“Should I ask why?”
“It’s unimportant now. I upset her though, betrayed her trust, and so… when she left, she was very upset with me.” Shading his eyes, he scanned the vineyard, taking in the rolling hills that led to the lavender planted in the distance.
“That is unfortunate, Jean-Luc. It would have been nice to have her join the family.”
“Do you really think so?” he asked, pausing their walk to face his brother. “She was here for several days, and despite countless calls... you couldn’t be bothered to even arrive to her birthday party on time. Then when I planned a family lunch for you to get to know her better, you sent your family ahead alone. Without you.”
“I was busy, Jean-Luc, and—”
“I don’t want to hear your excuses,” Jean-Luc cut him off calmly, waving a hand as he continued the walk, needing to burn off the building frustration.
“What do you want me to say, Jean-Luc?”
“The truth, Marc,” he answered, stopping once more. “I would prefer if you were honest with me about your opinion of our niece. Can you do that?”
Sighing, Marc planted his hands on his hips and looked across the vines before eventually bringing his gaze back. “I think that if you weren’t carrying so much guilt for abandoning Alain, that you would have never looked for her. That girl wasn’t raised in this family. She didn’t even know we existed, and you went and fetched her like an abandoned pet. Did you really think she would understand our world? That she could somehow become a Faure?”
“She is a Faure. Our blood runs in her veins, and—”
“She is not a Faure!” Marc snapped, pulling a breath in through his nose before blowing it out slowly, speaking much more calmly when he continued, even though his words were anything but comforting. “I mean that she’s not like our children, she doesn’t know this family, or its history, and she doesn’t belong here.”
Jean-Luc had known there was something off with Marc during Lianna’s visit, but he had wanted it to be anything else. Another affair, another gambling debt that he would have to clean up so that Marc’s wife remained ignorant of her husband’s failings. He’d wanted his brother’s avoidance of Lianna to be anything but this. Disliking her for Alain’s mistakes, for being born away from their home, under a different name — none of which the girl could have controlled.
“Why, Marc?” he asked, shaking his head slowly. “Why would it matter what name she carries, or what our brother’s decisions changed about where she was born and what she knew?”
“It means everything, Jean-Luc. Our family cannot take in every stray you find, every by-blow that carries a shred of our blood.”
“So, it’s about money?” His disappointment only grew the more his brother spoke, and he hesitated to push any further, but stepping cautiously around his brothers’ feelings had only failed him in the past. “You pushed her away, ignored her, insulted her with your absence... because you didn’t want her to receive a share of whatever inheritance comes after we’re both dead and gone?”
“You have four children. Two grandchildren already. Do you really want to risk their futures over this accidental Faure?” Marc was saying such terrible things with more sincerity than he’d heard him speak in a long time, and he felt it like a pain in his chest.
“You think Alain’s only child, the only bit of him we have left to us... was an accident?”
“Be rational, Jean-Luc. If Alain had seen her as his child, he would have brought her home. This isn’t my opinion, it is our brother’s, and you’re just refusing to honor it.” Marc scoffed, turning away from him to walk a few steps ahead.
“And how do you know that, Marc? I could barely get our brother to return a phone call when we needed to move money around, but you’re confident that you know what Alain thought of his only daughter?”
“He made it clear with his actions.”
“With his actions or his words, Marc?” Jean-Luc tried to control his anger, but it was difficult as he wrapped his fingers into a tight fist at his side. “Did you go see Alain in New York, Marc? Did you visit him and discuss his opinions of Lianna, or were you discussing other things?”
“You know that Alain refused to see either of us after—”
“Do not lie to me, Marc. I have kept you out of harm’s way too many times for you to lie to me. Lianna said she saw you in her father’s home, and yet when you arrived at the party you pretended you’d never seen her before. Then you did nothing but avoid her while she was here, and while at first I thought she was mistaken... it seems more likely that you didn’t want to risk her remembering the first time you met.”
“You’re being ridiculous.” Marc didn’t seem offended by the accusation... which told Jean-Luc all he needed to know.
