Once we are all seated, she turns back to the ballroom and I cross my right leg over my left, the slit in my dress showing a hell of a lot of leg as I scan the crowd. Hawk, Gabe, and Kass have made their way to the front and are standing a few feet from the front of the stage and I catch their eyes. They give me reassuring smiles, but I keep my face neutral as I continue on my search for who I was looking for. I find him, sauntering his way through the crowd until he comes up on Gabe’s open right side and our eyes meet. It’s like all the air gets sucked out of the room when we connect like that and I get the satisfaction in watching his expression morph as he fully takes me in. A dozen different emotions cross his breathtaking face as he beholds me but raw desire and desperation are what stands out the most. His jaw is slightly hanging, lips parted and I watch as his tongue darts out to wet his lips as he runs his sinfully dark eyes over me.
He looked like a model on the cover of a men's Vogue magazine. He is the only one of the guys wearing a Navy suit and blood red tie with a matching navy undershirt and it went surprisingly well together paired with shiny black Oxfords. His dark hair is styled to look messy as if he runs his fingers through it often and his light dusting he usually keeps on his jawline is thicker and it appears to be almost a full beard at this point which I surprisingly enjoyed. He looked like the devil incarnate and in his left hand he has a glass of amber liquid on the rocks dangling from his fingertips. Fuck me, I couldn’t stop staring if I tried. I probably look like a damn simpering fool!
When Rebecca begins speaking, it takes monumental effort for me to pull my eyes away from Silas. I could literally stare at that man all day and not get bored, that is how obsessed I am. “The Order council is in session. We would like to thank you all for coming as this day is not only important for celebrating all the many blessings this town has been brought this year, but we are welcoming change into our society this afternoon.” Rebecca pauses for dramatic effect and it takes everything in me not to roll my eyes as I watch her scan the crowd like a hawk and keep her head up.
She wasn’t the queen she thought she was. No, she was a witch more than anything. Anticipation rolls through me at what is to come as she continues after a moment's pause. “Sometimes, change is hard to accept. This is why we wanted to introduce the family to you all that is running for a seat on our great council and have them introduce themselves to us and give a little taste of what great things they could do for our wonderful town. In return, we will introduce ourselves and our heirs. The vote for the new family to take a seat will take place in a few weeks at our New Year’s Eve party so you will all be given plenty of time to consider their proposal.” Rebecca adds at the end and I subtly straighten in my seat as she then takes a step back from the microphone and gestures to someone off to the right of the stage to come up. I can’t see who it is from my seat at the far-left end and the couple that joins Rebecca on stage a moment later looks oddly familiar but not in the way that ‘Oh, I’ve seen them before’.
Not even a second later, I find out why that is.
Lucas Castillo, as in freaking Nina’s fiancé, steps up beside who I assume are his parents, and the Castillo family smile brightly out at the gathering crowds in the ballroom. I think my jaw quite literally comes unhinged as I openly gape at Lucas, who wisely doesn’t look over at me, and I quickly have to reign in my emotions before I tip off the wrong people. I snap my mouth shut and shift again in my seat as I take the Castillo’s in, willing my face to go back to neutral again as I do so. Lucas is the spitting image of his father and I immediately have to uncross and recross my long legs and shift again in my seat as my eyes rake over the man. The whole family was freaking stunning.
Especially his mother. Their Hispanic roots run deep, for sure. I’m fairly sure the whole damn crowd, the boys included, witnessed the floundering idiot I just became at this revelation. To say I have just been blindsided would be the understatement of the year. Why the hell did Nina not tell me her freaking fiancé was the one that was running for a spot on the council? What did this mean? I trusted Nina with my life. Would she willingly involve herself with a power-hungry man and his family? Was Lucas even like that? He certainly hadn’t seemed like it when they had met that day in the library. His feelings for Nina had been genuine. I was sure of it. The warmth and kindness that had radiated off of him as we talked that day had been genuine as well. Fucking hell. My brain is on the verge of imploding.
