The words are on the tip of my tongue. I missed you too. But I can’t speak past the lump in my throat. For so long I hadn’t wanted to connect with any reminders of family summers on Villroy, but meeting Adrian here on my territory makes it a lot easier.
I cuddle closer and breathe him in, spice and man. A good man. Maybe he’s the reason I’ve never stayed with any man. I was just waiting to meet him again.
Chapter Seven
Adrian
After Sara made good on her winners’ share of the money—drawing from her own stash of cash despite my offer to help—I went to visit my twin for lunch in Manhattan. Silvia was her usual affectionate, enthusiastic self and invited me for dinner at her place tonight, along with Sara and Chloe. She called it “an impromptu dinner party.” I told her to make the arrangements and I’d be there. Sara will find it harder to say no to Silvia’s invitation than mine. I know I’ve been pushy, sticking my nose into Sara’s life, but it’s the only way for me to figure out what’s going on with her game and the players in it. I’m staying an extra day so I can go to Sara’s Thursday night game.
Okay, she’s the reason I’m staying. I want more time to convince her to consider the job at my casino.
Next order of business—and it’s a big one—Silvia gave me my cousin Dylan’s info. He lives in Brooklyn, working construction for his uncle’s company. A far cry from his rightful inheritance. If his father hadn’t abdicated the throne, Dylan would’ve been the crown prince, heir to the kingdom of Villroy. He’s the firstborn. By all rights, Dylan should be king. He’s a year older than Gabriel, our current king.
I text him on the ride back to my hotel. Hi, this is Adrian, Silvia Rourke’s twin. She gave me your number. I’m in town and was hoping to meet up. I wanted to ask you about some locals in a friend’s poker game.
A text comes back hours later. It’s simply an address in Brooklyn. Five o’clock.
Okay. Not exactly friendly, but maybe he’s busy at work. Silvia’s dinner party is at seven. Maybe I could invite him too. She wouldn’t mind.
I text a quick reply. See you then.
I show up at the appointed time, and it’s a construction site by the waterfront. A huge crew is filtering out from the site because it’s quitting time. I don’t know which one he is. I’m looking for someone who resembles my family. Tall, dark haired, maybe with the famous Rourke aquamarine eyes. My father always said they were a sign of the true rulers of Villroy because they match the sea there. Silvia, Emma, and I inherited my mother’s hazel eyes. Good thing we were born later down the line or that would’ve shot that superstition to hell.
I text Dylan. Where are you? I’m here.
Meet me at Tazza Café.
I look around and spot the café across the street. I head over with my guard, Jack, trailing me, and go inside. I don’t see anyone who looks like they’re in construction in here. Just a few hipster types with laptops. Now I’m getting irritated.
I find a table in the back and text him to let him know where I’m sitting. Jack stands in the corner adjacent to me.
Finally, a guy walks in who I think could be him. He’s in his thirties, tall and fit in a blue Byrne Construction T-shirt, jeans, and black work boots. His black hair is on the longish side, his cheekbones sharp, his square jaw sporting a neatly trimmed beard. A tribal tattoo over one bulging bicep peeks out of his shirtsleeve. Royals can’t have tattoos in my kingdom. It’s considered desecration of the body, and we wouldn’t be buried in the royal plot because of it. Dylan has unknowingly made it so he’s denied his place in death there, after being denied his place there in life. It strikes me as horribly unfair. I hadn’t given much thought to it before. It was simply a fact—my uncle’s family was exiled. They were foggy in my mind, there were no pictures of them at home, but seeing him here in the flesh, it strikes me how wrong it is.
I stand, adrenaline rushing through me. I’m about to meet my long-lost cousin! “Dylan?”
He strides over and stops in front of me. His eyes are a piercing blue, not the Rourke aquamarine. He stares for a moment, taking me in. “You’re not cute like your twin.”
I bark out a laugh. “I don’t aspire to be cute.” I gesture toward my table. “Have a seat.”
“I’m gonna get a sandwich first. Want anything?”
