Page 51 of Dust to Dust

"Can you, too, shut the hell up," Damian grunted. He pulled out his phone. I straightened myself and tried to calm the beast inside. I peered over Damian's shoulder and noticed he was looking at a photo of a girl. It was too far for me to make out her features, but she was surrounded by what appeared to be bookshelves. He caught me looking and tucked his phone away without saying anything. I pitied the woman who captured Damian's heart. He may be a poet at times, but his darkness out weighted everything.

"Mila Michelson," The man on stage called. Like a united front, we all stood and started to clap. As Mila walked across the stage, I smiled wide at Titan. He did view Mila as his sister. Damian had the same look. Another man four aisles over stood as well.

Greg Michelson. Lawyer to the underworld. I hoped he come. I needed to have a word with him in private. Greg stood and clapped with affection. His love was all a lie. The man bartered his daughter so his reputation could grow.

Looking at Dash, my clapping halted at the smile on his face. It was a look that was rare and hauntingly stunning. Damn all the angels to hell; Dash loved Mila with all his soul. It showed in every ounce of light that was being cast off him at this moment. Dash shouted Mila's name, and my heart began to beat with new pain. If Mila was able to pull this off, it was going to shock Dash to his core. He underestimated Mila's strength. My little troubled artist just might pull off her biggest show yet. All the stars were aligning because what the boys didn't know was I was planning my escape now as well. Mila's disappearance would provide me with the perfect amount of distractions to be able to slip away from Titan and save him.

Chapter 39

The world was burning. The only question was, would the flames reach us? Would the fire blister our flesh and turn us into dust? I wasn't sure I'd ever find out.

In grand fashion, Mila had mysteriously slipped away. Lost in the crowd as the caps were tossed in the air. A room was filled with guards employed not just by the Kings but by other powerful families as well. They were all made fools of that day.

To make matters worst, Mila wasn't the only one who vanished. Over two dozen women from the most influential wealthy families somehow slipped away. Not one guard noticed. This wasn't just Mila's doing. Whoever helped her had vast resources.

Rumor had it, half of the girls had arranged marriages—something familiar in our world—right after they graduated.Their escape was an extraordinary revolt against the pigs who raised them and thought they could trade them for money or things more dangerous.

When I mentioned the world was burning, I meant it. Fights erupted all around the graduation when the girls could not be located. Families started to accuse other families. Guns were raised, and threats were made. It was a fantastic sight to see. And for once, I had no hand in the chaos.

By the time I arrived at the mansion, Dash had vanished, and frankly, I didn't want to see him. I'd be the first person he pointed the finger at. Our alliance was still weak and yet to be tested through thick and thin. Titan didn't want to let me out of his sight as we all convened in the war room. Titan and Damian were on the computer, hacking into the security feed.

It was the perfect time to make my move. I slowly backed away and tipped my toes up the stairs. The addition to the door that would seal it shut was about to work in my favor. I pressed the open button, and the door slid open. The new hinge was a hydraulic system, and the door would automatically close shut with one well place bullet. Titan and Damian would be locked inside until a team could open the solid, bulletproof door. It would take hours.

I gave one more glance over my shoulder. Titan stood but was hunched over a keyboard as he checked screen after screen of Empire University. The satellite images gave him a view others rarely could see. His white dress shirt was wrinkled as it strained over his broad shoulders. His blonde hair raked messy from his hand. It was a nervous tick that relaxed him.

"I love you, baby," I whispered as I pulled out a piece of paper. I placed it on the top stair and then took out my gun.

* * *

Two weeks later…

When I had planned to kill Titan, I knew I had to get close to him. I studied the man he was and what type of woman would attract him. I picked him apart. I knew where he liked to frequent and the path's he took to his classes. I knew it was exactly 3 miles from his house to my dorm. A short twenty-minute drive from his campus mansion leads to one of the King's private airfields. I knew Damian had his pilot's license, so they could make a faster getaway if he were with Titan. I had gathered as much intel as possible even if, in the end, I wanted to be caught by him.

Yeah, I admit it. I skipped over the small details because I wanted Titan to remember me. If Titan didn't forget me, then I never really died.

Franco Fontaine was a different beast. My intel gathering didn’t need to involve an extraction plan because I didn’t have enough time to plan one, and deep down, I didn’t think I’d be walking out alive. I only cared about keeping Titan safe. Franco was a true sociopath. I had studied him for two weeks now. During that time, I witnessed him kill three of his guards in broad daylight in the middle of the town!

Everyone in the small town just outside of Montreal looked the other way.Seriously, they turned their heads and kept walking!His public killing wasn't shocking to them. I already knew Franco had a hunger for power and to dominate The Rites of Passage. He was a ruthless killer in the pursuit of his goals. One could argue he was gaining ground. He did, after all, kill Dash's father. He tipped the scales and pressured Lucas to take the poison now and not in another two years when Lucas would have turned sixty and was forced to hand power over to Titan. Franco was going to be even more confident since he had managed to kill two of the King men.

During my second week of stalking, I noted how precise Franco was. He was like a poster model for perfection. He had a superficial charm that bent women and men to his will. He'd walk into a restaurant, and the crowds would part in both fear and excitement. He wore the finest suits that melted and wrapped around his sleek frame like butter. He was skinner than any of the King men. His movements were graceful, like a ballerina performing on stage. He cared about what others thought about him and how they perceived him.

Yet like all over confident men, there was an Achilles heel. I spotted it within the first two days. Franco put himself in harm's way by venturing into the small town. The surrounding buildings were too short for a sniper to perch on. Which meant the kill had to be point blank. A tricky shot with all his security, but still, you'd think The Rites of Passage would have tried. Unless they wanted Titan to make the ultimate sacrifice…

Did they want my husband to kill Franco by sacrificing himself? It was the only option I could see now.

The only way to kill Franco would have been in the town. Twenty miles north was his compound; once you were back behind his walls, you'd never breach them. The twenty acres of land were surrounded by drone surveillance 24/7. That didn't include the eye in the sky. The company known as SSC, Space Satellite Corporation, was owned by Franco. Three years ago, he spent 20 billion dollars building his satellite and putting it into orbit. That was next-level shit. Did King Corporations have a personal satellite? They certainly had the money to do so. Like all men who loved to show off their toys, I'd make sure Titan bought me a giant eye in the sky to play with if I made it out of this.

Taking down Franco meant only one thing…

I don't know, Nova,Ghost whispered. Fear trembled through her lips.

Well, I do,I sneered.And since you have no say in the matter, you've got no choice but to come along for the ride, Ghost.

It just might very well be our last hoo-raw.

Chapter 40

Dante eyed me, and I shook my head. Our brothers all flew in to assist us, which meant they pressed pause on the rites they were ordered to pass. Technically we were never given a time limit from The Rites of Passage. Whether that was a good bad detail was still in question.

---