by Kate Stewart
When Caylen’s eyes finally drifted shut halfway through the story, I laid him on the black love seat with gold trimming and covered him with a soft bronze throw that looked like it was purely for show.
My gaze was on the fire burning in the fireplace when the door opened. I didn’t bother lifting my gaze from the flames when I said, “I thought you’d be busy playing criminal mastermind with your bonehead playmates.”
A chuckle that wasn’t rich and deep answered me. “I’ve become much too old for playmates, my dear.” Reginald strolled inside with his hands casually resting in the pockets of his burgundy pants. “We haven’t been properly introduced.”
“I think we know enough actually. You’re Angel’s shady cousin, and I’m his unwilling wife.”
I could tell I had said too much when his eyes lit with curiosity. “And what about this marriage makes you unwilling? I noticed my young cousin didn’t shower that delicate finger of your left hand with diamonds.”
Angel had warned me that Reginald couldn’t be trusted, and at the first opportunity, I offered him our secrets on a platter. “Did I say unwilling? I meant devoted.”
“I’m sure you did.” I moved closer to my son with each step he took. “I was mistaken by your display earlier.”
“How so?”
“I didn’t peg you for the type to be trained.”
“You think loyalty makes me a pet?”
“I think blind loyalty makes you a fool.”
“And what exactly makes me blind?”
“My cousin is young, and at times, a bit too merciful, but he is also clever.”
“What makes him clever?”
“His ability to make anyone believe what he wants.” He studied me. “I assume he’s told you not to trust me.”
“I’m curious why it matters to you if I trust you or not. We’re perfect strangers.”
“With a common problem,” he added. He took my silence as an invitation to continue. “When I take back what belongs to me, I don’t want there to be any hard feelings. In fact, I have a proposition for you.”
“You’re right. He did tell me not to trust you, and even if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t.” I lifted my sleeping child from the couch. “I’m not interested in a proposition. I’ll be going now.”
I was rooted to the spot, however, when I realized Reginald stood between escape and me. Would he try to stop me from leaving?
“What a beautiful child you’ve made with my dutiful cousin.”
“Angel isn’t his father.”
He didn’t look surprised by my admission. He looked pleased. “That’s too bad. Your bastard child will never be his son in the way that matters.”
I considered taking the iron poker by the fireplace and running it through him. “And what way is that?”
“He can never be his heir.”
Was it the thought of Angel never accepting Caylen that made the knot in my stomach tighter or fear that, heir or not, if I stayed with Angel, this life would one day consume Caylen as it did Angel? “I would never let that happen,” I vowed aloud.
Reginald’s lips pinched. “Then I assume he hasn’t explained your duties.”
“I don’t care,” I snapped even as that knot tightened again. My duty was to my son. Fuck everyone else. Including Angel.
“It is said that when a lion takes over a pride and wishes to breed with a lioness, he will kill her cub to force her into heat.”
Reginald’s poison spread, curdling my blood and stealing my breath. “He wouldn’t hurt him.”
“One day, you may give him no choice. Your refusal to give him an heir will force his hand.”
“Angel knows killing my son won’t make me give him one he can use.”
“Don’t be so naive, girl, or you’ll soon discover how ruthless my cousin can be.”
My naïveté was the very reason men like Reginald and Victor continued to underestimate me. Instead of crumbling under its weight, I used it as a shield until the right moment to strike.
“I think I’ll take my chances.”
“Mama!” Caylen clapped his hands and chased unsteadily after a red leaf blowing in the autumn wind. We found solace in the garden after Caylen’s nap and my run-in with Reginald. So many rooms in this beautiful guarded home and none of them felt safe.
“Not so fast,” I called when he almost stumbled.
He toddled around a bend of bushes and quickly disappeared from sight. I sped to catch up at the same time I heard the unmistakable sound of leaves being crushed. We had ventured deep into the garden because Caylen found everything fascinating, and now I was regretting that decision when it became apparent we weren’t alone. When I spun around to see who was following me, I was met with thin air. Still, I searched the area, and when I didn’t see anyone, I turned back and rushed down the path. I grew desperate, and my heart pounded faster each second he remained out of sight.
“Caylen?”
I was screaming his name by the time I rounded the third bend and came to a screeching halt when I found him. At the end of the path just before the last bend, I found him sitting on the stone path and crouched next to him was Andrew. His smile felt like acid on my tongue. I rushed forward drawing their attention. In Caylen’s fist were pieces of the golden leaf he had chased. The brittle leaves must have crumbled when he caught it, which explained the fresh tears on his cheeks.
“Something seems to have upset the little guy,” Andrew greeted when I stood in front of them. I didn’t hesitate to lift Caylen from the ground and back away. “Whoa,” he pleaded when he sensed my panic.
“Stay away from us,” I warned when he followed.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Then why were you following us?”
He stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I wasn’t.”
“Bullshit. I heard you.”
“I wasn’t following you. I swear. Your son found me not the other way around.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Look.” He gestured with his head since his hands were still shoved deep in the pocket of his jeans. I stopped moving and forced my attention off the path near a low hedge where a gray stone bench was positioned. Lying on the flat surface was a well-worn book.