“The Order would like to welcome Emiliano and Maya Castillo along with their son and heir, Lucas.” Rebecca says into the microphone and she smiles radiantly at them as she steps back to take a seat in her throne beside her standing husband. My eyes connect with Nina at last who I spot standing close to the boys, and she gives me an apologetic look, but there is no time to react before Emiliano Castillo is stepping up to the microphone and smiling brightly out into the crowd. “Thank you, Mrs. King, for the lovely introduction!” Emiliano booms out as he smiles over his shoulder at Rebecca and I hoped he could see right through the fake smile she just gave him in return. Lovely introduction, my ass. This was all a freaking show of power. The stage, the thrones, the crowd’s rapt attention on all of us up here as if we held the world in our hands. Disgusting.
“It is our pleasure to introduce ourselves to the amazing people of Crimson Valley and explain what we can do for this town as a whole as seating council members.” Emiliano continues, his voice strong and full of good vibes. Something inside of me pulled towards him, like my subconscious was trying to tell me that these were good people, but they couldn’t be if they were recommended by the Order, right? How had the Castillo’s managed to convince Rebecca and the others that they would make a good sixth seat on the council? So many questions that I needed answered as soon as this ridiculous event was over with. Clenching my jaw, I avoid looking at any of the guys to see their reactions to this. If I found out any of them knew about this, I didn’t know what I would do. They claimed they were done hurting me and keeping secrets? Well, this was a pretty big fucking secret and I would be absolutely livid if they knew that Lucas had been a part of the family petitioning for a seat on the Order.
“My wife and I are the proud owners of a remarkably successful law firm that we are looking to set up within the boundaries of Crimson Valley for anyone who needs legal counsel for whatever reason. Our team of highly educated employees want to be here for you if need be and with our continued success if more clients are brought in, more revenue can be made and put towards expanding Crimson Valley in a whole new way.” Emiliano continues and I think my eyebrows shoot up into my hairline because I had not been expecting that. Lucas had told me he was a biology teacher so I had assumed that his parents would be involved in the educational system like the Rhodes were. What in God’s green earth were the council thinking when they decided adding lawyers to the Order was a good idea for them? They literally abide by the law, right? Christ. Was Rebecca brain dead? The Castillo’s could quite literally bring down the whole Order with their education on the legal system. My thoughts go back to the emails I found between my parents and Lucas and missing pieces of a puzzle that I didn’t even know were missing pieces start falling into place before my eyes and I shift in my seat again as excitement starts to build inside of me. There was a reason my parents had been communicating with the Castillo’s and they were now partitioning for a seat with the Order. I don’t believe in coincidences.
“Our son is also a Biology Professor at Crimson Valley University and he has begun branching out more with his fiancé to help students of all grades learn more about the importance of science. They are incredibly involved in the education of our students here in this great community.” Maya steps forward and says loud and proud, ushering Lucas forward. He smiles and waves out at the crowd.
“My family and I are thankful this year that the Order has allowed us to come forward and run for a seat on the council. We feel like we can bring great change to Crimson Valley as a whole and look forward to working with y
ou all in the future.” Lucas says this as if he is absolutely positive the Castillo’s already have the vote. Hell, they probably do. If I have been blindsided by this so far I wouldn’t be surprised if the vote has already been settled and we are just playing this long game for dramatic effect or something stupid like that. The Castillo’s step back and then I watch as Rebecca gets to her feet. The crowd gives polite applause when she steps up to the microphone and she waits a moment for it to die down.
“It is, indeed, a pleasure to have you in our town, Maya and Emiliano. We look forward to the vote. Now, I would like to have our heirs come up and give their own speeches on what they have been able to bring to Crimson Valley this year, as is tradition. Order heirs are required to take active roles in the community to better improve the town they will one day rule over. Let us start with Kassim Daegden.” I raise my brow at this. I had been to plenty of Thanksgiving festivals growing up and as an heir, I had never had to make a speech on what I was doing to better my community. Perhaps it is because the guys are older? I watch and shift in my seat again as Kass makes his way to my side of the stage and comes up the left-hand side stairs. He winks at me as he passes but won’t even look at his mother as he takes his place in front of the microphone and Rebecca takes a few steps back from us. The Castillo’s remain on the stage without a throne and Kass begins his speech.
