Page 52 of Fierce Monarch

Mari

There was nothing nefarious about the journal, nothing dastardly or dangerous. It was words on a page. The entire notebook was innocuous, a black hardbound book with nothing to indicate what it was. Normal.

Yet I couldn’t open it.

I stared at it on my desk, wondering what secrets it held inside. Would it give me everything I needed to end this war, or was it another waste of time? The uncertainty kept me frozen, though that wasn’t the only reason.

I wasn’t sure what to do if it did contain everything we needed to know. What would it feel like to have all the ammunition to get rid of Cash at my fingertips? It was almost too good to be true, and my bruised heart—and ego—wasn’t sure it could handle that.

A knock at the door pulled me away from my one-sided stare down. I’d taken up working in my office again, spending my days just down the hall from the conference room where Cash had obliterated my life. Not sure if it was self-flagellation or my need to keep people out of my home. The Celestine was safe, and I wasn’t planning on letting another snake inside.

I found Grey peeking his head into the room, glancing between me and the journal, the tiniest wrinkle forming between his brows before he smoothed it out again. “Ronnie’s here.” I stuffed the journal into a drawer—out of sight, out of mind—as he rounded the desk to give me a bruising kiss, his hand tight at the back of my neck. It was possessive and controlling in all the ways I craved, and when he pulled away, I was breathless.

“You staying?” I panted.

He hummed under his breath, and I brought him back down to me, reveling in how good it felt to touch him again. The groan at the back of my throat was low and desperate, and he leaned into it and me, giving me everything I needed. Worshiping my mouth like he did my body. I loved it.

When the kiss was over, he stayed in my space to whisper against my lips, “Always.”

It was about more than the meeting with Ronnie; Grey was giving me reassurance. He was still here, despite my being a less-than-stellar partner lately. He was with me, no matter what, and I so fucking needed that.

I smiled and held on to his forearms because they were close and I wanted that connection. “Dominic?”

“Stayed home to watch Joaquin.”

The clench in my chest said there was more to it, but I didn’t ask. Dominic had tried to bring the situation to me, and I’d shut him down. Now, I had to trust that the boys knew what they were doing. That they were making moves to help, not hurt. If I started questioning their every move, Nate would win, and I couldn’t let him ruin us too.

They aren’t him.

I gave Grey another kiss, though we both knew I was on edge about the situation with my uncle, then sat back. “Let’s get this over with.”

Greyson crossed the room and let in our guest.

Veronica LaRue looked every bit as poised and polished as usual. Hair sleek and pulled back, clothes perfect, lipstick on, but something about her seemed off. I stared longer until I noticed the blue shadows under her eyes that concealer didn’t quite cover and the way the lipstick clung to her dry, bitten lips. She was anxious about what she’d found, which was highlighted when she refused to look at me like she normally would, preferring to stare out the window at midday Seattle.

“How’re things going, Ronnie?” I asked carefully, finding Grey watching her just as closely as I did.

“They’re…okay.”

“Tell me.” Because there was definitely something to tell. “Is it the audit?”

“That hasn’t been fun, but no. It’s the city.” When neither of us commented, she continued. “People are getting restless. The Aces are meeting with your people in broad daylight and knocking down doors they shouldn’t be. They’re making a stand, and it’s putting the security of your power in question.”

“If you’re worried, why don’t you get out of town for a while?” Grey asked.

Ronnie snorted, turning to us with fire and resignation in her eyes. “No. If I’m going to call this my city, I’m going to stay through the growing pains.”

Knowing she was loyal was one thing, but seeing it firsthand really hit me. Ronnie loved Seattle like I did, and she trusted me with it. She trusted me to fix things and to make them better. She trusted me to get us on the right track again. It bolstered me as much as having my men at my back did.

“It won’t be like this forever,” I promised.

“Oh, I know. You’ll put that asshole’s head on a platter. I’m just…wary, I guess.”

“It’s not a bad thing to be right now. Vigilance is a way of life for all of us at the moment, but let us know if you need anything else. We won’t leave you alone, Ronnie.”

She smiled in thanks, and I knew she was done talking when she moved to the small table I’d pulled over for her computer. Ronnie preferred to project things onto the wall, so while she set up her gear, Greyson closed the blinds and locked the doors. When we were ready, she took a fortifying breath and looked me dead in the eyes.

“We found the first deposit.”

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