Closing the space between them, he grabbed onto his brother’s arm to shake him. “It’s true, isn’t it? You were there with Alain. How many times did you go to see him, Marc? How many of your trips to the states were actually trips to visit our brother?”
“Let go of me, Jean-Luc,” Marc growled, ripping his arm free. “You want the truth, brother? You’re an idiot. You’ve always been an idiot. Too naïve, too weak. Our own father saw the failure in you, but he was too tied to tradition to make the right choice for this family. He let you take over, knowing you would lead us to disaster with your idealistic beliefs, and you would have already brought us to the brink of disaster without my help.”
“What help is that? The debts we’ve had to cover for your gambling habits? The payoffs we’ve had to make to your mistresses? Which of your contributions to this family have pulled us back from disaster?”
“You are driving the Faure name into the ground! Letting profitable lines of business go to satisfy your moral code is pointless, there will always be someone waiting in our shadow to take our place. You’re not improving the world with your crusade. You’re only destroying your family. Your blood.” Shaking his head, Marc stepped back from him, a look of disgust on his face. “We couldn’t let you do that. The Faure name carried power when we were young, it was enough to make anyone who tried to step into our path fear our retribution, but you’ve done everything you could to ruin that. We had to protect the family, the Faure name, by not giving up what our family has worked for generations to accomplish. That is what Alain and I met about, because he felt the same way.”
“So, this is the truth. You are a traitor.” Jean-Luc felt sick as he realized his brothers had worked against him every step of the way. “You call me naïve, Marc, but it’s you and Alain who have been naïve. Do you really think that this life is sustainable? The police, the governments, everyone is moving forward, advancing, and it’s only a matter of time until they track things back to us, to our children. You’re accusing me of putting our family at risk when everything I’ve done, every choice I’ve made, has been to save this family. To protect our future. Leaving those things behind, no matter the profit we could make in the short term, no matter who takes it over, that is what will keep our family together. We have plenty of business in more legitimate lanes, less targeted lanes. We will be fine.”
“No, we won’t!” Marc shouted. “Alain was right. We should have stopped you when we were young. You never should have taken over this family, and now you’re trying so hard to create this idyllic family life, gathering the abandoned and lost from across the world just so you can feel good as you sit across from them at the dinner table — but soon enough there will be nothing left. You’ll drain this family dry with your ridiculous crusade.”
The words were a slap in the face. His brother, both of his brothers hated him. Marc had never supported his moves to change the family, he’d merely taken the information to Alain so they could subvert every decision. Swallowing the betrayal and the hurt and the anger, he tugged his suit jacket down and looked Marc in the eye. “Well, Alain is gone, and whatever network you built died with him. So, it seems it’s a good thing I’m in charge, and that I’m teaching Rémi how
to lead this family in the right direction.”
“You’ve always been weak,” Marc shouted at him, but he turned away from the man he’d called brother for over fifty years.
Lianna was right, about more than she even knew, and he’d make sure she knew the truth, she deserved that.
“You never deserved to carry our father’s name, never deserved to be called Faure!” Marc continued to shout, his rage clear. “You are a weak, pathetic fool, but your son doesn’t have to be.”
“What?” He stopped, spinning to face his brother, not believing that Marc would threaten his son — and then he saw the gun and pain punched him in the chest, knocking him back and down. When he hit the ground he was confused, trying to get up, but there was a ringing in his ears, and he couldn’t get a full breath. There was something in his mouth, choking him, making him cough as Marc stepped up beside him. Wiping at his mouth, his hand came away red, and he dropped his palm onto his chest, patting until he found wet and a stab of pain forced him to cough out more blood.
He’d shot him.
Marc shot him. His own brother.
Ignoring the pain, he pulled air in anyway, just so he could look into Marc’s eyes and ask, “Why?”
“Because you’re weak, and I won’t let you tear down what our family has spent generations building. You won’t destroy us, and I’ll make sure Rémi does the right thing for all of us.” Crouching down, Marc touched him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about him, Jean-Luc, I’ll guide him. I’ll take care of all our children.”
