Chapter 70 The Truth in the Dark
Jess POV
I watched Aria standing there with that silver coin clutched in her hand, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for her because she really thought she was playing a winning hand in a game that was rigged before she even walked into the bakery. The men I had stationed by the loading dock didn't move as the dark figure stepped into the light, but I didn't even bother looking back at the newcomer because I already knew my perimeter was solid and there was nowhere for a girl like her to run. I leaned back against the crate and adjusted my holster, feeling the weight of the situation shifting entirely in my favor while the rain continued to drum against the corrugated metal roof like a thousand tiny hammers.
"You look so determined, Aria, and it’s almost impressive how you’ve managed to convince yourself that you’re the hero of this story, but you’re really just a distraction that lasted longer than anyone expected," I said, and I waved my hand for my guards to relax their stance just a little bit, since I wanted her to feel the full weight of how much I had already won. "You keep talking about the Harts and their legacy as if they’re these great protectors, but you don't have the first clue about the rot that was sitting at the dinner table with Grayson every single night."
"The only rot I see is you, Jess, because you sold out the people who gave you everything just so you could have a bigger paycheck from the Syndicate," Aria spat back, but her voice was shaking just enough for me to know that the bravado was starting to crack under the pressure.
"The Harts didn't give me anything except a front-row seat to their own self-destruction, and I was just smart enough to pick the side that wasn't going to end up as a footnote in a Silverfang history book," I replied, and I took a few steps toward her until I was close enough to see the pale reflection of the yellow light in her eyes. "You think the Iron Fangs were the ones who poisoned those kids at the clubhouse because it fits your neat little view of good guys and bad guys, but the truth is a lot more complicated and a lot more disgusting than a simple territory war."
"We saw the files, Jess, and we tracked the toxin back to the lab that Silas was using, so don't try to lie your way out of this now that the evidence is already out there," she said, and she gripped that coin so hard that her knuckles were turning white, but I just laughed because the irony of it all was too good to keep to myself.
"Silas provided the chemicals because he’s a thug who likes to feel important, but he didn't have the access to the ventilation system or the knowledge of the pack’s schedule to pull off a hit like that without getting caught in five minutes," I told her, and I watched her face carefully as I prepared to drop the bomb that was going to destroy whatever faith she had left in that family. "The person who actually poured the toxin into the system was Grayson’s own sister, because Delilah knew that the only way to force the board to remove her brother was to create a crisis that he couldn't fix with his muscles or his wolf."
"You’re lying, because Delilah might be cold and she might hate me, but she would never hurt her own pack or the children she’s known since they were born," Aria argued, but I could see the doubt starting to seep into her expression, and it felt better than any bonus the Syndicate had ever promised me.
"She didn't want to kill them, she just wanted them sick enough to cause a panic, and she figured a few days of fever was a small price to pay for taking control of a multi-billion dollar empire," I explained, and I started pacing in a small circle around her, enjoying the way she had to turn to keep me in her sights. "She’s the one who gave me the codes to bypass the internal sensors, and she’s the one who helped me plant those files on your laptop, so you see, Aria, you aren't fighting some outside monster, you’re just caught in the middle of a Hart family squabble that got out of hand."
"Then why is she being held hostage in the tower right now if she’s on your side?" Aria asked, and she sounded desperate to find a hole in my story, but I was ready for that one too.
"Because the Syndicate doesn't like loose ends, and once Delilah did the hard work of unseating Grayson, she became a liability who knew too much about the way we operate," I said, and I stopped pacing and looked toward the back of the warehouse where the shadows were the deepest. "She thought she was the partner, but she was just another tool, and as soon as the assets are legally transferred, she’s going to have the same 'accident' that’s waiting for you and your grandmother."
"You're a monster, Jess, and Grayson is going to kill you for what you've done to his family and his pack," she whispered, and I could see the tears of anger starting to well up in her eyes, which only made me feel more powerful.
"Grayson is currently busy watching his home burn to the ground, and by the time he figures out that his sister was the one who betrayed him, he’ll be too weak from that curse to do anything but crawl into a hole and die," I told her, and I held out my hand again, but this time I didn't ask nicely. "Now give me the coin, Aria, because the Silverfangs are losing their patience and they don't care about the truth as much as I do, so if you want a quick end instead of a slow one, you’ll drop that metal into my hand right now."
Aria looked at the coin and then she looked at me, and for a second I thought she was actually going to give up, but then a loud, metallic clanging sound echoed from the rafters above us. I looked up just in time to see a heavy iron chain swinging down like a pendulum, and before I could even draw my weapon, the lightbulb above my head shattered into a thousand pieces and plunged the warehouse into a darkness that felt like a physical weight.
I heard the sound of boots hitting the concrete and a muffled grunt from one of my guards, and as I scrambled to pull my flashlight from my belt, the sound of a heavy engine roared to life right outside the broken loading dock.