Page 6 of Primal

I lean back, taking a sip of my drink as I gather my thoughts. “Hiding in plain sight.”

“She does catering for the Godwins. They’d recognize her,” Soren points out.

I shake my head. “There are two branches of the mighty Godwin tree. One has the patriarch as Troy Godwin, and the other branch—the Poseidon branch—is Hector Godwin. Thosebrothers haven’t spoken or interacted in decades. Fiora would be cousins with Apollo, Athena, and Phoenix, but they wouldn’t know each other. Fiora would be a stranger to them.”

“Hiding in plain sight,” Soren parrots. “If she is on the run, the people looking for her would never think to come here. Smart.”

“She didn’t even change her first name. Bold,” Locke adds.

Merrick’s eyes narrow, his jaw clenched. “Or stupid. Are you certain it’s her? How would you even know what she looks like?” Merrick turns to Soren. “You used to work for the Godwins. Do you recognize her?”

Soren shakes his head. “I never met Hector’s children.”

“You all know I don’t forget a face, and I know the Godwins. All of the Godwins,” I answer. “I cross-referenced her identity with multiple sources when I had my suspicions when she first came to The Vault with Storee. Then I hunted her last night so I could get a better look. And well… no doubt about it. That woman on the dance floor is Fiora Godwin.”

The tension hangs thick in the air as the realization of Fiora’s true identity sinks in. I watch Locke’s expression darken, his eyes burning with a mixture of anger and concern for Storee’s safety.

“Fuck! We need to get Storee away from her, now,” Locke growls, his hands clenching into fists on the table. “If Hector Godwin catches wind of his daughter being part of The Hunt, being in our club… his family won’t hesitate to strike, and Storee could be caught in the crossfire.”

“The Poseidon side of the Godwin family are goddamn assholes. They act first and ask questions after,” Soren adds.

Merrick’s gaze flickers to the dance floor, his jaw set in a hard line. “Agreed. We can’t be associating with someone who’s associated with the Poseidon side of the Godwins. It’s a potential death sentence.”

“We all consider Apollo Godwin a friend,” Soren begins. “Maybe we go talk to him, explain the situation.”

Locke shakes his head. “Poseidon is his uncle’s side. They aren’t friendly. Family or not, I doubt Apollo could help, nor would he appreciate being pulled into a mess that isn’t his.”

“We need to handle this delicately. If Fiora is indeed hiding out here, there’s bound to be a reason.” I narrow my eyes as I study the oblivious woman on the dance floor. Her movements are fluid, sensual, betraying no hint that she is a spoiled little rich girl pretending to be someone else.

Locke slams his fist on the table, startling the other patrons nearby. “I don’t give a damn about her secrets. All I care about is keeping Storee safe. Get Fiora off the island tonight and back to Daddy. I don’t want to get caught up in this crap at all.”

I nod, understanding the gravity of the situation, as well as Locke’s obsessive need to protect. “I’ll take care of Fiora, but we can’t just kick her off the island and think this all goes away.”

Soren nods, his expression serious. “Plus, we aren’t bastards. She’s still a human being, and maybe there is a good reason she is hiding under a different name.”

Merrick leans back in the booth, his gaze thoughtful. “And the Poseidon fucks are asses. We don’t owe them a thing.”

“Let’s not make any decisions quite yet.” I need to calm the escalating tension. “We don’t know the full story yet. Yes, Fiora’s presence here could pose a threat to Storee and by extension, all of us. But we can’t just throw her to the wolves either.”

Locke’s gaze softens slightly as he looks at me. “I understand where you’re coming from, but my priority is Storee. I can’t risk her safety.”

“And I respect that,” I reply, “but why don’t you take Storee on a little trip? Someplace romantic. Allow the three of us to watch and observe. See what intel we can get on Fiora, the situation, and how deep this shit could be if it blows up in ourfaces. A couple of days is all I need to dig more. Soren, Merrick, and I won’t let her out of our sights.”

Locke looks skeptical but says nothing, his gaze shifts back to the dance floor where Fiora and Storee are still lost in their dance.

“The Godwins are known for sending in their cleaners,” Soren chimes in. “Hector is going to feel stupid as fuck that his precious daughter was here…playing. And that we all know about it?—”

“Means they won’t hesitate tocleanus up,” Merrick adds.

“They’ve been looking for a reason to get their hands on The Vault for a long time,” Locke says.

I nod. “This would give them the perfect reason to attack, and no one would blame them. They could spin this narrative to where no one would blame them for going after our heads.”

Locke’s expression remains grim, but he finally nods in agreement. “All right, I’ll take Storee away for a few days, but you better keep me in the loop, and if anything changes or if you find out that she’s a threat, I want to know immediately.”

“Of course,” I assure him. “We’ll watch her every move.”

“She’s doing The Hunt tonight,” Soren says. “I saw her name on the list.”

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