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I park in the VIP lot, palming the keys as I wait for Phoenix to get out. He takes my elbow as he extends his cane, and he forces me to set a slow pace. His cane sweeps back and forth in a slow way I haven’t ever seen him do, and it takes me a second to understand why.
“You’re laying it on a bit thick there, love.”
He shrugs. “Do you think they’ll realize it?”
He’s not wrong. I see a handful of the Walsh bodyguards walking around with their dark eyes and big hands. They almost look like they’ve been cloned from some factory, and I know damn well I’d have trouble picking them apart in a lineup. They watch as we step along the dock, and I can see the looks on their faces.
Pity. Confusion. Disgust.
There’s no place for weakness in this empire. And while Ari and I have been able to prove our worth, this is the first time Phoenix is stepping out in front of them in twenty years. I know most of them believe that his work for the Walshes over the years has been bullshit.
They think someone else is doing it, and he’s taking the credit in order for Kane and Phoenix to save face.
It’s almost amusing if it didn’t piss me off beyond all reason.
“Tell me why I shouldn’t kill them?” I murmur.
“Because one of them might be responsible for what happened to Kane, and we don’t want his death to be so easy,” Phoenix mutters back.
I huff, but he’s right, so I bite my tongue as I lead him toward the boat ramp. Rhys isn’t far off, looking as he usually does. He resembles Kane quite a lot, except he wears his youth almost like it’s armor. He’s in khaki boat shorts and a pinstriped, pale button-up, and his shades are pushing back his hair. He looks gorgeous and wind-swept, and he can’t keep his eyes off Phoenix as we board.
To his credit, Rhys’ surprise only slips a little before he manages to tuck it away, but there’s no way for him to hide the fire in his eyes when he realizes I haven’t come alone.
“This is unexpected,” he says in a rush.
He still has a hint of an accent from growing up in Wales, but it’s not much, and perhaps he doesn’t use it as the bridge to his past the way I do. Of course, unlike Rhys, I came from nothing, and he came from all this.
Phoenix is tense beside me, but he tucks his cane under his arm, then extends his right hand toward Rhys’. He misses by a mile, and I know for a fact it’s deliberate. I watch the way Rhys’ cheeks pink as he adjusts his stance and presses his palm to Phoenix’s.
“Good to hear your voice again,” Phoenix rumbles.
Rhys nods. A beat passes.
Phoenix clears his throat. “I’m sorry, but you’ll need to be a bit more verbal.”
Spluttering, Rhys takes his hand back. “Of course. Of course, I…sorry. It’s been a long time.”
“It has,” Phoenix says. “But we don’t have time for small talk, do we?”
Straight to business, my love. I want to kiss him senseless, but I hold myself back as Phoenix returns his hand to my arm, and we follow Rhys onto the bridge, which sits on the second deck. The windows surround the room, overlooking the sea, and it’s a gorgeous view. Off in the distance, I can just make out the island, and another wave of fear sweeps through me.
Heading out to the resort is Kane’s idea, but I don’t like it. It’s secluded and far enough offshore, swimming is impossible. Kane has his private chopper there, of course, and a couple of speedboats, but not much else.
I don’t like having only two escape routes, and with my arm, there’s no way I can fly the chopper if we need to get the hell out of there and either he or Ari are incapacitated.
“Alright, so I’ve gone over the security in fine detail, and I don’t see any place we haven’t covered, but Kane insisted that you look over it,” Rhys says, meeting my gaze. “He also wants you to do a sweep of the boat.”
“Do you have the security plans on digital?” Phoenix asks.
Rhys clears his throat. “Ah. Of course. Everything I have is on digital.”
“Good. Send it to me. I’ll start going over it while James does his rounds since I won’t be able to help on that.” He squeezes my arm, then lets go and puts his cane in front of him. He hasn’t asked me for a layout of the room, and I know it was on purpose. He’s searching around, and he’s waiting to see what Rhys will do.
He wants Rhys to see him as weak. He wants them all to see him as weak. None of them will drop their guard if they think he’s an even better man than he was before he was shot.
“Anything you want while I’m out, love?”
“Just be thorough,” Phoenix says. I know that part isn’t for show. He’s as worried as I am.
