I needed to make this quick. There was too much else to do.

Pressing down on the radio, I said, “This is Miles. I know you know me.”

The frantic movement on both floors stilled, and I saw some of the guys holding up radios. A few stared at theirs incredulously.

“Yeah, despite rumors of my death, Declan didn’t kill me. I’m in charge now. Declan can verify.” I held the radio out to him, and he glared at me, saying nothing, so I stomped hard on his knee until he screamed in pain. “Hear that? That’s Declan. So we’re going to let you out. You have a choice, and I’m going to watch you make it. You can run, go back home, take up alpaca farming, and make sure you never see my face again, or you can join me. You have ten minutes to choose. Let me be very clear. If you think you’re the one who’s going to save Declan, you aren’t. I have an entire pack that will be happy to prove you wrong.”

I released the button, letting my foot off Declan’s leg. He glared at me. “Was that really necessary? We worked together for years, Miles. You couldn’t allow me some dignity in my retirement?”

“Eleven years,” I said. “And the first time I did something you didn’t like, you tried to have me killed.”

“Yeah, well.” Declan tried to shrug, but he was trapped by Cade’s magic. “I mean, what would you do? You helped someone who was bad for my bottom line get away from me! You have to admit, that was a pretty clear choice you made.”

“You aren’t helping yourself, Declan,” I said.

Before he could answer, a voice came over the radio. He was the manager of one of Declan’s more popular nightclubs, but I was hard-pressed to remember his name. “Miles? That’s really you?”

“In the flesh,” I said. “You got an answer for me?”

“We’ll go with you.” He looked up at the camera, and I narrowed my eyes, trying to decide if he was being honest.

“All of you?” I pressed.

On the screen, a half dozen guys were yelling, the argument getting intense—one guy pulled his gun.

“When you have your guys dealt with, let me know,” I said.

The people on the other floor were huddled together, away from the camera. I couldn’t make out any faces, but I could see that the discussion was edging toward violence.

“Heh, and how’s the crown fitting, Miles?” Declan asked. “You starting to see how heavy it can weigh?”

Turning, I examined him down on the floor. In my mind, Declan loomed large. He was bigger than a giant. Cognitively, I knew he was shorter than me, but it was impossible to tell because in my head, he said jump, and I pulled out the springboard.

I cleared my throat. “We have some questions.”

“I’m sure I have answers, but let me up off the floor, yeah? This is uncomfortable, and you know my back is just going to lock up, and then how am I going to focus?” Declan’s smile was all teeth.

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. There wasnothingDeclan did that was for free. If he was offering to sing, it was because he was sure I’d open his birdcage to hear the song.

But I could see the pack was starting to get uneasy, the rush of the hunt fading. Rhys was pulling clothing literally out of thin air, and people were collapsing together in piles of post-hunt affection.

I focused on Nia, and she caught my eyes immediately. With a sharp nod, she started to corral everyone to the other side of the office. They sprawled over the couches and chairs, and I heard the familiar sounds of a pack. My heart yearned to go with them, but I knew I couldn’t. I knew I had to finish this.

Lifting Declan off the floor, I saw Cade’s magic shift and resettle, binding Declan’s arms to his sides, his legs together. I walked over to the conference table and shoved him into one of the chairs. The magic resettled again, binding his arms to the armrests and his thighs flat to the seat.

“Talk,” I said shortly. “Quickly.”

“Give a guy a minute,” Declan said. “Can I have some water?”

“Declan… I meant it. The first guy who bursts in here trying to save your skin gets his own head ripped off, then that’s the end of the questions. Talk fast.” I pulled out a chair for myself, throwing myself down into it. “What’s Leon planning?”

“Leon? God, that guy is such a prick. You think I’m a prick?Thatguy is a prick.” Declan shrugged, his shoulders settling down, relaxed. I could picture him with a cigarette, and from the light in his eyes, he knew he had something we wanted, and that was how he thought he was going to get out of this.

“What is Thorn?” I asked. “We know it’s something you cut with Reaper. But what is it?”