She stands, smoothing out her clothes before grabbing her rust-colored Dior purse. “Good. I’m glad I didn’t give birth to a quitter. Now come and have lunch with me.”
“Why do you think we’re here?” Karl asks as we exit the elevator outside the Council’s chambers.
An hour after I had lunch with my mother, my father called, requesting we all come to the Fraternitas.
“I’m sure it has something to do with Senator Baker,” Sebastian replies.
“Has something new happened?” August inquires as we proceed down the hallway.
Turning, I wait for Sebastian’s response. Things have been eerily quiet. Outside campaign events, we haven’t heard anything from the Senator or his wife. It would be suspicious if Liam didn’t inform us that Senator Baker has Samantha under close watch. Which means we won’t have to deal with her delusional ass.
We’re standing outside the chamber doors before Sebastian answers. “Not that I know of, but given that he planned to force us to marry Samantha to secure his position for the presidency, one can deduce that Baker is planning something.”
I hum my agreement, opening the door. The Council sits five original families strong. It’s still strange to see a Bradford occupying a seat that has been vacant for decades. Emma’s father sits to the right of mine, and I can’t help but wonder why he doesn’t demand his rightful spot.
“Boys, have a seat,” my father instructs, waiting for us to sit before he continues. “First, we’d like to congratulate you on a job well done. You five have made the Fraternitas proud. Now that the bomb has been removed from Karl, we can weed out the other traitors in our ranks.” My father points to the tablets on the table. “On these, you’ll find the information of at least three dozen people who need to be questioned and then eliminated.”
Picking up the device, I bring my eye up to the scanner. It beeps, prompting me to place my palm on the screen, initiating the biometric thermal scanner to open the tablet.
“As you see, we’ve tiered them based on rank within the Senator’s organization, level of suspected knowledge, and position within the Fraternitas,” Karl’s father explains.
A fist slams against the table, forcing my attention to where Karl sits. “This fucker is mine,” he snaps, holding up an image of a man with a slender build. He’s barely six feet tall with oily chestnut hair and murky-brown beady, dead eyes.
I read his name, but it’s Sebastian who voices the question. “Who the fuck is Grady Templeton?”
“A dead man,” August answers. “If the look on Karl’s face says anything.”
Karl’s usually light hazel eyes darken, narrowing to slits. “He’s the asshole I separated from the head of his dick over the summer. The one I plan on making a eunuch for whatever’s left of his miserable life.”
Memories of conversations play in my mind. Unlike when he was younger, Karl has shared some of what happened to him. He didn’t share everything, but it’s far more than he’s ever done before.
“So, he’s first, then,” Liam says, speaking for the first time. His fingers are already fast at work, digging up every detail of
Grady’s life. By the time he finishes, we’ll know the last time Grady flossed his teeth.
I grunt my agreement and study the rest of the names on the list. I don’t know if there’s a family in town who didn’t play a part in trying to destroy the Fraternitas. And not for the first time, I wonder if the organization we pledge allegiance to will survive.
August springs from his chair first. Sebastian, Karl, and I are quick to follow suit. “Have a seat. We’re not finished here,” Emma’s father demands.
My gaze flits to Liam, wondering if they have an idea of what we’ll discuss next, but he shrugs.
“As you know. My daughter is pregnant and hell-bent on returning to school.” Mr. Bradford begins, and I know whatever he says next will be a fight once Emma discovers his plan. “This means she’ll need around-the-clock protection.”
The door opens, but I don’t bother to look away from Aaron. I already know it’ll be one of the Council’s assistants bringing our new assignments.
“It also means accommodations will need to be made for Emma and Shay to move into your house on campus.” I groan, instinctively knowing I won’t like whatever Mr. Bradford is about to share.
“Not these jerk-offs,” a voice that grates on every last nerve I have mutters.
Whirling around, I meet Reign’s, Fernando’s, and Elias’s glares with one of my own before I spin back. “Absolutely the fuck not,” I growl.
“This isn’t up for debate,” Aaron declares, looking over my head. “With any of you. My daughter comes first. The rest of you can get fucked if you think I care about your personal feelings above her safety.”
I clench my fists at my side, knowing he’s right. That doesn’t change the fact that I want to clothesline all three of these idiots for the shit they’ve been pulling. Emma’s ours-she’s my forever. Fuck them for implying otherwise. “Fine,” I finally grumble.
Emma’s father stands, placing both palms on the table and leaning forward. Arching his brow in a way that reminds me far too much of his daughter, he snaps, “I wasn’t asking for your approval, Rowaniel. Now, all of you get the hell out.”
EMMA
Iclutch my heart as I reread Rowan’s journal entry for the fifth time. I haven’t been able to move past this page in days. I’m too terrified to read the horrors Karl faced and the devastation he must’ve felt when I wasn’t there when he woke up.
How do I face that?
How can I face them?
With each entry, my anger toward them wanes, but my frustration explodes. Annoyance with them, with myself, and with the whole fucking situation.
Sighing, I close the journal. I know I need to keep reading, not just to find answers but because I see Rowan letting his guard down with each passage he pens. His willingness to be vulnerable helps me understand the parts of him he keeps hidden.
I know Rowan isn’t one-dimensional. He’s a rich, broody asshole walking around with a chip on his shoulder because he has something to prove.
“Ry.” Jamie’s voice pulls me from the endless swirl of thoughts swimming around my head.
Looking up, I see her standing in my doorway. “Hey, Jams, what’s up?”
She shrugs. “I wanted to come hang with you.”
I smile, patting the empty side of my bed. “Hop in.”
Her face lights before she runs, diving head first onto my mattress. “Cannonball,” Jamie giggles as she bounces. It’s a sound I’ll never tire of hearing. Any chance my twelve-year-old sister gets to be a tweenager, I bask in it.
“How’s school?” I ask as she sits up and leans her back against my headboard.
I watch the joy melt from her face, a scowl now in its place, before she turns away from me. My hackles rise, and I’m already planning ways to make whoever is causing her face to twist in anger pay. “Jams?”
She still isn’t looking at me when she confesses, “Not as great as it used to be.” I wait, not wanting to push her. “There’s this boy at school who’s been trying to bully me.”
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.