Page 12 of Fierce Monarch

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Cameron’s harsh voice broke the soft silence after Mari finished. To his credit, he’d stayed quiet while she spoke, but more than one napkin lay shredded in front of him. The man moved quickly. “He was an Ace the whole time?”

“Yes,” Mari said through gritted teeth. “Which is why we’re here. The mansion isn’t safe anymore. If you need to get your things, do it, but we need you and Aislynn here.”

“No.”

The answer was immediate and without question.

Mari sighed and tried again. “Cameron, I know this is too close for you. I know you need your space from Joaquin and us, and I promised that you could have it after the wedding, but I need you to be safe more than I need you to be comfortable.”

“I didn’t say I won’t be safe, but I can’t live here. Besides, I told Ash I would take her home.”

“Home?”

“To my place.”

I wasn’t aware that her cousin had a place that wasn’t the mansion, but Mari nodded in understanding. “I’d prefer you to be here, but if that’s not an option, your house is secluded enough.”

Meaning, it was a decent option for now. But if anything else happened, she’d pull rank and yank him home before the sun set. Cameron grinned, relaxing in his seat. “Considering barely anyone knows about it, I would hope so. Either way, the missus will be pleased.”

He said that with a little too much relish to be anything but sincere.

Mari rolled her eyes, continuing as if he hadn’t spoken. “Keep your guard up. Make sure you have security members close by, if not for you, then for Aislynn. She is not allowed to go anywhere alone. If that’s a problem, she can talk to me.”

“Agreed,” he said easily. “Not that she was going to anyway.”

Mari smiled, the barest suggestion of laughter on her face, and it took my breath away—the faintest hint of who she’d been yesterday and a reminder of why I was desperate to help her heal. “Of course not.”

They talked a little more about plans and Mari’s expectations, but eventually, there was a lull.

“I’m sorry.” Cameron reached out to lay his hand on hers. Immediately, she pulled it back, hiding it in her lap where she thought neither of us could see the trembling.

“It’s fine.” He looked up at me, brows furrowed as Mari stared unseeing out the window. That one look told me we were on the same page. Mari wasn’t okay.

I wasn’t sure she would ever be okay again.

But we would be there for her, nonetheless. We’d help her, guide her, tether her until she was grounded in her own body again.

Then we’d burn Cash’s empire to the ground and hope Nate went with it.

Cameron cleared his throat, catching her attention, and pasted a smile on his face. “What’s the plan for the empire, boss?”

“We redo everything,” Mari said, falling back into the leadership role. “As of now, everything we know about Cash could be fake, so we pretend it is. If no one could figure out that he has a living brother, there’s no way the rest of it is right.”

I wasn’t so sure since the best lies were rooted in the truth, but I also wasn’t going to correct her. She needed this. We all did.

“We already moved some safe houses, but pull whatever favors you can. We need to figure out who we’re up against, and we need to take action.”

“And the uncles?” Her cousin wasn’t stupid. This big of a stone in the pond would send ripples so far-reaching, everyone would feel them. The fact that Dominic was already feeling the effects was a very bad sign.

“They’re tomorrow’s problem,” Mari said firmly, glancing at me before looking back at her cousin. Luckily, Cameron was a smart man who shut his mouth with a nod.

Obviously ready to be alone again, Mari stood. “If you need anything from the mansion, let me know. We’re going to head over there soon to pick something up.”

Cameron frowned, likely remembering we kept doubles of everything in the Celestine so we didn’t have to go back to a compromised location. “Is that safe?”

“I won’t be long. I’m only picking up a couple of journals.”

“Journals.” His voice made it clear that no journal was worth her life, and while I agreed, these were worth the risk.

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