Page 100 of The Devil's Deceit

“Fuck off.”

He laughs.

“Need anything else?” Patrick asks.

“No, I’m good.” I stick out my hand. “Thanks.”

He shifts Taylor’s weight before shaking my hand. “Might be a good idea to have your techy figure out why the alert signal died. If we’d arrived a few minutes later, may’ve been a different outcome.”

I nod. “I will.”

The three brothers make their way over to their car. Liam opens the boot, and Patrick tosses Taylor inside. I hear a dull thud and smile. A concussion is the least of Taylor’s problems. The Mahoneys aren’t known for rolling out the red carpet to their “guests”. And you can bet I’m going to takemy sweet fucking time before deciding whether Taylor lives or dies.

As for Grace…

I dismiss Marshall’s offer of a handkerchief to mop up the drying blood on my face and climb into the back of the car. He hands me my phone. I presume Taylor must’ve made sure it was left behind, assuming it had a tracker. It does, but even I’m not dumb enough to rely on a single piece of tech for my security.

“Thanks. You both okay?”

“Yes, boss,” Dawson answers. “Apart from a mild headache.” He catches my eye in the mirror. “We’re sorry, sir.”

“What for?”

“Should’ve clocked something was wrong long before he got anywhere near you.”

I shake my head. “This isn’t on you. Who wouldn’t stop for a supposed accident?”

“Hospital?” Marshall queries.

“No. Take me home.” I’ll have a lot of explaining to do when I get there, but first, I have a phone call to make. “And have someone call into Oscar Benjamin’s offices immediately.” I briefly recount what Taylor told me.

“On it,” Dawson replies, already tapping away on his phone.

“Thanks. I wonder what Taylor would have done if my father had decided to make the journey himself?” I’m thinking out loud, but Marshall answers anyway.

“Tried again on another day, perhaps. Or taken your father instead.”

A fiery burst of anger rushes through me.If he’d done to my father what he’s done to me, I’d have taken immense pleasure in killing him slowly. I still might. Haven’t decided yet.

After activating the privacy screen, I pull up Grace’s number. Fury crawls beneath the surface of my skin at her betrayal and subterfuge. These last few weeks have been some of the happiest of my life, yet the whole thing was a charade, a lie. She’s a bloody good actress; I’ll give her that.

I can’t stop my pulse from skipping as the ringing tone sounds in my ear. I married Grace because I wanted to continue my bachelor lifestyle, except the lifestyle I thought I craved withered after being with her. She found a way through to my heart, and I fell in love. Yet all this time, she was… what…spyingon me? Going through my personal shit?

What was her endgame? Supposedly find evidence of my guilt and confront me with it? What then? Call the police and have me arrested? Never would’ve happened. Not even if the police believed I had killed the Taylors. We’re above the law, but maybe Grace isn’t aware of that. I’ve never spoken to her about The Consortium and our place on the council, partially because I’m not nearly as involved as my father, Xan, and Nicholas are.

“Christian?” There’s panic in her tone mingled with a hint of fear.

She knows. She knows her uncle kidnapped me. That makes what I’m about to do simpler, I guess.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t my deceitful little wife.”

“Christian, please. I can expl?—”

“Shh, Duchess.” My chest tightens as the nickname that came so naturally to me spills out unintentionally. Even now, knowing what she’s done, how she’s deluded me for months, my heart yearns for her. Stupid thing doesn’t know that we’ve been gaslit by a master manipulator.

“Is he alive?”

“For now.”