No. He tried to say the word, but it wouldn’t come out. It was getting harder to breathe, and the pain was too much. Black was starting to splotch his vision and he knew that wouldn’t be getting up from the ground. Marc wouldn’t let him, even if he could figure out how to draw another breath.
When Marc stood, he could see the sky, and it seemed too beautiful to die under. Days like this didn’t end in tragedy, they ended with a meal on the terrace, with his children laughing and talking, with Cécile’s hand in his while they watched the sun go down together.
But he wouldn’t be on the terrace with them this evening.
He wouldn’t be able to hold his grandchildren again or wrap his arms around his children that had grown so tall and so independent as they became their own unique people.
He’d never get to bring Lianna back to them, to make sure she wasn’t alone, to make sure she felt loved.
Worst of all, he’d never again get to listen to Cécile fall asleep in his arms, or slip into sleep listening to her soft, even breaths... and she’d never kiss him awake again.
Another gunshot pushed back the black for a moment and he forced his eyes open to see Marc holding onto his arm, face a mask of pain. His brother had betrayed him, and everyone he loved was in danger... and he couldn’t do a thing about it.
He just had to trust that Rémi would see what he had been blind to, that his son would stand strong, that he would rise and take his place, following the lessons he’d taught him — even though there was so much more he’d hoped to teach him. He’d wanted to give him advice on dealing with teenagers, he’d wanted to walk his daughters down the aisle, to see his future grandchildren, to see his own children’s faces reflected in the next generation.
He’d wanted to grow old digging holes for Cécile to plant her flowers in, and then he’d wanted to go before she did, so he’d never have to spend a day without her. But he wasn’t ready yet.
Not now.
There was still so much life left to live.
About the Author
Jennifer Bene is a USA Today bestselling author of dangerously sexy and deviously dark romance. From BDSM, to Suspense, Dark Romance, and Thrillers—she writes it all. Always delivering a twisty, spine-tingling journey with the promise of a happily-ever-after.
Don’t miss a release! Sign up for the newsletter to get new book alerts (and a free welcome book) at: http://jenniferbene.com/newsletter
You can find her online throughout social media with username @jbeneauthor and on her website: www.jenniferbene.com
Also by Jennifer Bene
The Thalia Series (Dark Romance)
Security Binds Her (Thalia Book 1)
Striking a Balance (Thalia Book 2)
Salvaged by Love (Thalia Book 3)
Tying the Knot (Thalia Book 4)
The Thalia Series: The Complete Collection
The Beth Series (Dark Romance)
Breaking Beth (Beth Book 1)
Fragile Ties Series (Dark Romance)
Destruction (Fragile Ties Book 1)
Inheritance (Fragile Ties Book 2)
Redemption (Fragile Ties Book 3)
Dangerous Games Series (Dark Mafia Romance)
Early Sins (A Dangerous Games Prequel)
Lethal Sin (Dangerous Games Book 1)
Standalone Dark Romance
Imperfect Monster
Corrupt Desires
Deviant Attraction: A Dark and Dirty Collection
Reign of Ruin
Mesmer
Jasmine
Crazy Broken Love
Standalone BDSM Ménage Romance
The Invitation
Reunited
Standalone Suspense / Horror
Burned: An Inferno World Novella
Scorched: A New Beginning
Appearances in the Black Light Series (BDSM Romance)
Black Light: Exposed (Black Light Series Book 2)
Black Light: Valentine Roulette (Black Light Series Book 3)
Black Light: Roulette Redux (Black Light Series Book 7)
Black Light: Celebrity Roulette (Black Light Series Book 12)
Black Light: Charmed (Black Light Series Book 15)
Black Light: Roulette War (Black Light Series Book 16)
Black Light: The Beginning (Black Light Series Book 17.5)
BOOKS RELEASED AS CASSANDRA FAYE
Daughters of Eltera Series (Dark Fantasy Romance)
Fae (Daughters of Eltera Book 1)
Tara (Daughters of Eltera Book 2)
Standalone Paranormal Romance
Hunted (The Dirty Heroes Collection Book 13)
One Crazy Bite
Dangerous Magic
Redemption (A Dark Romance) (Fragile Ties Book 3) Page 25