Page 102 of Royal Desire

I need to wrap this up. I need to know whether to freak out or calm the man I plan to live with for the rest of my life. I just got him back. I don’t want to visit him through prison bars.

Finally, Blake and I take our final bows and have to fight off guests begging for one more song. My vocal cords are toast, and I need to get to my man.

I let Blake do what he does best and hang back to talk to guests. I go straight to Payne and claim what’s left of his soda water. After I down it, I look up at him and lower my voice. “What’s wrong?”

He pulls my front to his and slides his hand down to the small of my back. The tips of his fingers press in on the swell of my ass in the new dress I ordered off the internet since every other one I own is lying in a pile of ash in Grandma’s old house.

Payne puts his lips to my ear. “I got some bad news. Probably the worst news I could imagine. Let me get you out of here, and I’ll fill you in.”

He puts his arm around me and ushers me out of The Speakeasy, through the atrium, and to the back offices of the manor where Blake and I left our things. Dean and Devon follow.

The door is barely shut behind us when I turn to him. “What’s going on? Did they find Enzo?”

“I wish that were it.” Payne shakes his head and glances between Dean and Devon before turning back to me. “I don’t know how to tell you this. Fuck, I still can’t comprehend it myself. I thought he was shitting me at first.”

My feet are killing me, so I kick off my shoes. “Worse than Enzo?”

Devon tips his head on a wince. “I think that depends on what happens next. And I was only brought up to speed about this in the last fifteen minutes.”

Dean steps up and slaps his best friend on the shoulder and leaves his hand there for a firm, supportive grip. “I think it depends on who you ask.”

My gaze shifts to Payne. “Tell me.”

Dean’s hand falls when Payne cuts the distance to me. Anger rolls off him in waves. “This is bad, but it’s fucking worse after what you told me this week. I got a call from Brand Vitale. I can’t believe this fucking happened. He was safer behind bars. I’m going to kill him.”

Dean inserts himself. “Whoa. No one’s going vigilante here. I will not allow my best friend to go down for that asshole.”

Devon slides his hands into his pockets and looks too nonchalant for this conversation. “I’m just putting it out there that I know people. They’re professionals. There’s no reason to step into a lane you’re not familiar with.”

My jaw drops. I reach out to grab Payne’s hand to get his attention. “What’s going on?”

He pulls me to his chest. “He’ll never get close to you. I won’t allow it.”

My heart drops. “Who?”

Anguish seeps into his eyes. It’s like he has to force his lips to form the answer. “My father.”

Those two little words wipe the air clean out of me. “Why would he get close to me? He’s in prison.”

Payne’s square jaw goes more rigid than I’ve ever seen it. Then, a slight shake of his head. “Not anymore. He got a pardon.”

I shake my head. “No. How would he? He almost killed a bus full of people. And with so many DUIs in his past⁠—”

Payne tightens his hold on me. “It doesn’t matter. He was in a group of pardons. It was political. Who the fuck knows. I’m sure it’s some asshole politician who goes way back with my father. Brand called me as soon as he found out. He feels like shit.”

I let everything sink in. I’m not afraid of Owen Deacon—not anymore. I was between a girl and a woman when he assaulted me.

Hell, I was no woman. I was a scared girl who had no idea how to fight back or defend herself. I was afraid of his power and authority.

If I could travel back to that day, I would go down fighting. Not only to protect myself. I’d do it for Payne.

I’d do it for us.

My fingers grip his dress shirt. “He’ll never touch me again. I’m not afraid of him.”

“He’s coming back,” Payne announces.

“You don’t know that,” Dean says.