He’s strangely casual about meeting me for the first time. Maybe it’s to cover the awkwardness of the situation, or maybe that’s just how laid-back he always is.
“Actually, Silvia is having me and a couple of friends over for dinner tonight. You’re welcome to join us.”
He doesn’t accept or decline. “I skipped lunch. Gotta eat.”
“I’ll take an espresso, thanks.” I pull my wallet out, but he holds up a palm, declining the gesture.
I take a seat. Another surreal moment—my long-lost cousin is buying me an espresso. My first surreal moment was seeing Sara Travers after so many years. I’m excited to meet him and hope to meet his brothers and parents too.
He takes a seat a few minutes later, shoving my espresso across the table to me. “That your muscle?” he asks, jerking his chin toward Jack.
“I have a guard, yes. Sometimes people are overzealous. I haven’t had any issues since I arrived in New York.”
He takes a bite of roast beef sandwich. After he chews, he says, “Yeah, give it time. You show your face enough, the paps will show up.”
I take a sip of espresso, thinking we should get back to the basics. I mean, this is a big moment—long-lost cousins meeting for the first time. “It’s great to meet you. Silvia told me about you and your brothers. It’s strange to have cousins I’ve never met.”
He lifts his gaze to mine. “Not so strange. Your family kicked us out for good. Kinda squashed the idea of any reunions.”
I lean forward. “Things are different now at the palace. My oldest brother, Gabriel, is king now. His wife is an American, a very down-to-earth woman. Maybe now that they’re in charge, they’d be open to you and your family coming for a visit.”
He snorts. “Yeah.”
“Really. I’ll make it right. You should see where you came from.”
He takes a big bite of sandwich and chews.
I press on. “Silvia says you’ve met my brother Phillip a few times too. So now you already know three of the seven of us. The rest are great.”
He chews and then takes a sip of water. “Yeah. Phillip visits the city a lot. Silvia insisted I meet him. Bit uppity for me.”
“He works with poor communities to bring them clean water. He’s not really uppity. He’s the UN Ambassador for Clean Water.”
Dylan looks unimpressed. “A position they give to famous faces. He’s the spare heir, isn’t he?”
“He was before the new heiress was born. Gabriel has a one-year-old daughter now. Mila.”
He goes back to eating. Finally he says, “There you go.”
Maybe I’ll work on a reconciliation from my family’s side first. See if maybe Gabriel can make some headway. Dylan reminds me of Gabriel a bit in looks and manner, direct and authoritative.
I get back to my original purpose. “My friend is running a poker game here in Brooklyn, and I was hoping you might know something about some local Russians playing in the game.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to make sure they’re legit.”
He takes a long drink of water. “There’s a large Russian community over in the Brighton Beach area. Good people, very family oriented. I mean, yeah, the Russian mafia is there, but there’s plenty of good folks too.”
“I don’t think they’re from there. They’re new immigrants with accents. Really wealthy, young, living in the Park Slope area, and I don’t know where else.”
He lifts a brow. “You got names?”
“Just a few.”
“Well, gimme.”
“I only know two. Sergei Rivkin and Yuri Petrov.”
“Don’t know Sergei. Now Yuri. If that’s who I think it i
s, his dad’s a big-time real estate developer.”
“Yes, he mentioned that.”
He shakes his head. “My uncle told us never to work for his projects. His dad gets into ridiculous debt, gambles with other people’s money, and then doesn’t pay his contractors. He puts good people out of business. I’d stay away from that one.”
“He asked all of us to buy into a deal in Queens.”
“Wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Sergei already put in some money. Like right away.”
“If Sergei’s connected to the mob, it could be a way to clean his money. If not, he made a really bad investment.”
I watch as he finishes his sandwich in a few bites and then drains his water. He wipes his mouth on a napkin and gathers his trash on a tray. I get the feeling he’s about to leave.
“Thanks for meeting me, Dylan. I was hoping to meet the rest of your family while I’m here too. I’d really like to connect again.”
His expression is stone. “You met me. That’s enough.”
“But we’re family. Don’t you think they’d want to meet me?”
