Page 97 of Ruthless

“Didn’t exactly work out the way either of you wanted, did it?”

“Can’t speak for Dirk, but it worked out well for me,” Alex said. “You were never the same. Hid from everyone. You were like a shadow…a timid little mouse. Then you disappeared altogether. To make things even better, Papa was so immersed in trying to get you well, he took his eyes off so many things. Maybe it wasn’t exactly the way I’d planned, but everything still worked to my advantage.”

“But Dirk was caught and put in prison.”

An instant of darkness flashed in his eyes before he returned to his cheerful demeanor. “I told him that was on him. If he hadn’t gotten greedy and had just killed you like I told him to, he could’ve been long gone before any rescue was launched.”

“I would think his incarceration would’ve put a strain on your friendship.”

“It did for a while, and then, out of the blue, he got in touch with me, and it was like we’d never lost touch. We still had the same interest, the same goals.”

Even though she knew he was volatile and could blow up at any moment, she couldn’t resist asking, “How long have you been like this?”

“Like what?”

“A sociopath.”

Instead of being insulted, he just shrugged and shook his head. “Probably from birth. Not really sure.” His brow wrinkled. “Remember when Maman died?”

“No. I was barely two.”

“Yes, well…” He waved his hand at such an insignificant detail. “Everyone was so sad, and I just didn’t get it. It was all so bizarre to me. I was twelve years old and understood death, but it just didn’t seem like that big of a deal. One day, Maman was here. The next day, she was gone. Nothing really changed for me.

“While I realized I didn’t feel the same way as everyone else, I also understood that it wasn’t wise to act like it didn’t matter. So I learned to follow other people’s emotions. Cried when they cried, things like that. It was kind of fun to pretend. You know?”

No, she didn’t know, and she thanked God she didn’t. How tragic it would be to have absolutely no empathy or feeling for other people. What a lonely, cold existence.

Something hammered at her, and she had to ask, “Did you have anything to do with our mother’s death?”

He jerked as if shocked and then burst out laughing. “That’s the best thing I’ve heard in years. I was twelve years old, silly goose. Maman fell and cracked her skull. It was an accident.”

Before she could tell him it was obvious he’d been capable of murder even at a young age, he added slyly, “Samuel, on the other hand, I will definitely take credit for.”

A lump developed in her throat, and she found it hard to breathe. That had been her next question.

“You sabotaged his bike?”

“Well, not me personally. I paid for it to be done.”

“Why him?”

“It was good practice. I wanted to see if I could get away with it. He was going to have to go eventually, since he was next in line after Nicolas at the time. Of course, that was before Camille started popping out future kings like a gumball machine.”

“You killed Nicolas and his entire family. You had their plane tampered with?”

As if he wasn’t confessing to twice committing fratricide, he shifted his shoulders in a casual shrug. “The sabotage worked so well the first time, I thought, ‘Why not?’ I knew Nicolas was taking them away somewhere to keep them safe. The man was so obsessed, he wouldn’t even tell Papa where they were going. It was the perfect opportunity to get rid of all of them at once.” He grinned and gave a contented sigh. “Worked like a dream.”

“How could you, Alex? Your nephews were innocent children.”

“They were a threat to my reign. Had no choice. And can you believe that Camille was pregnant again? Nicolas told me right before they left. I mean, where’s the accountability for adding to the population explosion?” Another shrug. “I did the world a favor.”

She thought she was long past being shocked, but he had proved her wrong. The incredible coldness in his demeanor as he casually talked about killing their brother and nephews, as well as an innocent woman and an unborn baby, was one of the most chilling things she’d ever seen. There was no hope, no redemption for such a monster.

“Papa and Uncle Jacques? You have plans for them?”

“Well, after losing you and Nicolas, along with his only grandchildren, Papa’s going to be so incapacitated by grief, he won’t be able to rule anymore. I’ll be named his successor.”

“And Jacques?”