“I have opened up an auto club out of my own personal garage on my estate grounds to help teens around Crimson Valley stay out of trouble. My auto club program is free for enrollment and I teach basic car repair skills and other various life skills to teenagers to better prepare themselves for their futures. Should a graduating teen wish to further their education in the auto mechanics industry, I have been working to start a program at CVU and have been working on floor plans to add on a workshop to teach full time so teens may get their degrees and certifications right here in Crimson Valley without having to leave the town to further their education.” He says proudly, his chest swelling with it and I find myself almost gaping again at the end of his incredible speech.
It was an astounding accomplishment on Kass’ part to take what he has learned about cars over the years and turn it into a positive learning experience for teens around Crimson Valley who may struggle with adhering to the social norms this town demands. I know a lot of what he learned came from my Papa and it makes me so incredibly proud that this is what he is doing with the skills he learned from him. A pang zings through my chest as the crowd gives Kass a polite applause and I find myself clapping with them. I ignore Asuka’s scathing glare beside me and clap for my brother and he smiles at me as he passes by.
Gabe steps up next and he takes the same side as Kass, giving me a wide smile as he passes and it makes my heart soar in my chest. He steps up to the microphone and his speech hits me just as hard as Kass’ did. “I have started up several self-defense programs through the Crimson Valley Fitness center after school for those between the ages of ten to eighteen. I also have several separate programs going on through the week at the center for those over the age of eighteen. You can never be too young, or too old, to learn how to defend yourself. My classes teach a wide variety of skills and moves from all different forms of self-defense and combat training and I personally do one on one sessions with many around the community to better their fighting skills and defense skills.” Gabe finishes and I think my heart damn near explodes at this. He teaches self-defense to people. That can’t be a coincidence. When my shock filled eyes meet his as he passes, I see a well of regret and sadness in his depthless eyes that makes tears almost come to my eyes. Fuck. What were these boys doing to me? I was almost afraid to continue on listening to these speeches. If Hawk and Silas’ were as heartbreaking as Gabe’s and Kass’, I was going to burst out into tears in front of all these vultures. Gabe was trying to make up for the past with the programs he started at the fitness center and that damn near broke me. I have been treating these guys like trash since I got back here and I wasn’t sure they even deserved it anymore.
Then, it’s Hawks' turn and I try to hide the look of being utterly destroyed from him as he passes. It is hard because I am front and center and I can feel the gazes of the guys on me as Hawk takes his place in front of the microphone and proceeds to detonate my heart yet again. “As you all know, the Rhodes are heavily involved in the education of our students here in Crimson Valley. My parents are head of the Board of Education for all ages and I just recently took the job last year as Dean of all Crimson Valley University students. My main priority has and will always be the educational and emotional wellbeing of our students. So, with that, I have started an afterschool program for all ages and it is a bit of a recreational project. Kids can come to just be together and build connections and relationships with other students in the community that are around their ages and share the same hobbies and likes as each other. It is a program where there is no fear of not fitting in or saying the wrong things. It is built around a solid foundation of love and relationships. I call it the Honey Rose Program.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see Alison Rhodes growing red in the face and his father squaring up like they were about to fight their son in the middle of a social event, but they thankfully keep their damn mouths shut.
The crowd claps louder for Hawk than Kass and Gabe but I had a feeling it was because a lot of these elite families had kids enrolled at Crimson Valley schools. Most of the elite families around here did care a little bit more about their children than the Order cared about their own sons. Hawk gives me a playful wink as he passes and my heart is literally in tattered ribbons after that and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to survive Silas’ speech. Actually, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to survive it. My walls were in a crumbled mess at my feet and I knew that, after Silas got done pulverizing my heart some more with whatever was about to come out of his mouth that I wasn’t going to even want to build them back up again. Silas stares at me the entire time he passes and as he begins his speech, he continues to stare into me as if he is trying to reach down into the depths of me and yank my soul clean out of my body so he could possess it with everything he had. I was damn well going to let him too.
