Page 3 of The Forbidden

Ethan snorts, leaning forward in his chair. “I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.” He seems pensive, then laughs at an internal joke. “Although I bet Wade and Trey would kill to have the opportunity to go after him.”

“They’d kill him and then rot in jail with Lionel,” I drawl. I consider another bite of my apple, but toss it into Ethan’s garbage can at the side of his desk. “I’m serious. I’ll handle Gabe Mardraggon. I’d kind of relish being a thorn in his side.”

Ethan blinks as if he’s just hearing my offer for the first time. “What? No! I couldn’t ask you to do that. I can’t stand to be in the same room with him, so I’m not about to put my baby sister in that position.”

I glare at my brother. “I might be your baby sister, but I’m a capable woman, tough as nails and not about to let some snot-nosed Mardraggon cause havoc for our family. I can handle this for you.”

Ethan’s face is inscrutable, his thoughts a mystery as he strokes his chin. “You don’t know anything about running a winery.”

“Neither do you,” I point out. “But at the very least, I can be the go-between. Let me be the one to liaise with Gabe and I’ll pass information back and forth for you to make decisions. I can totally handle that jerk.”

“No doubt you can,” Ethan muses but still doesn’t accept my offer. His reluctance to interact with Gabe is understandable. Although he might be completely innocent in Lionel’s plot to kill his own granddaughter, he’s still a Mardraggon, and that’s a hard pill for any Blackburn to swallow.

I wait out Ethan’s decision, prepared to argue further with him if he’s not hip to the idea. I have as much reason as anyone in our family to hate Gabe Mardraggon, but I can put that aside to help Ethan. He and Sylvie are the ones who matter.

After a long silence, he finally says, “Okay. I’ll let him know that I don’t have time to handle the winery stuff and you’ll be acting in my stead, but keep me informed. Every step of the way.”

“Every step,” I assure him.

Ethan leans to the side, pulls open a deep desk drawer and flips through some folders. He pulls one out and hands it to me. “That’s the trust agreement and basic financials that Gabe sent over. He’s pushing to do some expansion and needs my agreement to move forward. I don’t know if the deals are good or bad, but I want to do what’s best for Sylvie’s interests. Hear what he has to say and then we can discuss what to do.”

I’m slightly intimidated taking the thick folder from him, feeling the weight of my new duties. I didn’t finish college and don’t have the same business savvy that Ethan does. I’m a horse trainer, although I think I’m fairly intelligent.

Ethan must sense my uncertainty. “You don’t have to make any decisions, Kat. Just be my mouthpiece.”

I nod, taking the folder and putting on a bright smile. “I’ve got it handled. Like I said… if I can make Gabe’s life hell while doing this, that’s just a bonus.” I stand from the chair. “Now, I’m going to grab a shower before dinner.”

“Sounds good,” he says, his attention dropping back to his stack of papers.

I head out of his office but stop in the doorway, turning back to my brother. “Are you going to let Sylvie see Gabe at all?”

Ethan’s countenance is troubled as he lifts his head. “Not right now. Even though Gabe is the one who turned in his dad, what if he had something to do with the plot? I mean… what if he was in on it and turned in his dad just so he could take control of the Mardraggon empire?”

Something to consider. The winery aside, the Mardraggons are known for their Kentucky bourbon. Even as successful as the Blackburns are, we don’t have the type of wealth the Mardraggons have, and they made it all on the amber liquid aged in oak barrels in the heart of Kentucky.

As much as I despise Gabe Mardraggon, I can’t see him being involved in a plot to kill Sylvie. I truly believe he loves his niece, but I can’t lose sight of the fact that he comes from a long line of cheating, lying and stealing assholes. The past clings to the present like a stubborn stain, the whispers of the original feud between our families coloring our lives in shades of bitterness and hate.

It’s not only the very distant past that has me despising Gabe but more current events that have given me a firsthand view of just how despicable the man is.

Ethan’s phone rings, pulling his attention. I give him a wave as I leave his office, my mind racing. I’ve had little interaction with Gabe since… well, since my freshman year of college. The few times we’ve run into each other have been an exchange of acerbic words and hate-filled stares. I’ll never admit it aloud—the thought of dealing with him churns a tumultuous mix of dread and… something else—but I remind myself I’m not the starry-eyed girl I was when I went off to college.

And Gabe Mardraggon is nothing more than a spoiled, wealthy heir trying to control things because power makes him feel good. He’s pathetic, really, and with that thought, I’m emboldened.

Working with Gabe will be a challenge, but I’m a Blackburn. Challenges are what we thrive on.

In the back of my mind, a voice whispers that this is more than just a business arrangement. It’s a dance on a tightrope strung between past and present, hatred and something dangerously close to fascination.

CHAPTER 2

Gabe

The stark modernity of my parents’ contemporary mansion echoes the chill of their affection—or lack thereof. I didn’t live here by choice or necessity but rather by lack of caring to live anywhere else. The twenty-two-thousand-square-foot abode ensured I could have complete sanctuary from their icy influence but all that space feels suffocating now.

I can’t really bemoan the gilded cage I grew up in or the fact that my parents were emotionally absent from my and Alaine’s lives. My father, Lionel, was always at the helm of our bourbon empire and my mother, Rosemund, was always at the country club drowning her woes in dirty martinis. But that was the only life I knew and it never felt lacking to me in all the years I’ve been alive. Many people consider me as cold as my parents and they wouldn’t be wrong.

Even now, I don’t think I’ve missed out on anything, but it feels wrong staying here. The halls are tainted with Lionel’s treachery and I’m drowning in guilt by association because of what he did to Sylvie. I might be a hard-hearted bastard but if there is one person on this earth who owns whatever softness hides within me, it’s my niece.

How can I stay in this place when it shelters such betrayal? Such downright evil?

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