If she was nervous about sharing information she knew would hurt the girl coming to see her, then that had to mean she wasn’t completely a monster—that some part of her was still herself.
From her computer, she pulled up the surveillance feeds, watching Luna’s progress up to her office.
Though they hadn’t spoken since she’d left her office nearly a week ago, Karina knew why she’d returned. It was the way of Uilleam’s mercenaries—they went in and got the job done, whatever that might be, before they reported back with their results.
But this time, she was positive it wouldn’t end the way Luna expected.
Unlike the last time she’d ventured here, Karina’s office floor looked like a construction zone due to the many taped boxes set off into corners as well as the sectioned-off areas covered by caution tape and plastic sheeting.
It was all a carefully constructed illusion to offer the casual observer the idea that her business was moving. After all, she needed to give the Runehart brothers a reason to avoid coming here for a short while when Kit came looking.
And if she knew nothing else, she knew he would by the time she finished here.
Karina was certainly going to give him a reason to.
It wasn’t much longer before Luna walked into her office, her emotions written all over her face.
“I trust you’re here because you have news?” Karina asked, gesturing for her to sit.
She nodded once. “Andrei is dead.”
The way she phrased it, it was clear Luna was studying her for a reaction, but Karina didn’t give her one. She wasn’t surprised it had ended that way for him, and as far as she could tell, Kit would do whatever he had to, to prevent his secrets from coming to light.
“Before or after you found him?”
“After,” she answered. “I saw it happen.”
“How?”
“Sniper.”
It was certainly the most logical choice, Karina thought. This way, Kit could say with all honesty that he hadn’t been the one to end the man’s life.
But those who ordered it might as well have been carrying the gun themselves.
“You know two of those, don’t you?” Karina asked innocently. “Red, I believe he’s called now, and Fang?”
It wasn’t Red’s name that got a reaction out of her, but Fang’s.
Which made sense, considering Fang’s abilities were more centered around what he and the others of the Wild Bunch could do when they were together. She hadn’t made the connection before now.
“Did you get the chance to speak with Mr. Kanekov?” she asked, not wanting her to linger on that too long.
“No,” Luna said after a moment of silence.
Karina suspected that wasn’t quite the truth. “That’s unfortunate.”
But finding Andrei Kanekov hadn’t been the objective, not entirely. Because as she’d instructed, she was only meant to find the man and nothing more.
All this had been done for a reason. She’d suspected Kanekov wouldn’t get the opportunity to tell her what really happened the night she was stolen from the warehouse. But it was time, Karina thought, for her to know the truth.
And as the clock struck noon on the wall behind her, Karina gave a subtle shift of her chair to draw Luna gaze to the television behind them that she’d scheduled to change at exactly this time.
Of all the things she’d had to do to prepare for this moment, orchestrating this bit of footage on the local news had been the easiest. A bit of clever wording and an email that looked as if it had come from someone else, she’d practically laid the foundation for the station’s coverage of Ariana Santiago’s diamond boutique.
Sure, the place wasn’t as interesting in itself, but coupled with the face that their mother was such a prominent figure, it had proven worthy to take on the story.
Second, she hadn’t picked this day on a whim.
She had to pick a day when Kit Runehart would be out in California and well enough away from the city so she could finish this once and for all.
Because she knew what it meant to be blinded by love to the point that you stopped seeing flaws. She knew the pain of finding out truths that were too late to fix.
That the men who seemed to care for Luna the most couldn’t bring themselves to tell her the truth.
It wasn’t right.
And though painful it might be, sometimes that was what the truth was.
She deserved to know.
“Celebrity jewelry designer, and daughter of the renowned human rights activist, Carmen Santiago, was spotted having a late lunch with a mysterious new man. This news comes only months after Ariana announced her engagement to wealthy businessman ...”
The reporter spoke so cheerfully, yet Luna’s face blanched of color as she watched the screen.
Karina knew what she saw without having to turn around to watch.
It became clear that Luna hadn’t seen her sister in quite some time, but when her brows drew together, she knew what, or rather who, she was seeing.
Kit Runehart.
Karina turned her chair just enough that she could get a glimpse of the image that had Luna enraptured, finding Kit standing with Caesar Rivera. “I wonder what on earth Caesar and Nix have to talk about? Perhaps one of his infamous deals?”
Like his brother but … different.
But there was plenty they had in common.
“I want to tell you a story,” Karina started, though Luna had yet to take her eyes off the running program. “About a girl whose life was not her own. Now this girl—beautiful girl she was—had become a pawn in a game she didn’t know she was playing.”
Luna squeezed her eyes shut a moment, seeming to be counting down beneath her breath before she faced Karina once more. “What? What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about a martyr—about a girl whose life was taken to give another power.”