“You all want to know what I do for this town in my free time? How I have put every single dime of money I have earned doing jobs for the Order towards something to better this town? Well, I wanted to formally announce the opening of the Ezra Locke Home for abused and battered women. I saved up enough over the years to purchase one of the old warehouses in the warehouse district and I converted it into a shelter for women to find sanctuary from abusive situations. My home doesn’t discriminate and we take on as many as we can. We do not give out the identities of our residents and I have hired a private security firm to man my home so that these women may feel even a shred of safety and love that they deserve more than anyone else.”
As predicted, Silas’ confession on how he has bettered Crimson Valley in the last year destroyed me from the inside out. My heart quite literally explodes the rest of the way inside my chest and I have no damn clue how to piece myself back together. I am a puddle of goo on the stage and I can’t manage to stop the few tears that steam down my face as I listened to his phenomenal speech.
These boys. These fucking Red’s. They went and ruined my life ten goddamned years ago and upon two months of returning here, managed to shove everything back together and begin mending what had been broken. These things they have done, some of the projects even named after me, are all signs pointing towards how foolish I have truly been in guarding my heart so fiercely from all four of them. My trust issues and my hurt at their betrayal made me fail to see how much they have actually done to repair the damage that was done to all five of us all those years ago.
I can’t even begin to comprehend the giant mass of emotion slamming into me right now. I can hardly breath, yet I feel like I finally have enough oxygen in my lungs to carry on for the rest of my life. My heart seems to want to burst into a thousand tiny chun
ks all over the stage, and yet I can’t seem to stop it from bleeding in agony at the years I lost with these four guys because of their sick and twisted parents. They were the ones that took us away from each other, I realize. It had nothing to do with the betrayal.
And when Silas Ezra King stops in front of me, which I hadn’t even realized he had moved, as he passes and bends in front of me, taking my hand and kissing the back of it, the dam breaks and it’s almost like that invisible connection between us flares to life again in the span of a heartbeat. With that earth shattering speech and that tiny little display of public affection towards me, my soul literally screams out for him in that moment and it takes everything in me not to jump his bones right there on the stage in the middle of this godsdamned party. I blink at him as he pulls away and I can tell that he sees it to. My crumbled walls and my bleeding heart. I feel a tear slip from my eye and he leans forward and catches the tear with the pad of his thumb. I see it reflected in his eyes and I can feel it even when he walks down the steps and away from me, the echo of Rebecca talking in the background but I can’t bring myself to hear the words as I just continue to stare at him as the tears still drip down my cheeks.
Rebecca goes on for a long moment but I don’t hear anything she says as I do my best to collect the remains of my heart off the floor of the ballroom where they splattered after the boy’s delivered their blows to me with their speeches. I think the Castillo’s formally announce their campaign for a seat on the council and then Rebecca says a few more parting things before she begins to wrap it up.
“Plans for the Christmas Gala are well underway and we will, of course, be hosting here at our great town hall. We do have one thing to add to the Christmas event. We have decided to turn it into a masquerade gala! We are extremely excited to see all the glamorous ensembles everyone will come up with! In addition, for the first time in several decades, our annual Christmas Gala will be open to everyone in Crimson Valley. So, let’s please make those that may be lesser than us feel very welcome this year! As a parting word, the Order of Red would like to thank you all for coming tonight. Our great town would be nothing without amazing citizens like you all in our community. Order be Blessed. Enjoy the rest of the party.” I start as cheers erupt around the room, the loudest they have been during this whole horrid affair, and I find myself moving off the stage before anyone could stop me. I needed a moment longer to collect myself so I dodge behind crowds of people who swarm the stage to get a word with Rebecca and the others, effectively avoiding the boys who I sensed trying to close in on me the moment the meeting ended.
Whiskey & Honey: Crimes of Crimson Valley: Book One Page 23