Taggart snorted. Mirth traced across his features. “All Stormer Captains keep secrets; that’s part of the job. But your Captain, he’s something else. The skeletons in Cester Romano’s closest aren’t the kind he wants anyone to know about, let alone his men.”
Kade’s jaw tightened as he exchanged a look with Carl. Romano? Where do I know that name from?
The priest spoke for the first time, his voice surprisingly calm given the knife pressed into his throat. “Release me, Stormer. There is much you don’t understand. And since you seem to have the upper hand, perhaps Captain Taggart and I can fill you in on who your captain really is.”
Carl gave him the slightest of nods, his dagger in his hand as he gestured to Taggart. “Take off your knives, and we’ll talk.”
Taggart smiled easily, and in two moves shrugged out of the knives, throwing his belt to Carl’s feet. “I’d heard about the Northern Stormers. Seems your reputation is warranted.”
Carl’s chest puffed a little. “Of course, it’s bloody warranted. We’re the best unit.”
Taggart chuckled. “Cocky too. I’m surprised Cester sent you to find me. His preference is for the ones he can manipulate.”
Kade’s face heated as he eased his knife away and sidestepped the priest, joining Carl as they appraised the two men. The priest seemed to be taking Taggart’s lead, making Kade even more suspicious.
Before they could speak, he sent a quick glance sidelong to Carl. “Maybe you should be watching the camp? Make sure Chris and Moss don’t show up.”
Carl nodded slowly before turning on his heel and grabbing Taggart’s belt. Kade waited until Carl was planted outside before he spoke.
His pulse thrummed as he asked the question he dreaded to hear the answer to. “Who is Cester?”
Taggart’s smile was cold. The words stole the wind from his lungs as he answered. “Cester Romano is third in line for the crown; he’s been in hiding for two decades now.”
Kade gawked at him for a moment, thoughts stabbing his brain as he contemplated the truth and tried to separate the lies.
The priest added to his confusion. “Your captain is a liar who seeks only to cower in the shadows instead of taking his rightful place on the throne.”
Taggart nodded. “You do know he murdered his way to the position of Stormer Captain? It was the only way he could start a new life.”
Kade’s tongue remained glued in his mouth, his heart cracking in two. I have to get back to Meg.
Taggart’s eyes locked onto his. “He’s a coward. He’ll always put his family’s interests ahead of everything. You can’t trust a word he says to you.”
Kade’s throat closed over, all his doubts, all his worries, floating to the surface and stealing all rational thoughts.
The priest spoke in a soothing voice. “I know this must be hard to hear. But the important thing to remember is that we need a leader. This is why we brought these boys all here. To secure the future of Azetaria and make her great once more.”
Kade stared at him, the clouds in his mind shifting enough for him to think a little clearer. Brought these boys here?
The priest smiled showing pointed teeth. “We are ready to make our move. In two weeks, we take Kingsport.”
Taggart eyed him. “Choose a side Stormer. War is coming, and you do not want to be on the wrong side of it.”
Every muscle in Kade’s body twitched. Heat blazed through his veins. All the promises Cester had made him make. All the lies. The deceit. He’d been used, just like he’d been used in Amaria.
But worse, Meg was caught in the middle. Cester had pulled her into his web of lies, promising her the world and drawing her into danger.
Everything made sense. Cester’s money. His reactions to news about the king and the possible overthrow. Cester was one of the blue bloods all the Stormers hated.
His jaw worked, his fingers bunching into fists as he caught the pity on the priest’s bloated face. “The gods favour the strong. Your captain was too weak to risk losing his family. What about you? Are you strong enough to stand against him?”
Kade stared at him. Was he strong? When he’d been at his weakest, it had been Hadley and Cester’s family who’d taken care of him. What had Hadley said?
It’s nice to not have to pretend to be strong with just one person.
Wasn’t that the reason he hated the gods and all they stood for? They tortured those who were weak. There was no room for compassion, for mercy and for pity in the religion he’d grown indifferent to.
