When All Else Fails (A Push of a Button Novella)

Chapter Four

Could she still play dumb? She had to try. It might be her only chance. "Dane, wait! Know about what? What did I do?"

He didn't answer her, so she followed, her heart in her throat. Somehow, the sense of dread just grew with each step toward the bedroom until her heart was in her throat and her stomach had dropped to her toes. They knew. They knew. The words kept spinning through her mind like the world was spinning out from under her. Her mind threatened to shut down in shock, but she forced herself to focus.

They reached his room, and he held the door open for her. She shuffled over the threshold. The door clicked shut, and she stared at the bed where all her notes and files lay in neat piles. No. No, he couldn't have these! How? She tensed and had to keep herself from turning to run.

Dane's hands came to rest on her upper arms, holding her in place. As if she could've moved to start. She was frozen in indecision now, no longer fully functioning. How much had he told them? Had her own brother sold her out? Why would he do this?

"Now, Vivian," he murmured gently against her temple. "I'm a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them. Maybe quit pretending you're the stupid one, and we can talk this out as equals?"

She swallowed back tears. "I..." She couldn't even get the words out past the lump in her throat. "I don't know..."

"Shh... Shh..." His grip tightened on her arms. "Think very, very carefully before you lie to me, little girl. One slip that you're one of the Diexebels, and poof. You end up in some freak accident or you vanish with a note that you couldn't handle the pressure anymore. We wouldn't want that, would we?"

Her parents would never, ever allow that. He had to be kidding. "Come on, Dane. You wouldn't really give me up to the Supremacy's lackeys, would you? You've always said you value family more than anything."

"You gave yourself up." Dane spun her to face him and forced her to back up until her calves hit the bed. Then he pushed her down to sit between the stacks of papers with a tight smile. "And I do value family. But that doesn't apply here. Yet."

"Doesn't apply?" She tried to surge to her feet but stayed put when he pinned her with a flat stare. "Of course it applies! Besides, they won't do anything to me. I'm the heir of the McGayen legacy."

He threw his head back and laughed. "The Supremacy doesn't care who is the heir and who isn't. They'll give it to whoever will fit the role best, and you know it." He sobered. "That could be you, but only if you let me help you."

She shook her head. "Help me? This is ridiculous, Dane. I don't need help."

"You do, and you need to do everything I say unless you want to end up in the ground. If you don't cooperate, I will be forced to tell them about all this." He gestured to the papers.

She shook her head. "They won't believe you," she whispered. "I have a good reputation for being level-headed and serious, something you most certainly don't have."

He frowned. "Not to you, maybe. But I definitely do with the Supremacy."

"You expect me to believe that my baby brother—"

"No, actually, I don't." He stared down at her with an indecipherable look in his blue eyes. "Look..." His tone softened. "Your parents were supposed to tell you ages ago, but they broke the deal, and the Supremacy had to change the plan."

Her stomach ached now. Her parents? Not his? What was going on?

"I'm not your little brother, Viv, and everyone will believe the Supremacy's man over a girl who always, always..." He took her chin in his calloused palm and bent over until their faces were inches apart. "Doubts reality."