I nod. There’s no use hiding that.
“What the fuck, August? Why would you keep something so pivotal to yourself? We’re supposed to be a unified unit on this,” Rowan growls, making me turn and see all the hurt and disappointment on all their faces.
“We are,” I shout. “But I’ll always put her self-interest first. Like I told you last September-until I’m convinced you idiots won’t fuck this up royally, I’ll keep the shit I deem necessary from you and do so unapologetically.”
No one speaks for what feels like a solid five minutes, and I’m okay with that. I’ll never apologize for keeping Emma safe. Fuck anyone who doesn’t support that.
Karl’s the one to speak finally. “While I’m pissed at you for keeping her pregnancy a secret, I respect and understand why you did,” he offers.
He gets it-he always does.
“You would cosign this bullshit behavior,” Rowan snaps. And as usual, Rowan’s pissy attitude rears its ugly head.
“Pot meet kettle,” Sebastian fake coughs, making me chuckle.
Karl’s arctic glare pivots from me to Rowan. “Let’s not act like you don’t do the same shit. We all have for one reason or another. So, instead of griping at each other, let’s focus on how we will get back at the cantankerous bitch responsible for this.”
Feeling chastised, Rowan huffs as he leans back in his seat and crosses his arms.
Big fucking baby.
“I had Q send out a virus to anyone who received the video,” Liam explains.
“How do you know it’ll work?” I ask.
Liam turns and pulls up an invitation. “Because we’re throwing a party, and the only way to get in is with a code unique to each person. Which can only be accessed by downloading the invite.”
“Fucking genius,” Karl cheers. “Though, I’m not looking forward to partying without Emma.”
Sebastian squeezes his shoulder. “Same, but we’ll get her back soon.”
“Oh. We won’t be partying. We’re just hosting the event,” Liam divulges.
“Then where the hell will we be?” Rowan questions.
Liam pulls up another screen displaying his email. “We’ll be meeting with Mrs. Davenport.”
Fucking finally!
“How did you get her to agree?” I inquire.
“Teagan,” Liam answers. Seeing that none of us are picking up what he’s putting down with his one-word response, he continues. “She set up an untraceable video conference so Samantha’s mother can contact us while her daughter parties.”
“Fuck yeah,” Karl shouts. “She can finally explain her outburst during the Chosen ceremony.”
I grimace at the reminder of that night. Each time someone congratulated us, I wanted to rip out their larynx and shove it down Samantha’s and the Senator’s throats. The only good things to come out of that night were capturing Jameson, a feat I’m still curious to get all the details about, and discovering
Samantha’s mother was not colluding with her daughter and stepson.
We’ve been trying to arrange a way to speak with Mrs. Davenport for weeks. Our intel has revealed that Samantha has her parents under house arrest with round-the-clock guards ensuring they never leave the house. The vindictive brat has no loyalty except for maybe to Senator Baker. But I guess since she’s fucking him and he gave her who and what she’s always wanted-
Rowan and elevating her status-it’s not surprising that she’d be loyal to him.
“You know at least one of us is going to need to be at the party,” Sebastian states. “Samantha is going to want to preen like a proud peacock.”
“More like a green anaconda, squeezing the life from us before attempting to swallow us whole,” Rowan mutters.
“That’s a more accurate depiction of Samantha,” I jest.
I see the moment resignation sets in because Rowan’s shoulders slump, and his face pinches. “It has to be me, doesn’t it?”
Liam nods. “Unfortunately. She’s made it known that she’d get rid of everyone except you in a heartbeat on many occasions.”
“The lecherous viper has been vocal about killing you if she can’t have you,” Karl adds.
Rowan massages his temples as if he can rub this entire situation away. “It’s fine,” he sighs. “As long as we can get the necessary information from Sam’s mom, I can put up with her shit for one night.”
Now that we have that settled, I need to ensure all traces of that video will be wiped. “What happens to anyone who doesn’t download the invitation?”
“An email from the school Bursar’s office has also been sent out,” Liam replies. “And before you ask, I have code scanning for anyone who tries to upload the video to any site.”
Satisfied with that answer, Sebastian stands. “If you’d all excuse me. I need to meet Matthieu at the club. He finally has the information we’ve been waiting for.”
A Cheshire Cat smile pastes on my face. “Step one in Operation Destroy Sam can finally commence.”
SEBASTIAN
“Is it set?” I ask Matthieu, confirming the accuracy of his earlier text message.
Matthieu lifts his glass, swirling the amber liquid-the clinking of ice sounding ten times louder in the silent room. His piercing, jeweled eyes meet mine as he brings the drink to his mouth and sips. There’s a level of challenge in his gaze, and I know the favor I’ve asked of him is one that tests the limits of our friendship, but for Emma-I’d risk it all.
I wait, not uttering a word or displaying my growing impatience. We’ve made a gentleman’s agreement, and I’d say we’re even for what he’s getting in return. He finally lowers the glass, never looking away-two alphas silently feeling each other out. To look away would alter the dynamic of who is on higher footing-neither of us willing to lose ground.
“Everything is in place,” he finally answers.
Another moment of silence passes before we dip our heads-an acknowledgment of our mutual respect for one another’s steadfastness.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.