Why would he want a man who represented everything he loathed to control the country? Which was the better choice? A blueblood who’d run for his own selfish needs or a corrupt priest capable of plundering boys and plying them with drugs to pacify them?
In a country teetering on the brink of war, Cester Romano, the man who’d hidden his identity to protect his family, may just be the sanest choice in an insane quest for power.
His head grew even fuzzier as his gaze shifted to assess each of the men before him, each supremely confident, each arrogant, each willing to sacrifice hundreds of stolen men to further their pursuit for power. Cester may be a lot of things, but he was the least arrogant man Kade had ever met.
His eyes narrowed as he stared at the priest. “You planned to marry the princess? Then take her father off the throne by force?”
Taggart nodded slowly, a flash of amusement on his face. “Smart boy.”
Every piece of the puzzle began to fall into place as he joined what he already knew to the new information. Kade eyed Taggart. “Where does Jax fit in?”
Taggart’s eyebrows lifted, and his gaze shifted to look at the priest beside him. “Jax?”
Kade’s lips twitched as the priest shifted in his seat, eyes darting around, the slightest shake to his hands. “There was a chance the princess may return and marry her intended. Jax was my insurance policy in case the earl couldn’t bring her home.”
Taggart bolted from his seat, and Kade jumped back as Taggart heaved the priest to his feet, holding him by the collar. “You went behind my back? Jax is unstable and reckless. He could have blown everything out of the water. You risked everything. What if he told Cester? I told you I wanted to draw him out my way. We would have discredited him and laid the blame at his feet.”
Kade’s brain whirled into gear. That’s why Taggart was recruiting using Cester’s name? Laying the groundwork so that when the casualties mounted, the priest could point his finger at someone.
The priest merely shook his head. Again, the tone of his voice remained soothing. “Jax never knew it was me who hired him. I paid a man to approach him. He never knew you were involved.”
Taggart released him, his face twisted in anger. “We agreed to full disclosure. I put my neck on the line for you.”
The priest nodded sagely, finding his seat again. “And I won’t forget. You wanted to unite the Stormer Units, and when I sit on the throne, you will be.”
Kade’s stomach tightened. Unite the Stormers. So they all worked for the crown again, doing the bidding of the wealthy and powerful. No autonomy. Just like it used to be.
Taggart retook his seat, his face set in hard lines as he turned his attention back to Kade. “And what about you and your friend outside? Will you stand with the strong as we reclaim the throne or cower with your captain?”
Kade held Taggart’s gaze, anger swirling through him. He should walk away. Feign allegiance then disappear.
A knot formed in his gut as he took in the pompous priest dressed in his finery. Nothing would change if they took control. He’d already proven he had even less regard for life than the current king.
Taggart’s eyes narrowed as if peering inside his head. “You think it’s abhorrent what we’ve done here. But ask yourself this: Cester took you from the streets and trained you to retrieve for him. Do you know how much your good captain earns while you and your fellow Stormers risk your lives to keep him in the lap of luxury?”
Ice trickled down Kade’s back. “Cester did his time as a Stormer. He earned a promotion.”
Taggart laughed. “Take a look at the numbers, Stormer; you stole my contracts. You’ll see what commission we charge, and the paltry sum you walk away with. I can offer you what you’re worth. What your captain can never offer you. You can come out of this a wealthy man.”
His heart began to thrash inside his chest. He didn’t need to examine the papers he’d stolen; he knew Taggart was telling the truth. Cester did earn a lot as captain, but somehow as he examined the weight of evidence against Cester, it still didn’t stack up as high as the two bloated, power-hungry men before him.
They were ruthless. And they would destroy not just the boys they’d stolen, not just the country, but in their pursuit for power, they’d tear apart the Stormers along with it.
His veins filled with fury as he saw the future of everything and everyone he knew crumbling around him. Carl was right. This needed to end here. No matter what it cost him. No matter how angry he was with Cester, the men before him needed to be stopped before Azetaria and her already broken people fractured into pieces.
