Page 46 of Echoes of Danger
“A witness to what?” I fume. “The name Paston wasn’t attached to her case whatsoever.”
“No,” Taylor agrees. “But the fact that she put the name Ryan Honiker in the spotlight would be enough. I dug deep into Honiker’s past and not once came across the name Paston. But that doesn’t mean anything. Paston most likely used a fake name in his dealings. If someone was curious enough and knew what they were looking for, like Knox just did, they could have foundit easily. Then Paston’s name would have been lit up just as brightly as Honiker’s.”
Ghost resumes his pacing. “He knew that the second Delphi testified, he became a liability, a potential loose end. He’s been hunting her ever since.”
“That trial ended fourteen years ago,” I remind them as we make our way back inside. “She never changed her name. Hell, her son is going to the same high school. Why wait all this time, after Honiker’s death, to come after her? And for that matter, how the hell did we end up protecting someone from Paston’s family while all of this was going down? It can’t be a coincidence.”
“You guys are all so fucking stupid,” Mark laughs from the chair he’s tied to. “Father had his doubts, but I knew it would work.”
The sound of Mark’s voice cuts through the tension in the group, sharp and mocking. The bitter laughter echoes around the room, sending a shiver of frustration down my spine.
Ghost stops pacing abruptly, his body going still as he turns toward the chair. His expression darkens, lips curling in a snarl. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I know why you’re all spinning your wheels,” Mark taunts, his voice a twisted mix of pride and anger. “You’re so focused on Delphi, you’re not even looking at the big picture. Father didn’t come after her because of the trial or because she put Honiker’s name out there. He came after her because she wasalwaysmeant to be part of the plan. That trial? That was just a side effect, collateral damage. You think you’re protecting her? Hell, you’re the ones walking right into our trap.”
The realization hits like a slap to the face. My blood runs cold.The plan. What the hell is he talking about?
“Stop playing games, Mark,” I growl, stepping towards him. “What plan? What the hell are you talking about?”
Mark chuckles again, a harsh, ugly sound. “Your precious Delphi? She’s been a pawn in this game from the start. She doesn’t even know it. Her life’s been a setup since she was in middle school. He’s been waiting for the right time to pull her back into the fold, and now here you are, doing exactly what he wants.”
Taylor’s voice cuts through, sharp and cutting. “What the hell does that mean? How is Delphi involved in Paston’s mess? She’s just a survivor.”
Mark’s voice takes on a more sinister edge. “You think she’s just some random survivor? You think the hell she went through, losing everything, her family, her sanity, was all just by chance? No. Father’s empire isn’t built on coincidences. Everything, every piece, was a calculated move. And Delphi? She’s part of that equation. Her story, her pain, all of it was by design.”
My heart stops. I take a step back, reeling from the gravity of his words. “What the hell do you mean by design?”
“Father doesn’t waste resources,” Mark continues, his voice gleaming with a sick sort of pride. “Honiker was selling information to my father for years. Info on the students that walked through his doors. Father took a keen interest in Delphi. So, father put his plan into play. However, the pregnancy was a surprise. But Father used it to break her. He paid her parents to toss her aside like trash. They folded the second they saw the zeros. He needed her broken, vulnerable. And when she fought back, when shechosenot to abort, that’s when he saw her as valuable. He made sure she was kept on the radar, controlled, kept in the dark about just how much of her life had been manipulated.”
The sick twist in my stomach feels like acid eating away at my insides. “You’re telling me her whole life was some kind of fucking game to him?”
Mark’s laughter rings out again. “You think you’re so much better than me? I was bred for this. Everything Father did, every move, every choice, was calculated. She’s never been free.”
“This is allbullshit. If Paston really had this much control over her, why not just take her years ago? Why now?”
Mark’s voice drops lower, filled with venom. The fact that he can even speak with how swollen everything is is shocking. “Because Father wasn’t ready for her. Then you started protecting her, and Father had to act. She’s his greatest leverage, and you’re too damn blind to see it. The second she came under your protection? That’s when the real game began.”
The implications hit like a freight train. I run a hand through my hair, trying to steady my racing thoughts. “Delphi’s been part of this plan for years,” I murmur to myself. “Not just some pawn in Paston’s game, but aprize... a key piece.”
“His Queen,” Mark laughs before choking on his own blood.
“We’ve been played,” Ghost mutters. “And it looks like we walked right into it.”
A grim silence hangs in the air. The truth is ugly, and it’s too late to ignore. Delphi, Mark, and Paston, everything’s tied together in ways we never understood until now. We’re running out of time, and we’ve been working with half the picture all along.
Mark’s voice breaks the silence again, sneering. “You’ll figure it out eventually, but it’ll be too late. Father always makes sure it’s too late.”
“So, you’re what? A sacrifice?”
“I did plan on surviving,” Mark wheezes. “I figured the fake list would work, but Father was positive it wouldn’t. I planned to turn in the list, get into protective services, and ask to be protected by you lot. Once father made contact, I was supposed to slip out in the middle of the night. I didn’t plan on you all agreeing so fast to beat the shit out of me.”
“Why are you telling us everything now?” King asks calmly.
“It’s been three days,” Mark smiles, blood pouring from his mouth. “Your man is dead, and the woman is gone. My name will live on as a hero. I die proudly. AND THE ACADEMY AWARD GOES TO…”
“Oh, you don’t die at all,” King says. “Not for a very… long… time.”
Mark’s eyes widen with shock before King injects a needle into his neck.