Page 82 of Wicked Bonds

“So he was sharing details with John instead,” Balthazar muttered.

“Not exactly,” Luc replied. “Mateo said that John requested an update on Lizzie on behalf of Osiris. Their working relationship wasn’t a secret to Mateo; he knew that Osiris had outsourced his lab experiments to John, so he thought nothing of it and provided the update, saying she was about to marry Jay.”

Balthazar fell silent, his brow furrowing. “You believe this?”

“He was able to provide proof via the original recording he left for John,” Luc said. “Of course, it could have been doctored, just like he did with the evidence surrounding Clara. Which, by the way, he says was Osiris’s idea and a way to test Stas—something that Sethios has already confirmed sounds like a lesson his father would orchestrate.”

“And the CRF explosion?”

“Was all John. Mateo didn’t warn him but says John must have expected the retaliation, or perhaps had a fail-safe built in around Mateo’s hacking. He’s not sure, but he swears he didn’t give him that information.”

Balthazar considered that for a moment. “It’s plausible, I guess. Especially if the records Mateo pulled originally were all fake. We have no way of truly knowing.”

“He said Osiris will confirm everything he’s said, that Osiris wanted Jonathan dead for what he’d done. He didn’t condone the attack on Hydria. Actually, from what Mateo has claimed, it sounds like he let us kill John.”

“Have you tried confirming with Osiris?” Balthazar’s tone held a note of unease, probably because the idea of asking Osiris to confirm anything seemed outlandish. He’d been enemy number one for… millennia. Not just for Seraphim, but for Hydraians, too.

“Not yet.” Luc cleared his throat, the sound reverberating through the kitchen. “Unfortunately, it sounds like he might be the only one who can confirm any of this, including Mateo’s sworn statement that he didn’t know John was going to attack us on the beach.”

“I suppose the question is, why now? What does Osiris have to gain from telling us the truth now?” Balthazar wondered out loud.

A very good question, one Leela shared as well.Why did he come forward now?

“Mateo already knew we were onto him,” Luc replied, not to Leela’s thought but to Balthazar’s question. “He’s apparently known all along. So Osiris let him off his leash. Supposedly, he’d been compelled not to say anything. A compulsion Osiris removed last night.”

“I see.” Balthazar glanced at Leela, perhaps wanting her thoughts on Osiris’s actions.

Sounds like something he would do, she admitted. Because compelling Mateo to safeguard the secret absolutely fit Osiris’s typical methods. And he wouldn’t release him from that compulsion without good cause.

“I have Lacy talking to Mateo now,” Luc added, the name not ringing a bell with Leela. “We’ll see if she senses any lies in his statements, but she’s nowhere near as powerful a lie detector as John was.”

“Her power is based more on feelings than on actual statements,” Balthazar murmured. “She may be able to pick something up, but I don’t think it’ll matter. You already suspect Mateo’s telling the truth.”

“I don’t see how lying would help him,” Luc replied. “Which makes me inclined to believe him.”

“And potentially reach out to Osiris for confirmation,” Balthazar pressed, his expression hardening.

“I’m seriously considering it.”

“Don’t do it alone.” Balthazar’s voice held a sternness to it that seemed to be more common in his tones lately.

Luc didn’t reply.

“Luc…” Caution underlined Balthazar’s tone. “You—”

“There’s more,” Luc interjected, ignoring Balthazar’s commentary entirely. “Mateo also confirmed Vera is working with Osiris but told us it’s fairly recent. She started helping them after freeing Sethios.”

Leela’s eyes widened. Balthazar had mentioned that possibility before, and she’d disregarded it. Vera did everything for a reason. But to have it confirmed…

“Did he say why Vera’s working with Osiris?” she asked, making her presence known.

If Balthazar didn’t want her to hear this conversation, he wouldn’t have put it on speakerphone. Or he would have told Luc to hold on when she’d misted down. Either way, he clearly wanted her to hear it.

Luc didn’t reply, perhaps taken aback by her sudden voice.

“It’s okay, Luc. I trust her,” Balthazar said.

Luc grunted. “We trusted Vera and Mateo, too.”