Kade kept his posture as relaxed as possible. The two men, sitting smugly, so sure of their victory, had no time to react when his fingers found two of his daggers.
Chapter Eleven
Hadley sat alongside Amy and inhaled the sweet smell of roses blooming outside in the tavern’s garden. Thomas had gone, slipped away in the dead of night. Despite knowing he’d only hurt her more if he stayed, her chest constricted every time she stopped to consider what would be his fate.
After so long, after pinning all her hopes on him, he’d vanished once more, too selfish and addicted to even think for a moment of what she’d been through.
A lump settled in her stomach; her eyes stung as she fought the tears that sprang up each time she thought of him. Amy released a low sigh as she wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “I’m so sorry. I wish he’d been more like Lukey.”
Hadley swallowed and blinked hard. Luke was so different from Thomas—sweet, thoughtful and so entirely grateful for a chance. He was suffering, just as Thomas was, but he’d admitted he needed help, and more importantly, he’d wanted a life different to the one linked with the drug Thomas couldn’t seem to shake.
Was it her brother’s memories, his pain, he sought to suppress? Was Thomas coping the only way he knew how? Was he trying to smother the pain they shared and forget what he’d lost in a haze of stupor? She was tired of trying to understand him. She would never understand his callousness and cruelty to her.
She pulled her shoulders back a little and cleared her throat to try to shake off the pain in her chest. “I heard Luke wants to stay here.”
Amy grinned. “Ma says there’s room for him once he’s well. And I think Gerty wants to adopt him as ‘er own. Be nice to have some help.”
She giggled as she stared over at the swimming pond. “He’s too weak to be much use at the moment. Ma says swimming lessons and mucking out the stable will toughen him up.”
Hadley eyed the water for a long while. Her heart speeding a little as she chewed her lip and considered how easily it had worked out for Luke.
I can’t go home. I have nothing there anymore.
Everything she’d thought she wanted had disappeared along with her brother. The last few months she’d been through so much danger and put herself in perilous situations all to find him. Left alone, she’d been forced to find strength she never knew she had.
Hadley closed her eyes and leant her head back against the tavern. “I don’t have a home anymore. I don’t know where I belong.”
Amy’s sigh was cut short when she sucked in a breath, and her fingers tightened around Hadley’s arm. A shadow falling over her caused Hadley’s eyes to pop open.
She squinted against the sun, her eyes snagging on the familiar knives strapped to a broad chest. Sandy hair fell in his eyes as he peered down at her, a tender smile on his dirty face. “Hey.”
Kade stretched out his hands, and Hadley allowed him to draw her to her feet. Amy’s exit was hasty as she spied Carl trying to wrangle both the horses into the stables.
Amy’s voice and Carl’s flirty hello faded into the background as Kade pulled her into his arms. He held her tight, clinging to her as if he’d not expected to see her again.
His face was pained as he pulled back, his clothes dusty and face drawn. “Pack up your things. We need to leave. Is Thomas well enough to travel?”
Hadley swallowed hard, hands trembling as she took more of him in. He was tired, but there was more than that. Her stomach flipped as she searched his face for evidence he’d been fighting. “Are you alright?”
He forced a smile that sent more anxiety rolling through her. “We need to get back to the Retreat. We can talk more on the way. Where’s Thomas?”
His forehead furrowed as he scanned the area as if expecting Thomas to be nearby. Hadley’s stomach tightened. Kade was knowingly flouting Cester’s rules even with the possibility of Thomas being here. Why?
He stared at her, his posture tense as he waited for her reply. Hadley steeled herself, fighting the emotions she didn’t want to erupt. “He didn’t want to stay.”
Kade raised his eyebrows, distaste lacing his voice. “He left?”
Hadley managed a weak nod, her chin beginning to waver as she spoke. “He left me in Kingsport too. He didn’t care what happened to me.”
Kade’s expression hardened. His jaw clenching, a vein visible at his temple as he shook his head. “You didn’t deserve that. I’m glad he’s gone. I don’t think I could have stopped myself from breaking him into pieces if he’d stayed.”
