Page 81 of Omega Tricked

“Feeling better?” I asked. Regardless if I’d orchestrated this whole plan, I wasn’t enjoying it. It would have been distasteful enough if Dylan hadn’t been in the mix. I hated this violent side of things. But with Dylan here, it was worse. I just wanted to question Charles, figure out his responsibility in the equation, and put all of this behind me.

“I feel fantastic,” rasped Charles. “Should we get this party started?”

“We were thinking of letting you rest until tomorrow,” I said. “You seem out of it.”

“Why wait? I’m looking forward to it.” Charles smirked.

Gabriele laughed and shook his head. “Jesus, you’re unreal.”

Charles flicked his gaze to Gabriele. “I’ve been through way worse than this.”

“Seriously?” Gabriele frowned. “You must have led an interesting life.”

Charles didn’t respond; he glanced at me instead. “You wanted to ask me questions. So ask.”

I studied him; he did seem more alert. If he was willing to talk now, why wait? I pulled up a chair, making sure it was a safe distance from the bed. “So long as you talk, we won’t need to take it to the next level. But if you clam up, it’s Hank’s turn. Got it?”

Twisting his lips, Charles gave a sharp nod.

I cleared my throat. “Let’s start with the real reason I’m in Yellow Springs. What happened to my dad?”

Charles’s gaze flickered. “I didn’t kill him.”

“That’s not what I asked.” I didn’t actually believe him either.

Charles gave Hank and Gabriele a wary glance. “I’ll talk, but not in front of those two.”

Hank bristled. “Bullshit. You don’t direct the show.”

I hesitated. “Hank. Gabriele. Go downstairs. I’ll call if I need you.”

Hank scowled, and Gabriele looked insulted.

“Seriously?” Gabriele met my gaze. “Why are you letting him call the shots?”

“The point is to get him to talk. If we can do that without torturing him, why not try that first?” I held his gaze, making sure I sounded confident.

“He’ll probably just make up shit.” Hank gave Charles an angry look.

I moved my mouth in distaste. “We’ll try this way first. If I think he’s making shit up, you’re up, Hank.”

“Fine,” snarled Hank, moving toward the doorway.

“This is fucking unreal.” Gabriele had a stubborn set to his jaw, but he followed Hank out of the room.

Once it was just me, Charles, and Dylan, I relaxed a bit. I hadn’t even realized how tense Hank made me until he was gone. He was unpredictable, and I hated how he looked at Dylan. “So, start talking,” I said.

He glanced at Dylan. “You can’t repeat anything you hear.”

Dylan gave me a wary glance. “I’ll probably be dead. I don’t think it will be a problem.”

My stomach clenched at the resolution in his voice, but I focused on Charles. “What happened to my dad?” I asked again.

“If you’re Corbin’s son, you know he was looking for Jack and Carter.” Charles searched my face.

I nodded. “Yes.”

Dylan looked confused. “He was?”