Page 143 of Stand: Part One

“Or,” he continued, a sly smile curling his lips, “have you finally grown to enjoy your pampered captivity? Those bruises might suggest otherwise, though. Or maybe you like wearing them?”

Pampered. Cute word for literal abuse.

My eyes slid over to Clive and Owen, their eyes flashing with warning and concern. Dread penetrated my gut like a spear when I realized what they were currently witnessing, but it pierced even deeper when I suddenly understood why it didn’t matter. And they already knew it. Even if it didn’t come from Matt, it would certainly come from Darren.

Ah, shit.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I told them. “You know damn well Darren will execute you both for whatever happens tonight, so there’s no sense in maintaining any loyalty now.”

Matt snapped his fingers in my face. “Focus, Jaden. We don’t have all damn night.”

I nearly growled at him. “How about you let me out of this chair first, and then we can really talk,” I argued, pulling against my binds in irritation.

Matt shook his head. “You’re exactly where you need to be.”

I scowled at him. “How the fu?—”

“Shut up and pay attention. You need to convince Darren to take you to the country estate where you were married,” he interrupted abruptly. “And you need to do this within the next two days, because on that third day, we’re going to attack the country estate. So you need to make sure Darren is actually there for it to happen as planned.”

All I could do was blink. Had I seriously heard him correctly?

They were going to attack the country estate?

“Around noon, you’ll want to find a way to put as much distance between you and that house as you can. Unless you want to be in the middle of one hell of a fire fight.”

I shook my head to regain my stunned composure. “Wait. What? Why there? You know where he lives. Why not just attack his main home?”

“Because it’s a fucking fortress we don’t yet have the resources for. His country estate will be easier to attack.”

I furrowed my brow. “Then why didn’t you just attack him here? You’ve made it this far. Why not just finish the job?”

Matt rolled his eyes. “Because this is a fucking hotel and not exactly the best place for a battleground, Jaden. Not to mention, it’s also Chicago. You can’t just walk into someone else’s backyard and start pissing everywhere. We still live by a few codes, you know, and they help keep the chaos at bay.”

I cocked a brow, his excuse far too humorous to ignore. “Politics? Seriously? That’s your excuse?”

Matt groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “For fuck’s sake, Jaden, I don’t have time to teach you Underground Crime 101.” Maybe he didn’t, but I wasn’t going to lose out on the opportunity to frustrate the shit out of him while I still could.

“Okay, fine, and then what? What happens after I get him to the estate?”

“And then you can fuck off with your new life,” he answered, annoyed. “So long as you complete your part in this, you could finally be a free little bird in just a few days.”

A moment of silence allowed for a new understanding to attach—I could be free. In just a few days, I could be back with my family, back with Jason—a free woman. All I had to do was convince Darren to get me there.

“Wait, will Jason be in that fight?” I asked, my chest suddenly feeling tight. “What exactly did you discuss?”

Matt looked at me with strained irritation. “Jesus Christ, Jaden, what part of I don’t have time for all the goddamn details are you not getting? I can’t guarantee he’ll be there, I can’t even guarantee this operation will even launch,” he pressed. “Now, can you convince Darren or not?”

My eyes shot to his with an affirmative nod. I had to. There was absolutely no other choice. “Yes.”

Matt released a small sigh of relief. He had more faith in me than I did, but I would find a way to convince Darren. Whatever it took.

“Good,” he said with a nod, placing his hands in his pockets. “I didn’t set this whole thing up just for you to bitch out when it actually counts.”

I scoffed. “I think you could have found a much easier way to communicate with me. Jason was able to figure it out once, and he has even less resources than you do.”

Matt returned my chide with a wide sneer. “Yes well, a good cover story was needed for this situation. Plus, I just love fucking up Darren’s shit every now and then when the opportunity arises. I like reminding him that he’s not as invincible as he thinks he is.”

“I think you’ve succeeded,” I said carefully.