The sob locked in her throat escaped at the ferocity on his face. “He’s not who I thought he was.”
Kade winced, a new expression she couldn’t decipher replacing his anger. “Carl and I need to get a couple hours sleep. I’ll make sure we’re all paid up here before we leave.”
Hadley nodded, dumbstruck as he walked briskly away from her, leaving her standing alone again with an entirely new set of worries.
Kade’s head pounded as he made his way inside the tavern. Too little sleep over the last three days travel and too many problems caused his muscles to ache and the sharp pain to ignite once again in his skull.
But there was no way he was stopping any longer than they had too. They needed to get out of here in case Chris and Moss tried to come back this way. He and Carl agreed not to bother Hadley with the details, details he’d rather not think too hard on himself.
The fight, if he could even call it that, was over before Carl had stepped back inside the tent, his warning that Chris and Moss were drifting around the camp lost as he took in the two men, now dead, slumped in their chairs.
Kade shouldn’t care. He’d told himself that he didn’t repeatedly during the ride back to Ramshead. But no matter how many times he said it, he knew it was a lie. Whether he wanted to admit it, he did care. This wasn’t how he wanted to live anymore.
Two more men were dead by his hand. He was over being one of Cester’s Stormers. The lying, the travel, and the inevitable violence—one look at Hadley had confirmed it. He didn’t want to take the job.
Even if he could trust Cester, which he couldn’t, he no longer had the stomach to continually take lives as if they were no consequences.
As soon as he got back to the Retreat, he was walking away. And if he had to drag his sister with him, or use force, he’d do whatever it took.
Cester was a hypocrite and a liar. The sooner Meg was rid of him, the sooner they could start again. Maybe sell the rock on Meg’s finger and buy the plot of land he’d hoped to buy. Support them another way.
Kade stumbled inside the doors and waited until his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. He nodded at Justine, her face etched with surprise as he approached the bar. “I just need a room for a few hours. Then we’ll settle up and leave.”
Justi
ne gave him a wide smile. “Ye look tuckered out. Go on then. Your old room is waitin’ for ye. Lot’s to talk ‘bout when you’re up, though.”
He forced a smile as he plodded up the stairs to his room. He didn’t bother removing his knives before he face-planted into the soft mattress, his final thoughts of the brother he’d been seeking and the multitude of unpleasant things he’d do if he ever saw him again.
A light tap at his door woke him with a start. He pushed up and shook off the sleep before pulling himself off the bed. His head still thudding dully as he answered the door.
Carl’s grin was annoyingly cheerful. “Let you have a bit longer since you got the last watch.”
Kade growled at him as he stepped through the doorway. They were on a schedule. There was no room for niceties even if he had sat up half the night keeping an eye out for anyone dumb enough to follow.
He rubbed a hand over his face as he descended the stairs with Carl. “Is Hadley ready to leave?”
Carl nodded. “She’s waiting downstairs. She’s got that ‘we should have a talk’ expression on her face. She’s asking a whole bunch of questions, cuz.”
Kade flinched as he saw Hadley and Amy sitting together. Hadley’s hands cradled a steaming cup of something. The tavern seemed to have filled since he’d gone upstairs. Curious faces peered at him as he crossed the bora ridden floorboards.
Hadley got to her feet. “I was getting worried.”
Carl snorted. “See? You’re a kept man already.”
Amy raised an eyebrow, a low chuckle escaping as she looked at Hadley’s blushing face. “Don’t mind him. He’s just jealous he ain't got someone.”
Carl’s face pinched, his grin faltering as he shook his head slowly. “Nah, I like being single. I’m free to do what I want.”
Amy shrugged and gave Hadley a pained look. “Will you come visit?”
Hadley’s eyes glistened as she nodded. “I’ll do my best. Maybe when things settle down a bit?”
Amy’s lip quivered as she hugged Hadley goodbye. When they both started sniffing and tears looked inevitable, Kade drew away to thank Justine for her hospitality.
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