He presses his lips together. “No, I don’t. It’ll only hurt them.” His blue eyes narrow. “You think we don’t know what you think of us? My father told us. He was thrown out and told that he and his riffraff family could stay in Brooklyn forever exiled. No wealth or privilege that comes with his title, not even an allowance. You think it’s easy for a man raised to the throne to make a living starting from scratch here?”
“What did he do?”
“He did what he had to. My uncle offered him a job in construction, asking him to keep the books. He’s the office guy and worked like hell to learn everything he could about the business. My brothers and I joined them as soon as we were old enough. Byrne Construction is a family business. The Byrnes are my family, my mother’s side. Not yours.”
“I’m really sorry for the way things went down back then, but we’re the new generation. We can make it right. The Rourkes are your family too.”
He scowls. “You don’t get it. I would’ve been king down the line. Instead, I’m here working hard labor while you’re enjoying the good life up at the palace. Look, I came today out of respect for Silvia. I like her. That’s enough Rourke family time for me.”
“Will you come to dinner tonight at her place?”
He stands. “I’m beat, so I’ll pass.” He sets his dishes in the bin on top of the trash can and tosses his trash inside the can. “Gotta go.”
I stand and cross to him. “There doesn’t have to be so much bitterness between our families.”
He tilts his head. “Doesn’t have to be, but there is, and we both know whose fault that is. I’ll let you know if anything turns up about Sergei. If you don’t hear from me, it’s all good.”
“Can you tell your father I’d like to meet him?”
His jaw clenches just like Gabriel’s does when he’s irritated. “No.”
“Why not?”
He speaks through his teeth. “He’s suffered enough.”
He strides out the door.
I go back to my table and sit with my espresso, lost in thought. Even though he was clearly not thrilled to spend time with me, he was helpful. And he did say he’d get back to me if there was a problem. If he was completely closed off from my family, he wouldn’t even meet with me.
I look to the ceiling and blow out a sharp breath. There’s reason to hope. Plus Silvia has met him and his brothers. Maybe Silvia is the key to uniting the families.
~ ~ ~
Sara
I don’t think I’ve been this social in years. Drinks with both Rourke twins and now a dinner party at Silvia’s apartment. I stopped uptown at Columbia to meet Chloe, and we rode the subway down to Central Park south, where Silvia and her husband live. It’s pricey real estate, but not as upscale as I would’ve expected from royalty. I thought Silvia would buy a multimillion-dollar unit in the Dakota, where all the famous wealthy live. I did hear that Villroy’s fishing economy was faltering and they bolstered it by using their fishing industry to make high-end cosmetics. The day spa and casino were created to pamper and entertain respectively, but it all started with cosmetics.
Chloe has barely spoken to me the whole way here because she’s studying for an organic chemistry test through notes on her phone. I worry about this girl. I mean, she already did the hard part—got into the college she wanted and placed out of several intro science courses. Now that she’s there, she needs to let loose a little.
I glance over at her. She’s wearing her usual uniform of cardigan, tank top, and jeans. It’s an all-weather foolproof system. Sometimes the cardigan comes off, and sometimes it stays on. Wow! The colors are a neutral palette that she mixes and matches. Today it’s a pink cardigan over a light beige tank. She doesn’t waste time on fashion. We resemble each other—same blond hair and green eyes—only she’s petite with fine cheekbones and a bow to her top lip that makes her look like a sweet angel. She used to be hell on wheels. Now she’s all study all the time.
“Okay, put your phone away,” I tell her with a jab to the ribs.
Her eyes flash. “Ow!”
“Stop studying. We’re going in the building now.”
She sticks her phone in her purse. “You didn’t have to jab me!”
“Yes, I did, because you don’t hear me otherwise.” I’m the mom, except I’m her big sister.
She gets quiet, and I see she’s mouthing words to herself. She’s not one for mocking backtalk. She’s probably reciting scientific formulas.
I snap my fingers in front of her face to break the formula trance. “How’s school?”