Reluctantly, my gaze returned to him, and I hoped my embarrassment didn’t show on my cheeks. “Sorry.”
He chuckled as he bounced on the tips of his toes. “Want to tell me why you’re on edge?”
“I told you. Someone was following me.”
His condescending smile stretched. “This is a big place on a very large property. There are servants and people who work the grounds all over this place. They know how to work and stay hidden, so I assure you we’re never alone.”
“Look, I said I’m sorry.”
“And I accept your apology.” His smile only grew, but it didn’t feel harmless.
“Whatever.” I turned to leave when his voice stopped me.
“Please don’t leave on my account. I didn’t mean to upset you, and I’m sure if my cousin knew I had scared you, it wouldn’t end well for me.”
Against my better judgment, I didn’t leave. I turned and set Caylen on his feet, but captured his hand when he tried to move back to his crumbled leaves. He didn’t seem bothered by Andrew’s presence, so I told myself I didn’t need to be.
“Why would Angel hurt you? You’re his family.”
His eyebrows rose. “We aren’t the typical kind of family.”
“What kind of family are you?”
He seemed to mull it over. “Competitive.”
“You mean deadly. I know what your family is all about, so to answer your question, that is why I’m on edge.”
Andrew simply sighed and lowered his long thin frame on the bench. “I was named after my grandfather. He was a gentle man. My father loved him, but he didn’t respect him. We’re not all monsters, you know.” He picked up the book as his gaze met mine. “But my cousin? He’s the scariest of
us all.”
“Are you trying to turn me against him?”
“No.” He smiled again. “Scary is good. It keeps the others at bay.”
“Except your father.”
“My father is a foolish man.”
“You’re not on his side?”
“If I had a choice?” He shook his head and studied the bushes on the other side of the path. “No. I wouldn’t be.”
“And why is that?”
“My father doesn’t just want Angel’s power. He wants to kill him.”
“I didn’t realize you and Angel were close.”
“We aren’t, but my cousin has never wronged me.”
“Your father doesn’t seem to hold that same sentiment. Sins of the father and all that.”
He looked at me then, studying me. “How much do you know?”
“Not much,” I lied. If Andrew told me the same story as Angel, then it meant two things: Angel was telling the truth, and I might have an ally in Andrew.
“Alexander was my third great-grandfather. He started this legacy to help us prosper, but it’s only driven us into wanting to kill each other for the right to control it. After Adam had died of consumption, Alexander tried to fill his father’s shoes but found them too large.”
“What do you mean?”
“Adam was a farmer. He didn’t have much land, but he had a gift. Alexander was barely sixteen when he died. The little he’d learned from his father wasn’t enough to keep the farm going and pay the few hands they had. It wasn’t long before Alexander turned to petty crime to keep food on the table. When they were on the verge of losing their land that desperation made him reckless.”
“What about his mother? Couldn’t she have just remarried? Wasn’t that the way then?” Hell, it was still the way now.
“Adam and Amelia’s marriage was arranged, but there was a rumor they had actually fallen in love.”
“She thought to remarry would betray their love.”
“I don’t believe in one true love. I think we’re all in danger of falling in love over and over again.” I stopped breathing when he focused on me. “It can happen any moment.”
Um.
I was one more lingering gaze from leaving when I glanced away, and he muttered, “Frankly, I thought her children deserved better.”
“So did she,” I retorted. He held my gaze again and smiled. Clearing my throat, I looked away. “So what happened next? He steals to bring home cash. I could have guessed as much.”
“Yes, well, one day, he decides to rob the home of John Sullivan. He was a young politician with little experience but gaining ground fast. I won’t bore you with politics, but I will tell you his newfound popularity also made him enemies in high places.”
“What kind of enemies?”
“Enemies who didn’t wish to offer him the chance to make a difference. Enemies like Louis Wilde.”
“What did he do?”
“He caught Alexander stealing Sullivan’s family ring. When Alexander begged Wilde not to turn him in, Wilde offered him money in exchange for the ring and his silence. My third grandfather didn’t know the kind of deal he was making until Wilde later visited him on his farm.”
“Why?”
“He wanted Alexander to kill John Sullivan.”
“Why would he think a petty thief capable of murder and why would Alexander trust him?”
“Men like Wilde believed money could buy anyone, and he was right, but he underestimated Alexander.”
“How so?”
“The gun he used to kill Sullivan belonged to Wilde. The son of a bitch broke into his home, stole the gun, and killed Sullivan with it. Not only that, but he stole the ring back and hid it in a place that Wilde would never find, but it would also implicate him in Sullivan’s murder.””
“Why go through all that trouble?”
“Men like Wilde don’t get their hands dirty unless they’ve already found a way to clean them up.”
“Alexander thought he was going to turn on him?”
“If he was or not, Alexander never gave him the chance to double-cross him.”
“You sound like you admire him.”
“He was a smart man. Cunning. Ambitious.”
“I’m sorry to break it to you, but your great-great-great-grandfather was a murdering thief.”
