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SIX
REBECCA
My mother arrived inNew York with my father’s coffin on the private plane I sent for them two days later. After clearing customs, she told the driver to take her right to their house on Long Island. Power must have gone to my head because I expected her to come see me first.
Queen mothers were always a little rebellious.
To my surprise, she took over all the planning for my dad’s funeral. With his cancer diagnosis, brought the reality of his death and he’d had a hand in his own arrangements. Only, when he made those plans, he thought he’d be buried as the King of New York. Not a disgraced, dethroned man running from an FBI indictment.
Oh, how the mighty could fall.
“Becs?” Nate’s voice echoed from my foyer.
I pushed away from the desk in my home office and in a near all-out sprint, I ran into his arms. “Nate.”
Despite two bodyguards and three lovers, my brother holding me spread a different sense of peace and security through me. Even if it were a false sense because he sadly was the least prepared to protect me.
After a few seconds in his embrace, a hint of sweet perfume hit me and I looked up. Through watery eyes, I saw long blonde hair with pink streaks. “Lacey.”
“Becs, I’m so sorry.” She wrapped her arms around me and Nate.
“Nate.” Sebastien, who’d not left my side these past two days stood under the archway that led to my living room. “My condolences.”
“Seb.” Nate called him by the name I used when we were in high school.
Sebastien shook Nate’s hand, and steered him further into the room.
“Nate, do you remember Anthony?” I asked. He and Gian, too had camped out here with me.
“Sort of. Hello.” Nate shook his hand.
I had never told my brother that while Sebastien and I fooled around in his car during high school, Anthony was there. Watching us.
“And this is Giancarlo Byrne. Gian grew up in Boston. Moved here... When was that again, Gian?”
“About ten years ago.” Giancarlo stepped up and laid a confident grin on my brother.
Each of my men sized up Nate. I guessed each lover of mine vied for his approval and blessing since he was now at least the head of my actual family. My next closest male relative. I may be the queen in everyone’s eyes, but male bravado and tradition had deep roots in our culture.
“Drink?” Anthony offered, pouring scotch into several glasses.
“God, yes.” Nate pushed his green army jacket off and strutted into the living room.
“Jaxson told me you called a couple of weeks ago,” Lacey whispered in my ear from behind.
My body tensed up and I felt my cheeks blaze with heat. I’d called Los Angeles desperate to speak to Lacey. To find out if loving three men made me crazy.
Jaxson Steele, the other rockstar in Lacey Wilde’s life had answered. According to Nate, she loved three rockstars now, including her ex-husband. I found myself confessing everything I’d felt for my men to Jaxson on that call. Just didn’t say who.
Turning to her, I said, “I called you and he answered your phone. He said you were, um...” In the shower with her ex-husband, Aidan. “Busy.”
“He also told me why you called.”
I lowered my head. “Did he now?”
“He was worried about you. Said you sounded...stressed.”
I ran a mafia enterprise, sounding stressed was something people would have to get used to. “I would say I was confused.”
Lacey looked over my shoulder, her eyes, blue like mine widened. “Is that...them?”
I instinctively cracked a smile, feeling embarrassed at their ridiculous beauty. “Yes.”
“They look...”
Utterly breathtaking.Sebastien wore his blue suit and kept the jacket on. Anthony strutted around in charcoal dress slacks with no jacket, tie gone, and shirt sleeves rolled up. Giancarlo, in his light-colored suit to go with his fair Irish skin gave off the casual vibe. Like his name Giancarlo, his cock was all Italian.
“Intense,” Lacey finished her thought taking them in.
“I assume you know the kind of business my father did.” I kept my voice low. Implicating my father implicated his partners. And their sons.
“Just that he was very powerful. Nate never discussed specifics.”
I believed her because Nate never knew the specifics. Not that I thought he’d share sensitive information with Lacey and put her in danger.
“I’ve assumed my father’s position.” I straightened my back. “My father’s primary business partners are their fathers. Our...alliance is solid. Theirs wasn’t.”
“I see. Good for you.” She pinched my waist. “Nate doesn’t know anything. It wasn’t for me to tell him. And I wasn’t sure if you wanted him to know. It’s your business. Your life, Becs. I’m here for you if you ever want to talk.”
I hugged the woman who I’d been waiting to become my sister-in-law since she and Nate had been dating for over six years. And if Nate had assumed control, as his wife, Lacey would have been the queen. Lines of succession often get disrupted. Gratefully, our dynastic war happened without bloodshed. Unless you counted the beating Nate took when he told my father to fuck off.
God, I hated that day.
My eyes trailed to Giancarlo, whose family’s dynasty saw bloodshed as well. His grandfather, Angelo Bianco used to be the king. But with only a daughter, Gian’s mother, the lack of a male heir put his kingdom at risk. And when Francesca married Gian’s father for love instead of the man Angelo had chosen for her, he snapped. Started sabotaging his businesses instead of handing them over to Patrick Byrne.
Then sadly, Angelo and his wife Maria were gunned down.
Paving the way for my father to fill the void.
Now, my father was gone.
That left me.
If history repeated itself, I knew how my story would probably end.
With me in a coffin. If I wasn’t careful.
*