“Fantastic! My advisor worked out the perfect schedule for me to double major in bio and chem and still graduate in three years.”
“Double major in three years? Why don’t you just do the combined biochem?”
A serene smile blooms on her face. “Because there’s so many courses I want to take in both bio and chem. I need the double major.”
We stop at the front desk and check in. This place used to be a hotel and is now apartments.
“Silvia says she’ll be down in a minute,” the clerk says.
“Thank you.” I turn to Chloe. “Have you been to any parties yet?”
“You know I’m not into the party scene. It’s a waste of time.”
“Are you making friends? Hanging out?” It’s been a little over three weeks since she started school and I fear she’s studying all the time.
“I do have a study group. About five of us, sometimes four.”
“Anyone cute?”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m not looking for a boyfriend. I’m very focused on my goals right now. Three years and then I’ve got Harvard Medical School in my sights.”
And then she’ll be locked away in a lab for her career. “Maybe you could join a club.”
“They do have a tutoring club to help underprivileged high school students.”
I nearly smack my forehead because she’s just not getting it. Not that there’s anything wrong with a club like that. She was an underprivileged high school student not so long ago. I just want her to meet people her age socially.
She goes on. “I plan to volunteer at the hospital too. That starts next month.”
Maybe she’ll meet a doctor. That wouldn’t be so bad since she wants to be a doctor too. I just want her to have a relatively normal college experience—friends, boyfriends, maybe the occasional rowdy night. The kind of experience I never got to have. I want everything for her.
“You’re here!” a feminine voice exclaims.
We both turn to see Silvia beaming at us. “Thanks for coming on such short notice!” She hugs me and turns to Chloe. “Look at you! All grown up!” She hugs her, and Chloe gives her a stiff hug in return.
Silvia pulls back. “Do you remember me? You were only five the last time I saw you.”
Chloe squints. “Vaguely. I remember the beach, and you had
a white tent you sat under for a long time with a pile of books.”
Silvia smiles. “And I helped you build sandcastles too, which you destroyed.” She gestures for us to follow, her high ponytail swinging as she walks. She’s wearing a pale pink silk blouse with dark gray trousers and black suede ankle-length boots. I’m glad I dressed up a bit in a green V-neck short-sleeved sweater, black jeans, and black ballet flats. Normally I’m in a T-shirt and shorts or jeans, unless I’m working. “This way to the elevator.”
We follow her.
“My brother Adrian will be here soon,” Silvia says to Chloe. “Do you remember him? He’s my twin.”
Chloe lifts one shoulder. “Also very vague. He played cards with Sara.”
“And still does, right, Sara?” Silvia asks. “He told me he joined you for poker night.”
“More like invited himself,” I mutter.
Silvia laughs. “He could never pass up a good poker game. He hasn’t gotten to play as much now that he runs the casino.” She smiles at us both. “This is so great. I can’t believe I get to see you both after all these years.”
The elevator doors open on the top floor, and we follow her to a corner apartment. The first thing I see is a wall of windows facing Central Park. The living room is large and has a desk by the window with a laptop and a seating area with a brown suede sofa and two turquoise chairs arranged around a glass coffee table. Across from that is a dining area with a black wood table and six matching wooden chairs.
A mountain of a man steps out of the adjacent kitchen. He’s got a full beard, his dirty blond hair tied back in a low ponytail, tall and bulky with muscle. I’d almost say hipster territory, but he looks too much like a lumberjack. He doesn’t look like the kind of man I pictured Silvia would choose. I thought for sure she’d want a fellow bookworm—a clean-shaven, neat hair part, academic type.
Silvia hooks her arm in his. “Cade, I’d like you to meet my oldest, dearest friends, Sara and Chloe. This is Cade.”
My throat tightens unexpectedly. Silvia thinks of me as a dear friend? And I haven’t stayed in touch. I feel horrible. My defenses were up, working overtime to prevent any more pain from coming my way with reminders of Villroy and my parents. I hope I haven’t caused her pain in protecting myself.
Royal Shark (The Rourkes, Book 6) Page 9