Page 85 of Villain

“I don’t know.” He hadn’t exactly been around to help manage things.

“But West and Yejun do.”

“Why haven’t you asked them then, Songbird?”

“The same reason I didn’t want to tell any of this to you,” he stated. “I don’t trust you, any of you. Look where I am right now.” He motioned to the room. “I came here for my cousin, not so I could become a fuck toy.”

“You’re more than that,” Lake said.

“What if the hacker never approaches me?” It almost appeared as though Nix was hopeful that would be the case. “What then? Will you let me go?”

“We have until Demons Passing,” he reminded. “There’s still plenty of time for him to take the bait. It’s only been a week. As long as we focus on being seen with you, it should draw him in. He’ll want to warn you off of us.”

“Like whoever left me that package.” Nix shuddered. “We’re really sure it can’t be the same person?”

“You know we aren’t. But it wouldn’t make much sense.”

“He could have given up.”

“It’s possible.”

“And you’re all right with that?” Nix eyed him down. “If there’s no hacker left to find, you can’t complete the task that’s been given to you.”

“It’ll complicate things,” more than he wanted to admit or share, “but I’ll make due if that happens.”

He licked his lips. “And me?”

“What about you?”

“What exactly was written in that contract you had me sign, Lake? How long do I have to do this? Be here? You said it was until Demons Passing. What happens if you can’t find who you’re looking for by then? Do I still get to walk away?”

He would never be allowed to do that, but it was obvious now wasn’t the time to say as much, so Lake kept that to himself as well. Whether Nix liked it or not, he was a part of their world now, and once someone was let in, they weren’t given a simple pass if they wanted to leave.

“You don’t have access to your cousin’s chats,” Lake said instead of answering, and even though Nix had to catch onto what he was doing, he let him. “If you did, that would solve everything. You’d find the person you’re looking for.”

Would he leave afterward?

He could try.

“What?” Nix pulled back slightly. “What are you mad about now?”

“I’m debating whether I should help you or hinder your search,” he replied cooly.

“Why would you do that?”

“Prevent you from finding this King?” Lake hummed. “Oh, I don’t know, perhaps it’s because chasing after you would be a tedious waste of my time. Are you going to deny that you’d make a break for it the second you’ve settled what you really came here for?”

Nix cursed under his breath, but Lake heard it.

“Exactly. Since it’s pointless for me to pretend, as you’ve already proven you can see right through me, do you want me to even bother?”

“Bother with?”

“I can give you another false sense of security, Songbird,” he offered. “If that’s what you need.”

He considered it and, in a small voice, said, “I just need to solve this thing for my cousin.”

“Then I’ll help you,” he held up a hand, “with the understanding that you’re trapped, no matter what we find. The contract, using you to find the hacker, these were mere excuses to keep you around. This will be no different.”