He chuckled. “That too, I suppose.” He seemed so different from Angel who would have warned me to watch my mouth. It was almost astonishing how the two shared the same blood.
“So what happened after Alexander blackmailed him?”
“He hired him again. I guess he appreciated a man who was smart enough to best him. The jobs got bigger, more elaborate, and soon, he was getting his hands dirty for more than just Wilde.” He angled his body, so he faced me, and I didn’t miss how he moved closer. “It wasn’t long before Wilde, and the others thought they could control him.”
“So he started the book and took control.”
“That’s how the story goes,” he answered smoothly.
“Why didn’t they just kill him?”
“Ah.” He snorted. “It wouldn’t have mattered. In exchange for his protection and a piece of the pie, he secretly entrusted the book and its contents with Meredith and Angelo. Meredith was content with stability, but eventually, Angelo wanted more. He wanted to share Alexander’s power.”
“Let me guess… Alexander said no, so Angelo killed his own brother.” It was a test, one I was hoping he would pass because I desperately needed an ally.
“No, actually. Alexander made a will, but it was more like a rulebook. Meredith’s or Angelo’s line could inherit if his own line broke any of the rules.”
“What were the rules?”
He hesitated, and the moment he began to answer was when a voice deeper and deadlier broke the silence. “Don’t you two look cozy.”
I could feel Angel’s anger washing over me, as unpredictable and wild as a tsunami, as I turned to face him. Andrew discreetly put distance between us. “Why are you sneaking up on us?”
He took his time answering when Caylen noticed him and excitedly ambled forward. Angel didn’t waste time bending his magnificent body to pick him up. I used the distraction to check him out since he’d changed clothes. He was looking sinfully devilish in the dark gray three-piece suit with a black waistcoat and tie. Angel so finely dressed made me feel inadequate in my faded blue jeans and yellow smiley face t-shirt. It made me feel like I didn’t deserve to be on his arm.
“I wasn’t sneaking” he finally answered. “You didn’t notice because my cousin seemed to have captured your attention so well.” The jealousy in his voice did unexplainable things to my body. I wanted more of it.
“What can I help you with, husband?” I took delight in the way his eyes narrowed, and his nostrils flared. My smile was small, but he didn’t miss it, and his irritation turned into exasperation.
“Anna’s here.”
Amusement faded, and I was standing up from the bench. “Why?” I haven’t seen my friend in nearly a month, but worry over the reason she was here wouldn’t allow me to be excited.
Angel’s gaze flickered behind me where I knew Andrew watched us. “Come inside, and she’ll tell you.”
Chapter 18
MIAN
We found Anna in a room with blue walls, gold rectangular molding, a cerulean love seat, and a fireplace. She was staring out the window pretending not to notice Lucas’s attention across the room. The moment we entered, she shot to her feet, scowled at Lucas, and rushed towards us.
“You’re really okay! Oh, Mian! I’ve missed you!” She bounced up and down in that adorable way only Anna could, but when I didn’t return her joy, she paused. “Is everything okay?” Her threatening glare was back and directed at Angel when he stepped around me with Caylen still in his arms.
“I was going to ask you the same.”
The question in her gaze had me stomping over to Angel with my hands on my hips. I waited as he
set Caylen on his feet and ignored how my heart fluttered when he set a steadying hand on his back and didn’t move away until he was sure Caylen wouldn’t fall.
His back was still to me as he sighed and stood up straight. I couldn’t stand the amused purse of his lips when he faced me.
“Yes, Mian?”
“Why is she here?”
His frown before he spoke was sincere. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes,” I hissed. “I don’t want her here. She needs to go home.” Where she’s safe… and away from Lucas. My peripheral allowed me to see how he stood up straight when I demanded she be sent away.
“Did I do something wrong?” The hurt in Anna’s voice made my stomach turn.
“Of course not,” I rushed to assure. “But it’s not safe here.” I faced Angel again. “And you know that.”
“Her mother disappeared a couple of days ago,” Angel offered.
“And some guy,” Z growled, “came around looking for her.”
“He spooked me,” Anna finished. “I came home from school today and found the door kicked in. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Shit. “Anna, I’m sorry.” Angel and his family were slowly stripping away the parts that made me human, but rather than blame them, I took my friend in my arms. “I’m an ass.”
She nodded with her head tucked into my shoulder. “It’s okay. You didn’t know.”
I still wasn’t convinced it was any safer for her to be here, but there was no way I would turn her away. This may not have been my home, but if Angel wanted this marriage, he damn well better protect my friend.
“We’ll put her in the room next to ours,” he whispered in my ear. His warm breath skated over my skin. I forced myself to let Anna go before she could feel my entire body tremble for him.
“What about school? She can’t fall behind.” Anna had dreams of being a doctor and the better school she got in, the better chance she’d one day wear that stethoscope.
“I’ll get her schoolwork,” Z answered.
“Mian is right,” Lucas spoke for the first time. His voice was cool as he said, “She shouldn’t be here.” My gaze slid to him, and his eyes dared me to challenge him. Anna’s gasp was so soft, if we hadn’t been standing so close, I would have missed it.