Third Debt (Indebted #4)(9)

My gut twisted.

Fuck.

“There’s a new condition to my offer.”

I’d been so close to saving her.

I fought the urge to hunch in defeat. “Spit it out.”

“If you die…if you kill yourself, plan an accident, or find some other way to end it thinking you can protect that little Weaver Whore, then I’ll give her to Daniel. Do you hear me?”

My temper roared. “But he’s not firstborn—”

“I don’t care about the f*cking rules anymore, Jet. Because of you, all of this is a complicated f*ck-up. That girl will pay. She wears the collar. It will come off. And the Debt Inheritance will be paid—with or without you.”

I didn’t bother to ask how we’d sort out the media mess and get her back. My family was entirely too resourceful. Her escape was merely an interlude, and I was f*cking kidding myself if I thought differently.

My heart galloped with hatred. “What are you saying?”

“If you do what I ask, you can continue to extract the debts. No one will lay a hand on her unless you command it. She’ll remain yours and in your protection until the Final Debt.”

My bruised hands tightened around the bottles. “And how do you propose I do that?” I laughed, the dark chuckle sounded like insects in the catacombs’ echoing chambers. “Let’s end the bullshit, Father. You know what I am. We both know I can’t change. Why bother keeping me alive when I’ll only cause more f*cking hardship? Just get it over with. Forget about the Weavers. Forget about me. Just forget all of it and put an end to this madness.”

Cut grinned; the evilness I was used to overshadowed his pity for me. “I’ll never forget, Jet. A true Hawk never forgets.” Pointing at the white bottle in my hand, he muttered, “That will fix you. Make you my true son instead of this diseased creature before me.”

I winced as if he’d struck me again. Nothing like a few kind words from a father to make a kid feel adored.

“Get yourself under control. No matter what you think of me, I want you to inherit.”

Putting the water bottle down, I summoned strength and twisted off the lid of the small vial. I glanced inside. It was hard to see with the meagre light, but the tiny moon-shaped tablets gave me equal measure of despair and hope.

I looked up. “Drugs?”

Cut nodded. “Before this shitty debacle, you’d impressed me the past few years. You listened and obeyed. You showed such promise. I can’t dispatch you when I still believe you can be cured.”

I blinked. Was this my father? The man who’d threatened me all my life. He’d had a sudden change of heart?

“You know these don’t work on me. We’ve tried enough in the past.” Nothing worked. From antipsychotics to beta-blockers and downers. They were all the same—useless.

Cut put the safety on and shoved the gun down his waistband. The cocky confidence of winning already infected him. “These are different. Not even on the market yet.”

“How did you get them?”

“Doesn’t matter. All you need to know is they’re stronger than anything you’ve tried and come with a guarantee of success.”

Suddenly, I had choices. Before, I had the daily toil of self-harming to give myself something to focus on. I had death to look forward to in order to save Nila. But now, I had to stay alive if I had any chance of saving her and putting an end to the Final Debt. I also had an option to help me survive in order to do that.

That same taunting hope fluttered with new wings. Will they help?

For a moment, I was selfish. Could it be possible after all this time? To live a normal life? To be free?

I couldn’t stop the overwhelming rush of gratefulness. The past couple of months in Nila’s company had been utter torture. She’d forced me to change—to grow—to look for other ways to exist.

But this…

What I held might be the end to all my problems.

“You believe them? That they’ll work?”

Cut shrugged. “We can only hope.” Picking up my water bottle, he held it out to me. “We won’t know until you’ve taken a course. Five a day, every few hours. Take more if you need to. Don’t worry about the side effects—not if you want to survive in order to keep Nila in your control.”

The threat was there—disguised as a helping hand but still an ultimatum. Drug myself and become everything he ever wanted, play puppet master with the life of the woman I was in love with, and carry out his wishes…or perish at his hands and have her subjected to Daniel’s murderous plans.

I hated all those choices.

“And you won’t let me leave? Disown me and give the estate to Kes?”

Then I can have Nila and live far away from here.

“No negotiation.” Cut crossed his arms. “You take the drugs and embrace your proper place, or you die and she lives a life of horror until her death. Your choice.”

I stopped breathing.

“Get that bitch out of your mind and heart, son. Take the drugs, find your way back, then we’ll see if you get to live.”

Could I be strong enough to obey Cut all the while double-crossing him by loving Nila? Could I last to my thirtieth birthday, so I could tear up the Debt Inheritance and eradicate it once and for all?

I have no choice.