Page 130 of Lethal Attraction

“Thalia—”

I cut off Rowan’s sentence as I pull the earpiece out and drop it to the ground. I know they’ll still be able to track my last known location, and I’m hoping they find me, but until then, I have to find Brooks. He can’t escape this fight. This ends here.

I won’t have him hunting down Reed. I swore to protect him and this is me keeping that promise.

I continue through the forest, the sounds of the fight quieting behind me as I keep pushing closer and closer to the highway. It’s outside the fighting grounds, but if Brooks can ignore the rules and receive no repercussions, then so can I.

My feet thud over another downed, rotting tree, and I crouch low as something snaps to my left. My head whips around, only for me to be met with utter silence. The brush settles, the wind evaporating, until it’s just my breathing that surrounds me. My nape prickles, and I know I’m not alone. No matter how much it seems like I am.

“I know you’re there,” I call out as I stand. “Show yourself.”

My grandfather rounds a tree to my right, only a few feet away from me as he fixes the sleeve of his tactical shirt. “You know, Thalia, is it? I never cared for your mother. It’s not that she wasn’t a good assassin. She just wasn’t…dedicated. Not like you.”

“Real flattering,” I croon, my eyes narrowing as I give him a sickly sweet smile.

He clears his throat, shoving his hands into his pockets as he puffs out his chest. “We could end this now? Join me. You would make an excellent addition to the Western branch.”

Silence.

Then I burst out laughing as I slap my thigh and double over. “What?! Oh, wait, this is good!” My mirth bounces off the trees as heat creeps up my face. “You partner with Brooks and expect me to join you? How much more pathetic can you get?”

He lowers his head with a bitter sneer. “I never should have accepted his offer. He’s a coward. A liar.”

I brush away a tear before it can fall. “I could have told you that.”

Vincent straightens, piecing himself back together. His gaze settles on me, and a strange pride flickers in his eyes. “You are stronger than your mother ever was.” His voice softens. “Everything in this world comes down to respect and loyalty, and she understood neither. She was a disappointment. The moment she met your father, she threw away everything that mattered. Her duty. Her future. Her family.” He studies me carefully. “But you...” A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “You’re everything she should have been.”

My hands curl into fists at my sides. Rage coils through me, hot and familiar. For a moment, I let myself feel it. Then I bury it.

“You’re wrong.” I whisper. “I’m nothing like my mother.” My voice is calm enough to be frightening. “She spent years trying to force her morals on me. Trying to teach me shame and conformity.”

I take a step closer. “She thought those things made the perfect assassin—a machine rather than a person.”

Vincent’s eyes narrow.

I hold his gaze and feel something cold unfold inside my chest. “But they never took.”

Silence stretches between us.

“My mother was weak because she still believed there were lines that shouldn’t be crossed.” A hollow smile touches my lips. “I learned there aren’t any.”

His expression shifts—not fear, but something close.

“So no,” I say softly. “I’m not what she could have been.” My smile stretches. “I’m what she always feared.”

He eases back, pride reflecting in his gaze. “So much more than I ever could have imagined. To die by your hands would be an honor, Thalia Kingsley. Unfortunately, I don’t plan on giving up my position so soon. I’m still in my prime.”

I scoff as my feet shift into a fighting stance. “I’m going to dissolve your branch and burn everything to the ground once this is over.”

“I would expect nothing less.”

We advance on each other, and I’m surprised by how quick he is in his old age. His practiced moves and ducks show me how much Mom learned from him, as he anticipates every hit and shift. He evades me again, sidestepping before hooking an arm around my neck.

I turn into him, crouching low as I back away and dodge his choke. My victory is short-lived when he charges fast, pressing his forearm into my throat and pinning me to the nearest tree. My hands fly up to his wrist as my nails dig in, and I bite down onto the fatty part of his hand until I break skin.

He throws his head back on a loud, guttural shout as I bring my knee up and shove my boot into his stomach, pushing him back. Warmth trickles down my chin, and I swipe his blood away before smiling, flashing my red-soaked teeth at him.

He holds his wounded hand, his jaw grinding. “Far better than she ever was.”