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Ari’s name is on the screen, a simple code.Roost.
The traitors are secure, and he and James are heading our way.
Our plan is to dock near the island, have our announcement on the deck, and then the party will move to the resort. I have the presidential floor booked for my little family, but a small part of me is wondering if we should leave once it’s over. Staying in one minimally guarded place without the security of my home is a huge risk right now.
With a breath, I make it down the stairs without incident. I spot a few more of my cousins, two who are just coming of age, and they look like they want to speak to me, but I’m not in the mood. I give them all a cutting nod, then slide both arms around Alice’s waist and tug her close.
Phoenix starts to move away, but I seize his wrist and hold him exactly where he is. “I don’t care,” I rumble.
He scoffs. “We can’t do this tonight.”
“If it matters, I don’t care either,” Alice chimes in, and I laugh into her hair before bending low to kiss the top of her shoulder. She looks delicious in her little black dress, and I let my free hand drop to her hip.
“We’ll be at the island in a few minutes, and it won’t be long before James and Ari are aboard,” I tell them.
Phoenix relaxes a fraction and brushes the tips of his fingers over my wrist before dislodging my hand. He doesn’t step away, but the space he creates between us is pointed. “We have a plan,” he reminds me. “We stick to the plan.”
I was just telling myself the same goddamn thing on the bridge. Now here I am, ready to toss it all straight into the fucking Atlantic because I love him.
But he’s right, and this is why I need him. This is why I need all of them.
“Is Rhys still around?” he asks in the void of my continued silence.
“He’s in the brig. He confessed to everything,” I tell him. He’ll hear the whole conversation later on the recording, and I’m in no mood to recount it.
“Is my…is Leo…” Alice starts, and it’s obvious she’s not sure what to call the man who now happens to be her biological brother.
I stroke my fingers over her side. “Is he coming here?”
She nods.
“I can’t be certain. He’ll likely know something’s up once he realizes that he can’t reach Rhys, and if he’s in contact with any of those men at all, he’ll know they’re also missing from the security detail.”
Phoenix grunts, sounding annoyed. “And if he’s the one who got past our servers, he’ll know I’m the one responsible for Rhys’ silence.”
I step back, turning Alice, then gently urging Phoenix around with my elbow so we’re facing the crowd. Everyone seems relaxed, but I can feel the tension running through them as they drink and nibble on the trays of hors d’oeuvres going around.
“I guess this will determine how big his balls are,” I murmur. I nudge Phoenix with my elbow again, and he takes it as I grip my cane and let Alice take my other arm. Flanked by them, I feel powerful and untouchable, but I know that sort of thinking has gotten even stronger men killed.
The yacht starts to slow, and off in the distance, I hear a faint motor running. My boys are close. My gut settles a little as I step into a round spot of light and address the crowd.
“Tonight is a celebration,” I tell them loudly, my voice carrying over the wind, and the murmur of the crowd dies down. The yacht slows even more, and I’m not looking behind me, but I can almost feel the looming island there. “Tonight signals change in the family.”
Voices rise again, and I see eyes narrow on Alice. Phoenix lets me go, and he steps back, and I suddenly feel very alone without him.
“This is not a merging of kingdoms,” I say, and the murmurs quiet down. “This is a hostile takeover.”
Everyone stares.
“This is a reminder that anyone who touches this family, anyone who thinks they’re above me, will lose. This is a reminder that vengeance is served long, slow, bloody, and ice-cold.” I lift Alice’s hand, showing the ring, and I kiss it. I don’t look at her because if I do, people will know I’ve gone too far down the rabbit hole.
Very far in the distance, I hear something—security men raising their voices. I brace myself, but it stops, and a second later, James and Ari are there at the edge of the crowd. Both of them meet my gaze, and then James nods.
Alice breathes out a sigh of relief, and her fingers twitch on mine just for a second.
“Tonight marks the promise of a new generation,” I say, and Alice lays her hand on her lower stomach.
The voices in the crowd pick up even louder, but it doesn’t last. They know now that I have something to fight for. My continued legacy. They know exactly how vicious and vengeful their god can be when he has a family to protect.