This wasn’t about spilling secrets and invoking wrath—she didn’t plan to tell her everything at all. It was still, ultimately, her choice to find out the truth if she wanted it. Karina was merely laying the groundwork.
Luna shook her head, as if nothing Karina was saying made sense. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I need to—”
“One question before you go,” Karina called. “Did you ever wonder why you?”
“I’m sorry?”
“At some point over the last—how many years has it been?—you had to have asked yourself why the Kingmaker wanted you as badly as he did.”
It was certainly the question she would have asked herself had she been in Luna’s shoes.
“I’ve learned a great many things about the Runehart brothers since my business began. And one thing I learned is that you never get between them—there are often casualties in their wars.”
More so than anyone could possibly imagine.
All thoughts of leaving seemed to go right out of Luna’s head. “You know something,” she said, trying not to sound too eager.
“It’s not what I know that’s important—it’s what you don’t.”
“Then tell—”
“I think our business is concluded, Luna, don’t you? Unfortunate what’s happened to Mr. Kanekov, but I would wager you’ll find your way soon enough. But I do have something for you because I’m sure it bugged you nearly as much as it bugged me. I finally found the owner of the warehouse I’ve been asking you to track down.”
This was the moment of reckoning—the final piece of the puzzle that had solidified her choice to do this.
“I’m a bit surprised really, that Uilleam was willing to buy the place instead of having it put in someone else’s name, but I’m also sure he didn’t intend for anyone to filter through the shell companies he owns.”
There was something quite dangerous about fear and doubts. Sometimes, they could be ignored—pushed aside because the worries were unfounded—but other times, it only took the smallest bit of information to make those doubts
morph into something much bigger.
Something like suspicion.
And it was clear from the way Luna stood without a word that she’d realized something about herself and the men she trusted the most.
But there was far more truth than she could possibly know now, but Karina’s role was done.
Now, it was up to her.
29
Leave
It was a shame really that the only place he felt safe as of late was in the midst of his mercenaries.
When Uilleam had made up the plans to have one wing of the compound converted into a space for him, he never anticipated on having to use it this soon, but considering he still knew very little about the man who’d shot him and left him bleeding on a sidewalk, he didn’t want to take any chances.
Worse, his insomnia had grown over the passing days to the point it was hard for him to even get through the day with how exhausted he was. There was nothing more he wanted at the moment besides being able to shut his eyes for the next year at the very least and just rest.
No … there was one thing he wanted more than that, but there was no way it could happen. No matter how much he yearned for it.
The only thing that kept him going was the desire for answers, and until he had that, his exhaustion could wait.
Eating alone in the dining hall, Uilleam was just about to cut into the steak in front of him when the sound of hurried footsteps made him pause.
Luna.
Though he was always happy to see her when they crossed paths, something about her expression worried him. Ever since she had involved herself with his brother, there’d always been a smile on her face—one that spoke of an untainted happiness.
But now … now something lingered behind her eyes.
He knew very little about what she was working on these days because that was still very much up to Zachariah, despite who she was to him. Even then, he suspected that whatever might have troubled her in that regard, surely, she’d speak to Kit about it.
“Luna,” he greeted easily, “always a pleasure. What can I do for you?”
“42nd and Hamilton,” she said without preamble, refusing to look away from him. “You own the warehouse there.”
As tired as he was, he didn’t bother lying. He didn’t see the point in it. “I own many warehouses.”
That, apparently, was the wrong answer.
And she made that abundantly clear as she pulled one of the knives she kept on her person and slammed it down into his steak, managing to shatter the plate beneath it.
In the years she’d been with his brother, it was clear he’d taught her well.
Uilleam looked from it to her, the now rapid thump of his heart making him feel far more awake. “You have my attention.”
“Don’t do that,” she said, her voice betraying her. “Don’t treat me like a fool.”
For a moment, he didn’t know what she was going on about, only that it was clearly important to her, but when he thought about the address she’d given him, he realized something very important.
Yes, he might have owned many warehouses and wouldn’t think twice about it most days—but this warehouse was far more important than the others.
This one was the one that connected them before she’d even become aware of who he was.
“You’ve never been a fool, Luna,” he told her honestly. “And I’ve never treated you like one.”
She shook her head as if that answer wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “Then tell me the truth. Tell me about the warehouse.”
For once, it felt as if she was asking too much of him. Because what she was asking for ... it would change everything. “Does Kit know you’re here?”
For a moment, her brows drew together in confusion, and he realized his mistake. Had he merely told her about the warehouse, it would have meant nothing at all, but now he’d involved the other person complicit in what had happened so many years ago.
And Luna, clever as she was, didn’t miss it.
“Tell me what you did,” she said, her eyes already reflecting the betrayal she couldn’t be sure of.
