AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thank you,” he said. “That has everything to do with my wife. She really made this old house feel like a home.”
“That’s so nice of you to say,” Eloise said, coming in from the kitchen. Carter made introductions and Eloise whisked Eden back to the kitchen with her to help finish getting breakfast together. Bowie was sure that it was her way of giving Carter and him time to talk.
“Come on into my office,” he said. “I work from home most days, so I’ve got a private place where we can talk.” Bowie followed Carter into the back office and sat down on the big leather couch in front of Carter’s desk. “Would you like a drink?” he asked.
“No, it’s a bit early for a drink,” Bowie said. “Coffee would be great.” He nodded and grabbed a carafe from the bar and a mug from underneath it.
“Cream or sugar?” he asked as he poured Bowie a mug of coffee.
“Black,” Bowie said. He took the mug from Carter and thanked him.
“So, what brings you all the way to the south of France?” Carter asked.
“Vacation,” Bowie said. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t completely the truth.
“And here, I though that you were just here to see me,” Carter teased.
“Well, I did alter my plans a bit to come by to see you. But I’ve turned it into a vacation,” Bowie said.
“And you found a travel companion,” Carter said.
“Yeah, that was a bonus I didn’t expect, but having Eden with me has been nice,” Bowie admitted. “I’m worried that I’ve put her in danger though, and I’m not quite sure why I feel that way. I can’t stop looking over my shoulder though.”
“Is that what brought you here?” Carter asked.
“Not really,” Bowie said. “I need to figure out how to take the head of household seat from my father.”
“Well, there’s the obvious way,” Carter teased.
“I’m not really willing to kill him or have him murdered. Do I have any other options?” he asked.
Carter sat down behind his big desk and sipped his coffee. “Why do you need his seat so badly?” he asked.
“Because I want to join your alliance with the Pride, Envy, and Greed families. I’m sick of the old ways. I’m tired of looking over my shoulder for trouble to find me. I want to bring our syndicate into this century. But most of all, I want what you have—a family. But I can’t have any of that as long as my father is in charge. I’ll never be safe, and I won’t put anyone else in danger to be with me.”
“So, you and Eden aren’t serious yet?” Carter asked.
He couldn’t admit that what he felt was pretty serious. He had all but fallen head over heals in love with Eden, not that he had worked up the nerve to tell her that. “I’m not sure what I’d call this thing with Eden and me. I like her, but I can’t keep her safe. I can’t have a future with her as long as my father is in charge of the syndicate.”
“I get that,” Carter said. “Give me a few days to talk to Damion, Finn, and Rock. I think that we’ll be able to help knowing that you want to join our alliance. Will you be sticking around for a bit?”
“I plan on taking in the sights with Eden for the rest of the week,” he said.
“Great, let’s have breakfast, and I’ll call you later this week after I’ve had a chance to talk with the guys. I’m sure we can help you out,” Carter assured.
For the first time, in a long time, Bowie didn’t feel so alone. He actually felt hopeful that the other families might be able to help him figure out a solution to his problem.
“Thanks, Carter,” Bowie said, “for everything.”
* * *
Bowie rolled over and grabbed his cell phone. The damn thing had been ringing all morning. He finally had to silence it to be sure not to wake Eden. He had kept her up most of the night and she needed some sleep.
He turned his cell phone back on to find that he had thirty-two missed calls from his father’s assistant, Helen. He got out of bed and walked into the kitchen for a bit of privacy, not wanting to wake Eden. Helen answered on the first ring, out of breath and if he wasn’t mistaken, she was crying.
“Helen, is everything okay?” Bowie asked.
“No,” she sobbed, “I’m so sorry to be the one to have to tell you this, but your father is dead.”
