Page 161 of Unspoken Lies

“This is highly irregular,” the man next to Lucius says. He is older than dirt, and his values are just as twisted. I’m not surprised he’s complaining.

“Not at all,” Jared says smoothly. His schooling and education has ensured that he was born and bred for this dance of wits. “I have six reasons why you are going to release us of this archaic society and all it entails.”

There’s a recording device running, and Lucius glances at it nervously as Jared theatrically pulls out six large folders. The kid has flair, that’s for damn sure. The rules are that once the recording has captured the words of the Council meeting, they cannot be erased.

Lucius is running out of time to keep the Senior Council’s secrets.

“What is the meaning of this?” another member asks, but my eyes are on Lucius.

I’m waiting for him to shut the damn recording off. Once he does, we’ve got him and every one of the Senior Council members.

Jared opens a portfolio with a grin, acting as if he has no idea which one he’s starting with. I know damn well this is the way he’s planned this. It’s exhibiting ‘go fuck yourself’ vibes.

“This folder appears to be about Lucius?—“

Click.

The recording is switched off, the noise loud in the room with dark mahogany furniture and dark green walls. Every bit of these chambers exude old money and influence, none of which will save them right now.

“What do you think you know about me, Mr. Denton?” Lucius asks coldly.

He’s accepting that Jared may be more their equal despite being so young. Jared smirks before diving into the information of each Senior Council member before pushing the folder to them. He fully details each of their sins and faux pas that will lead to prison time if convicted and lost revenue.

Each man gets less and less sure as Jared goes through each misstep of their lives. Underage prostitutes, embezzlement, cheating, fraud, and more. Cheating may not seem like a huge deal, except one of the men is newly married to an heiress and she has a prenuptial agreement.

As the last words fall through Jared’s lips, I allow myself to grin. Check fucking mate.

“As you can see gentlemen, your goose is cooked. You could kill us and keep the evidence, except there are precautions being taken to ensure that if we die of mysterious causes, all of this material will be released,” I say with a shrug.

It’s a ‘what can you do’ type of movement, and Lucius’ eyes burn with banked anger.

“My daughter deserves to live a life free of fear. She should not have to die from the repercussions from a jealous stepbrother who chose to make the mistake of throwing her to the wolves,” I say gravely. “Release her and the boys from this immediately, or we’ll burn your world down to ashes.”

“I’d say that you could never, but it seems some people have very loose lips,” Lucius croaks out. “I don’t know how you could have found so much of this.”

“A good education will take you far. Isn’t that what we’re told?” Jared asks cheerfully.

We’re both enjoying this too much. These men won’t shoot us in the back because too many people saw us come in. There are proper channels that need to be used to even make an appointment, and it’s all working in our favor.

They can’t kill us.

We also have Theo listening to every damn word being spoken and he’s recording it all. Covering our own asses has never been more necessary than now.

“You’re awfully smug right now,” Lucius says as he glances at the fire in the room. As we’re in April, it should be too warm for one, but old men have ailing joints.

“It’s a simple thing,” I remind him. “Scratch Rachelle’s name from the Bet Book.”

Every group of Kings who pass through Carlysle Prep has to enter their bet to the Society, and the book is where it’s put. It’s kept in this room. I will insist on Rachelle’s safety effective immediately.

“Emil,” Lucius groans, his hands fisting as he looks at all of the evidence on the table.

“No one has to know,” I say. “She has been through enough. She coded in the hospital and really did almost die after she was buried alive. I would prefer that she not have to hide away for the rest of her life. Let my daughter go.”

“You’re very serious about this,” Nico says, a third member of the Senior Council. These men are the dinosaurs of the Society. They’re all older than I am, and rule with iron fists as they teach the next generation what to expect as part of the Kings Society.

“As a coronary,” I say. “Jared, they’re free to keep these copies, correct?”

He and I are playing off each other, and the Council members look on with dread. There will be a final act to this. We will either walk out of here with Rachelle’s name scratched from the book and boys removed from the Society, or we will be bringing these men to their knees.