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“My son, why don’t you stay present with us and put the phone away?” Dad says, tapping his knife impatiently on his plate.
I begrudgingly set my phone down, showing it off to my brothers, careful not to let Dad see by blocking it with my wine glass. “Sorry, Dad. I’m trying to get ahead and arrange stuff with our allies to get the information you want.”
Dad beams me a smile. If it were Arsenio or Wilder, he would probably yell at them for not keeping him in the loop. But me? I’m Dad’s favorite, and we all know it. I’m the only one who can get away with slacking off and talking back. I’m also the only one he ever jokes with about women, and maybe it’s because I’m the youngest of his boys. His expectations have been minimal with me.
“There is no need to apologize. I appreciate your hard work, and you’re also excused to finish your task. You can inform me of the necessary financial obligations later. It was nice seeing you today, son. You should come to visit me soon. I miss having my favorite boy around all the time. I sometimes wish I could’ve stopped you from growing up, Enzo.” Dad wipes his mouth with his napkin, turning to look at Arsenio and Wilder. “As for you two, we still have some business to settle.”
Damn. I feel fucking awful for my brothers. He uses his favoritism toward me as a weapon and a way to manipulate them. We all know it. They have a lot thicker skin than I do, because if I were them, I would probably throw a punch at Dad.
But I don’t have time to defend them. They can handle themselves.
I stand up, quickly stroll to the head of the table, and hug my dad, kissing him on the cheek. He smiles and pats me on the back. I turn and quickly stride away before he decides that he wants more of my company.
I have shit to do. Kinsey is probably so fucking scared, and I need to get to her. I need to protect her and get her to safety.
I remain at an even pace until I know I’m out of hearing range and break out into a sprint, stopping at one of our many safes to pull out an extra gun. I’m sure the security team is already sweeping the area, but if these guys got past them and close to Desmond, then something is up. We have a traitor in our midst. Now we can’t trust our entire staff and will have to reevaluate everything.
I charge forward and head toward the back exit leading to the garden. Slowing down, I peer through the glass wall with a wide view of our property, spotting Kinsey still cowering in the gazebo.
Without hesitation, I dash from the palace and toward her. Big mistake. I don’t see the guy quickly enough and a gunshot rings out at the same time a bullet ricochets off the gleaming wall right near my head. He was waiting for the chance to infiltrate our palace, because no one can go in and out without special access. Half of our security team can’t get in unless one of our two leads opens the doors, and all of our staff have very specific instructions on entering. It’s to keep us safe but also to guarantee that no one knows about Holly.
“Don’t move, Enzo.” The deep voice only makes me bristle, recognition setting in. He’s from the Platinum Shores Pack. Bruce? Beau? Some B name that I can’t recall. We’d been watching his alpha dealing with Tamsin for a while. He’d occasionally do some beta bitch work to receive privileges at the Vixen Lounge.
Shifting, I ignore the douche and aim my gun, firing without assessing the situation. It’s enough to get him to duck.
I make my move, tackling the man and punching him in the face. He knees me in the stomach, pushing me off, but I don’t let him pin me, grabbing onto him and rolling again. Swinging my arm, I sucker punch him in the throat. And then again in the jaw. Locking my fingers in his hair, I slam his head down hard over and over again until his eyes roll back into his head. A lot of packs underestimate our strength because of our royal status, and we hide behind security, but that’s only for show. We spend all our lives training to fight, learning how to use every weapon available, and just studying how to take out enemies. We are ruthless. It’s rare, and the only reason why this man isn’t dead is because we need answers.
I spot Desmond searching around the property, glancing at his phone. Releasing a whistle, I draw his attention to me and send him a short text to take the bastard I knocked out to a cell, make sure the perimeter is secure, and go check on Holly. Kinsey is my priority, and nothing will get in my way of caring for her.
It looks like Desmond’s already taken care of the body of the man he killed, ensuring that our father doesn’t see. I hope that this blows over quickly, and he’ll never know that we failed to keep our palace safe, especially with him here. It’ll leave him suspicious, and he might question everything about us if he finds out why Platinum Shores is really at war with us and that we were the ones to start the feud.
Jogging closer to Kinsey, I quickly whisper her name, letting her know that I’m coming without startling her. She stretches her arms out for me, a small whimper escaping her mouth. Pain radiates deep in my heart at her fear. She’s fucking terrified and probably thought the worst. I hate that she had to experience this bullshit at all.
I scoop her up in my arms, hugging her close as she wraps her arms and legs around me, burying her face into the crook of my neck. Warm tears spill from her eyes, soaking the collar of my suit, and all I want to do is kiss them away. I want her to know that she’s safe, and I won’t let anything happen to her. That I will take care of the bastards who scared her.
“Take a breath, baby. I’m going to get you out of here. It’s over. No one’s going to hurt you.” I stroke my hand down her back, smoothing out her trembles the best that I can.
“That was one of Madame Tamsin’s clients. I recognize him from the Vixen Lounge. He was a regular.” Kinsey’s voice cracks.
Rage ignites inside me, thinking about the douche all over again. Now that I have a moment to process, I wonder how they connected everything back to us. We’ve been careful. Wilder said that no one caught him when he took Kinsey to the Gutter District.
I’ll go crazy obsessing over where the fuck we messed up. Was it during the heist? Something else? One of our allies said too much when we were asking around? Whatever it is, we need to handle it swiftly.
“Fuck, Kinsey. I hate having to ask you this, but can you tell me a bit more? I need to figure out if the threat involves Tamsin with the Platinum Shores Pack or if it’s something different. They were our target the night of the heist.” I stroll away from the palace and head toward the garage, wanting nothing more than to get her out of here completely.
I know better than to relocate her without first speaking with my brothers but getting space from the place she just experienced trauma might help calm her down. She needs to know that attacks like this are rare, and I’ll not stand by and do nothing. She comes first. She’s mine regardless of anything. I don’t give a damn if my father is here.
“I’ll try my best. My head is still spinning. I can barely focus.” Shit. I forgot she had been drinking wine. The whole situation sobered me up, but she had two more glasses than I did. Her intoxication won’t help any.
I shift my jaw, peering around the area, ensuring no one tries to sneak up on us. “Don’t worry about it right now. We’re leaving and heading somewhere else while my brothers get the shit settled here. I’m sure they’ll call us when the king is gone, and it’s safe to return.”
“What about Holly? We need to get her. She has to come with us. I don’t want to leave otherwise.” Her soft pleas help settle down my chaotic thoughts. She’s right. We should take Holly with us, and the fact that she is looking out for my sister solidifies just how amazing she truly is.
I don’t slow down, but I do pull out my phone and shoot a text message to Desmond with one hand, telling him to bring Holly to the underground entrance to the garage.
Kinsey remains quiet until I plop her down in the front seat of one of the sedans and then slide behind the wheel. She shifts and throws her arms around me, hugging me and begging for my closeness. Her heart races so vehemently that I can hear it, and I continue to hug her and kiss her tears, letting her calm down before I speak again.
“I have an apartment in the city. I think it’s best to take you and Holly there until we can figure the shit out. I’m sure my father will hear about things, and getting our asses out of here will guarantee neither of you are caught up in it.” I lean back and meet her watery gaze. “You guys will never be alone. We’ll rotate shifts, giving us a chance to clean house of any traitors and make sure no one is a threat. This had to be an inside job for anyone to get on the property, and we will handle it.”
