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CHAPTER13
Lucas
“Declan Easton refused our marriage proposal.” Charlotte bangs her fist down on the table as she paces the boardroom. It’s been a week since the initial idea was presented to me, and clearly my mother’s negotiations have failed miserably. Though I doubt she did much in the way of compromise. Charlotte Fraser is not known for that. I’m not sure why she’s surprised, but her anger doesn’t shock me. I figured this would be the outcome and that she would be annoyed when things didn’t go the way she wanted.
Despite what my mother thinks, she can’t control everything. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Alice and the life we could have had if I wasn’t who I am. I don’t despise my life. I have money, means, and a thirst for blood that is quenched by my work, but there is something missing. I wonder what it would be like to just meet someone in a club as I did Alice and have a normal relationship with them, one that isn’t part of the political game.
Granger didn’t manage to find anything out about her, which surprised the fuck out of me. It’s like Alice doesn’t have a footprint, or at least not a digital one. There are no social media pictures of her, and she’s not searchable in the usual places. It stumped the fuck out of Granger. He’s never met a challenge he can’t unpick—until Alice. With no leads, I’ve given up hope of ever seeing her again. She hasn’t been to the club again, so I have to let her go, as much as I don’t want to.
Zeke is sitting next to me, his expression tight. He’s pissed because he had to come to this meeting. He and Bailey are supposed to be going out for dinner, and he’s annoyed he’s had to stand her up for this. Kane is sitting opposite us on the other side of the table, next to Anthony.
Charlotte paces the floor in front of the table, the carpet softening the clack of her skyscraper-high heels. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my mother in flats. I’m not even convinced she owns any. She pushes her suit jacket back as she drops her hands to her hips. The flowy blouse she’s wearing is no doubt high quality and expensive. Charlotte doesn’t do off-the-rack. My father joked that she bankrupts him with her shopping escapades. If he had any sense, he’d take the credit cards off her. She would probably murder him in his sleep if he did, so I understand why he allows her spending sprees.
“Who gives a fuck what the Easton cunt does,” Kane snarls. His patience is thin lately, which makes me wonder how far Charlotte has got with plans for his wedding.
“I do, and you should too. This is your family on the line. At least pretend you care.”
Kane sits up straight in his seat, and I see the moment his control snaps. “I’ve done everything this family has asked of me and more. Don’t sit there and pretend I haven’t.”
“So, what is your plan now, Mother?” Zeke asks, cutting through the tension before Kane can commit matricide.”
Charlotte gives her attention to Zeke. “We can’t allow the wedding to go ahead. It threatens our security and creates an enemy capable of taking us down. We have to stop it.”
I cock my brow and glance at my father. Surely he’s not on board with such a reckless plan? When he doesn’t speak or try to talk Charlotte down, I can’t stop myself from questioning his judgement. “Are you listening to this madness?” I demand.
“I agree with your mother.” Anthony leans back, lacing his fingers over his stomach. “We have to nip this in the bud, and the way to do that is to marry you to the Easton girl. Willing or not. That way Wood can’t have her.”
I glance up at the ceiling and ask the universe for patience. “You want to steal this girl and make her marry me?” The idea does not sit well with me. An arranged marriage is one thing. Both parties are aware of what is happening—but to sneak her off somewhere and just force her into it is wrong. “You can’t even get married that fast in this country. You have to give a months’ notice.”
Charlotte waves this off. “I told you before, I know someone who can fudge the documentation. I can have you married in an afternoon if I wish.”
Sometimes her reach scares me. Not to mention the lengths she will go to in order to further our family name.
“There is a small snag in your plan,” Zeke says. “Sariah Easton is hidden away. How precisely do you intend to prevent the wedding and bring her to Luke?”
“We can’t do it at the wedding itself. There will be too many people there. Two crime families joining together equals a lot of firepower. I don’t intend on letting anyone die doing this. But I do happen to know Little Miss Easton will be travelling to the church at precisely 10:05 in the morning. Now, if we were to intercept her car, we could have her brought to Lucas instead of to Jeremiah Wood. It’s still risky as she’ll have security, though there will be less of it on the road than there will be at the church. That’s going to be our only option.”
It’s not a bad plan, considering the alternatives, but it’s still ridiculous. Charlotte comes to stand behind my father, dropping her hand on his shoulder. Anthony reaches up and places his hand over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. I can see the pride in his face at what he thinks is my mother’s genius.
“And what happens when Easton and Wood find their darling Sariah missing?” Zeke demands. It’s a fair question, because I can guarantee neither party is going to take this lying down.
“That is the whole reason we are planning to marry Kane to the Adams girl. Her father has agreed to that match. Next month Kane will marry his eldest daughter, Elena.”
Kane sits up straight in his seat. He had expected this, no doubt, but it’s about to become his reality. That has to be an unsettling thought, because I also feel so unsettled right now.
“It’s too bad we couldn’t have a double wedding,” Charlotte says, twirling her hair almost whimsically. She doesn’t look like a master manipulator right now, even though that’s precisely what she is. “The timing just won’t allow it. Hamish wants a full event for his daughter, and I can’t say I blame him. We’ve agreed to pay most of the costs, so no expense will be spared.”
I can only imagine how ostentatious it will be. Charlotte turns to me. “Unfortunately, darling, I don’t think you’re going to get the same elaborate affair.”
Does she really think I give a fuck about a big fancy wedding? I don’t even want to marry this woman. She can be dressed in a sack for all I’d notice.
“There isn’t going to be time,” my mother continues, “but perhaps we can have a party once the dust settles.”
Ifthe dust settles.
I believe that, as usual, my mother has underestimated how pissed off everyone is going to be by her actions. Charlotte Fraser will do what she wants, and the rest of us will just have to hold on for the ride.
“And what if the girl says no? What then? No one is ever going to marry someone against their will, no matter how much you pay them.”
“Oh, she’ll marry you. It’ll be a legally binding agreement, Lucas. Don’t worry about that. As for the girl, she’s a means to an end, so it doesn’t matter if you love her or even like her. If you don’t marry her, the alternative is to kill her. Take her out of the picture. I thought I showed great reserve with this course of action.”
While I have no feelings towards the girl, and it’s no skin off my nose if she is dead, we don’t harm innocents.
My stomach feels hollow. I knew this day would come, but now that it’s here and real, I’m not sure I can face it. Alice sweeps across my memory once more, and I mourn for the relationship we could have had if our lives had been normal. But normal isn’t a word I know because I was born a Fraser, and I have to do my duty to my family.
And I will.
“Tell me the plan.”
Charlotte grins and moves to the chair at the head of the table. She then lays out the details of how we are going to snatch Sariah Easton so I can marry her instead of Jeremiah Wood.
