Inheriting a SECRET (Corrigan & Co. #7)(34)

“Oh yes, you will,” he says. “I may have to make a trip to Tucson, Arizona otherwise.”

No. Oh God, no. I force myself to remain calm. “Tucson?”

“You’ve hidden your mother well, but it was only a matter of time before she slipped up.”

“I’ll kill you before I let you hurt another one of my family members.”

“It’s so cute how you think you have any power here. I think it’s time to tell your bosses just who they hired all those years ago. You think they’ll protect you, but I’m pretty sure you’re wrong. Why don’t we just find out who is right after all?”

He steps out of the room, and I hurry after him. Angelo stays in the room because no one’s supposed to know that he and Derrick are working together. They’d both have a lot of explaining to do if that happened. I follow Derrick into one of the larger sitting rooms to find all of the mentors, as well as the rest of my friends, already inside, along with the Queen, Steven, Brayden, Noah, and Jen.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting, but it took a little time to find Darcy. She was…entertaining a very handsome man.”

“She wasn’t ‘entertaining’ him, she was saving me from him when he wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Jen says.

“Maybe that’s what she told you, but she’s actually been working with Angelo for years.”

“That’s a lie, and you know it.”

“You worked with him to steal the family’s jewels all those years ago. I wonder what you’re planning now.”

He knows damn well that I stole the jewels right out from under Angelo—and him. I can’t say that without giving away everything else, so I’m forced to keep quiet. At least about the dynamics of what went down. “I have never worked with Angelo, and I never would.”

“You don’t deny stealing the jewels, though, do you? Your bosses need to know who they’re hiring.”

“We know,” Jane says. “We’ve known it was Darcy all along. Why do you think we recruited her?”

“What?” I step back like she physically struck me, because it feels like she did.

“You need to give up the jewels, Darcy. This has gone on too long.”

Jane is looking like the fierce leader she once was, and my heart is breaking. “Mallory?” I ask, looking to my mentor, the woman who brought me in, promising that she would save me.

“We’ve given you seven years to tell us the truth, but you’ve continued to lie. Your time with us is over. If you want to save yourself from jail—or worse—you need to tell us where the jewels are.”

“No. You said you were saving me.”

“I lied. We all did. You interfered with us all of those years ago, and we don’t accept failure. It’s time to make things right.”

“I-I thought you cared for me. That you accepted me. I’ve been working with you for seven years.”

“As I said, we’ve waited patiently, but our patience has worn thin.”

“My mother has been threatened. I have to go to her. I need your help.”

Jane gives me another hard look. “Have we not just made it clear to you that there is no help for you from the Society? You are on your own. If you give us the jewels, we will spare you. If not, well, you know what happens to our enemies.”

I need to get out of here. I look around, and see Reina looking at Jane like she’s an alien. She didn’t know. That gives me some comfort. I meet Nate’s eyes, and he nods twice, using our own special code to tell me the patio doors to my right will be my best bet. I just have to make it to them.

I grab my skirt in my hands and turn. “Stop her,” Derrick yells.

“Go,” Nate tells me, jumping in to stop the two palace guards who were coming for me.

I look back only once, seeing Aiden, Jake, Ellie, and Jade stepping in to keep the rest at bay. I meet Brayden’s eyes and know it’s probably the last time I’ll see him. I mouth “I love you” and he returns the sentiment. I don’t look back again as I join the crowd outside and hurry to the fence. There’s no way I’ll make it out the front gates, which is why it’s a good thing I’ve been practicing with the walls. I’m over and blocks away when I hear the first of the men who are looking for me. I make it up to the roof of the building where I’ve stored some supplies before they see me and lie flat on my stomach as they run past.

I quickly disable my tracker and change into black clothes, boots, and a beanie I had stored in my messenger bag. There is also a good amount of money, a fake passport that’s mine—not one that the Society gave me—and two guns. I wait until I hear no one below and then slip into the night, making my way to the hiding place I made sure was secure when I got here. It’ll be like hiding in plain sight, but I hope it will be safe for the couple of days it will take me to arrange for transport off the island. That’s all I have left now—hope.





Chapter 13


Darcy

I made it to the apartment I’ve owned for years under a fake name without being spotted. I secure everything and then collapse onto the bed, falling into a fitful sleep. I wake up, knowing that I’m not alone in the apartment. Old instincts die hard, and I reach for my guns. I slowly open the bedroom door to see Reina, Faith, Audrey, Stella, and Ainsley lounging around my living room.