She trembled but glared at me, full of hatred. “You bitch! If you hurt so much as one finger of mine, Cade will never forgive you.”
Unfortunately, threats don’t scare me. “Grab her hand. Show me the pinky.”
The guards obeyed, and I raised the knife and brought it down toward the little finger.
“Stop!” Cade, pale and ragged, burst in, reckless. “Phoebe, let Margaret go. I’ll take you to Renzo’s grave.”
I laughed, low and cold. “If you’d said that sooner, none of this would’ve happened.”
Still, I wasn’t taking chances. I clamped a hand over Margaret’s mouth and forced a small pill between her teeth.
Cade suddenly went pale. “What did you give her?”
I smiled, slow and deliberate. “Don’t panic. As long as you behave, your little girl will be just fine.”
Half an hour later, he led me to the manor’s back mountain, where rows of graves stretched out in silence. Then he stopped at a fresh mound. The headstone was blank with no name or identity.
I frowned, unsettled. Then Cade said, “Phoebe, the one you’ve been searching for has always been me.”
I froze, not understanding. “Cade, don’t lie to me. If you dare trick me, think about what might happen to Margaret.”