It would have been easy to lie—it was what he was good at. And with just enough truth sprinkled around it, he could make her believe anything. But if there was one thing he had never done, he hadn’t lied to her.
He’d purposely withheld certain information, but he’d never outright lied. He couldn’t do that to her.
He wouldn’t start now.
“It wasn’t what I did that matters—it’s what I didn’t do.”
“I swear to God, I’m not in the fucking mood for your word games, Uilleam. Did you do this to me?” she asked, yanking the knife free from the table and pointing it at herself.
He knew what she was really asking.
Whether he was the reason she’d been taken from her home and forced to become a sex slave for a madman.
Was he responsible for all the pain and suffering she’d experienced in her short life?
A dozen excuses and explanations popped into his mind, but there was no point in voicing any of them. If she knew enough to be standing in front of him now, it was only a matter of time before she learned the rest.
Like Kit’s involvement.
And despite his relationship with his brother as of late, Uilleam knew the pain that came at losing the one you loved.
“Yes,” he answered.
Partially or not, it was the truth all the same.
Her face blanched of color, horror taking the place of her anger. “What?”
“You asked if I’m responsible for you being here, right now, wielding a knife, and the answer is yes.” For once, he wasn’t thinking about how to manipulate and paint himself as more noble than he was. He merely laid it out. “I had you taken from your home and brought to a warehouse—the one at 42nd and Hamilton.”
She wasn’t expecting that. Not from the way her hands were shaking, and no matter how she squeezed the knife in her hands, it still threatened to hit the floor.
“How … why …” But she couldn’t think of the right question to ask.
Or rather, she didn’t know where to begin.
He answered them both. “The how is rather simple. I sent a team to extract you. The why, however, is a bit more complicated.”
“Then make it uncomplicated!”
He sighed, more tired than he had ever been. “You were a job.”
“A job,” she repeated, disbelieving. “I was a job … I don’t understand.”
There was so much more.
More that he wanted to say.
More that he couldn’t.
“Luna, leave this,” he said, even as he knew she wouldn’t. “The answer isn’t important.”
She walked toward him as calm as could be and pressed that blade against his throat hard enough to nick his skin. At the sharp bite of pain, he felt the slow drip of blood down his neck.
“Speak.”
There was no point in trying to hide the truth now.
“About six years ago, your mother came to me. She wanted to have power and all the money that came with it. Her idea was to run for local government. Carmen wasn’t doing it for the people, mind you; she was doing it under the notion that she would get close with the cartels that worked with them. Morals, she had none, nor did she care what needed to be done to ensure she got what she wanted in the end.” He took a deep breath, knowing his next words would be the hardest, but he couldn’t afford to soften just yet. “But her vision was too narrow. She lacked the vision to know what she could become, so I made her an offer as I’ve done hundreds of others. I could give her power … for a price.”
“A price,” she said, echoing him again.
Her arm had long since fallen to her side, and before she could hide them, he saw the tears in her eyes.
“The masses, you see,” he explained, “they love a victim. They can relate to one because they’ve all felt the pain of losing someone they love, and a woman advocating for change
once she loses her daughter to vicious human traffickers? A prime candidate. You were the price she had to pay.”
The price, Uilleam remembered all too well, he had asked of her.
He could see the way those words hurt her, and if he thought an apology would make her feel better, he’d give her that, but he knew the truth.
There was no easy way to move past what he had done.
Even Karina had been furious with him when she’d learned the truth. She’d looked at him as if she’d never seen him before and nothing had ever cut as deeply.
“Then why did you buy me?” she asked after a moment.
Always the clever one—far more than anyone probably realized.
He sighed, realizing they were treading on very dangerous waters. “My intention had always been to use you against your mother. While she plays checkers, I play chess. I’d wagered she would make it just far enough that I could make back my investment by using you as leverage.”
A bitter laugh escaped her lips as she furiously swiped at falling tears. “How? By showing her that you made her daughter into a whore? You’re proud of that? She didn’t even care!”
“You’re not a whore. You never were,” Uilleam said, losing his careful composure. Even he couldn’t say why her talking about herself that way bothered him. “Things didn’t go as I intended.”
“But you told them to give me to the first buyer. Whoever would pay the most,” Luna said as if she were remembering the conversation from years ago.
A conversation he knew nothing about.
And before he could hide that face, she saw it.
“Andrei said that you were sending me after him. That you were upset because of what he had done. But you didn’t know, did you?”
Andrei Kanekov … he hadn’t thought of the man in years. He was used to people coming in and out, so he hadn’t thought anything of him disappearing and moving on.
But it didn’t matter because they both knew at that moment that he wasn’t the one Andrei had been referring to.
Black Swan Page 24
