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My hands clenched into fists. “She’s still intact,” I said.
“Good.”
“Why does it matter?”
“This deal her father has, it intrigues us. In fact, we’re setting up a gala. It’s a nice affair, a charity event. We’re inviting everyone, including Emily’s betrothed. It will be a good opportunity to see how Crane reacts. I don’t like what I’m hearing.”
“You think he’s trying to take over?”
He tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. The tension mounted as he looked at me. I may be his son, but he also only allowed me to know what he believed my rank entitled me. There was a lot of stuff I didn’t know, or at least, he thought I didn’t know.
I wasn’t a fool. I hadn’t been for a long time.
I knew how our world worked.
You didn’t get beaten black and blue without learning a thing or two. My father was my ally and my enemy.
“Something stinks with Crane. We’re not exactly sure.” He pursed his lips. “For a man who is merely a minion, he has a lot of offshore accounts.” Daniel chuckled. “He thinks he’s good at hiding things, but he clearly underestimates us. What does the girl mean to you?”
This time, I stared at my father. He wasn’t an idiot.
For me and the guys to pay special attention to one girl, it meant something. My dad had a lot of spies everywhere. I was always careful. All of the guys were.
“Why haven’t you dealt with Crane?” I asked.
Daniel smiled. At this moment, he wasn’t a father, but a boss. “You answer my question first.”
“You always taught me to get the information I want.”
“I’m not your enemy, son, at least not yet. I’ve been rather lenient. You should respect what I’ve given you so far.”
And I knew without a fact, he’d punish me if I crossed the line. He’d given me plenty of chances, but he wasn’t going to keep allowing me to get away with things. Not when the reputation of the Monsters was at stake.
“She’s important,” I said.
He sipped at his wine. “You know, we were a lot like you guys at one point. We were unbreakable. We took what we wanted and to hell with the consequences. Of course, we also had to live in a school where people died on a regular basis. To some, the kind of school system you have now makes you all weak. There’s nothing wrong with sleeping with one eye open.” He paused. “Whatever this is with Emily, it will be for fun only, Caleb.”
I gritted my teeth but didn’t say anything to dispute him.
“One girl to four boys, it’s not going to work.”
“And if it could?” I asked. I knew how fucked up our needs were. We didn’t want to have multiple women. That would mess us up. The fact all four of us were attracted to Emily was a damn good start.
Daniel laughed. “It won’t. You’re all behaving like boys and that’s never a good combination when it comes to a woman. For now, she has way too much power over you. What will you do if she starts finding Vadik more enjoyable? Or picking River’s company over yours? The jealousy is a disease in our family, Caleb. You can’t risk it. None of you can.”
“And you know about those feelings?”
“There are a lot of things you don’t know about us, Caleb. Don’t for a second believe I give you this warning without prior knowledge.” Daniel stood and threw the remains of his wine across the deck.
I hated coming onto the boat. I never liked how it rocked. I preferred to have something steady and sturdy beneath my feet.
“I want to meet the betrothed. I want to know exactly what’s going on with Crane. It’s rare for an engagement to get past me.”
“Emily doesn’t know about it.”
“She will soon enough. It’s time we headed back to the house.” He moved to go into the main deck.
“Dad, how do you know it won’t work?” I asked. I didn’t want to continue having this conversation, but I saw no other choice.
Daniel sighed. “There are secrets even you can’t know the answer to.”
That was it.
He closed the door, leaving me out in the cold.
I didn’t mind.
Sitting in his chair, I watched the water as we moved, heading back toward the bay where our cars were parked.
By the time I sat in the car, my dad was already on the phone organizing a replacement for the man they just killed. We didn’t go straight home. We stopped at an abandoned garage. My dad and two of his guards climbed out, holding a briefcase.
I watched the swap happen, the handshake, and then my dad was back inside.
“Crooked cops. I tell you, they’re worse than the criminals.”
I recognized the cop. He’d been to the school a few times when there was a sudden raid on the lockers to check and see if drugs were being distributed. It only ever happened when there was suspicion an outsider’s product had been brought into the fold. The consequences were dire.
