Page 6 of The Cousins and the Brunette

“Sebastian, listen to me,” I said, my voice low and steady. “We’ve come too far to let Shoemaker’s betrayal go unanswered. We need leverage, and his daughter is it.”

The taste of victory was already on my tongue, metallic and sweet. Kidnapping Elizabeth Shoemaker was our golden ticket to putting that smug bastard in his place. It wasn’t personal, just business. At least, that’s what I told myself.

“Joel, we’re talking about an innocent girl, not some pawn in our corporate games,” Sebastian replied, his tone heavy with a weariness that suggested he was already fighting a losing battle within himself.

“Braxton, you’ve been quiet. Where do you stand?” I turned to my youngest cousin, who had been observing the exchange with a troubled look.

Braxton leaned back against the opulent sofa, a frown creasing his face. “I hate this as much as Seb does, but...Joel, you may have a point. If we don’t act now, we might not get another chance.”

I nodded. “Yes! That’s what I’ve been saying. We play nice, and we lose. And you both know how I hate losing.”

Losing. The word itself made my skin crawl. In this world of sharks and minnows, you either devour or get devoured. And I’d be damned if I let the Porters become someone else’s meal.

Sebastian grimaced, pacing now, his hands clasped behind his back. “But the ethics of it…the repercussions could be severe, not just for us but for others, too.”

I sat on an armchair facing the French doors. “Then we ensure she stays safe. It’s a temporary measure, nothing more.”

My fingers drummed against the armrest, a staccato beat of impatience. Sometimes I wondered if Sebastian’s moral compass was more of a curse than a blessing.

“Temporary or not, it’s crossing a line into territory that’s...” Sebastian paused, searching for the right word, “...dark. And once we cross it, we can’t uncross it.”

“Seb is right…” Braxton rubbed his chin. “How is this gonna look to other Elites?”

“Others already see us as sharks in a sea of minnows,” I shot back. “Let them fear us. At least they’ll respect the power we wield.” My posture stiffened.

This was why I was the enforcer, the one who got things done while others wrung their hands.

“Respect born from fear is brittle,” Sebastian murmured, almost to himself.

I leaned forward, my jaw clenching. “Brittle or not, it’s better than being seen as pushovers. We need to show Shoemaker we’re not to be trifted with.”

The tension in my body coiled tighter, like a spring ready to snap. Shoemaker’s smug face flashed through my mind, and I had to resist the urge to put my fist through the nearest wall. This wasn’t just about business anymore - it was personal.

“Trifted? Is that even a word?” Braxton chuckled, his attempt at lightening the mood falling flat.

“You know what I meant,” I growled, shooting him a glare.

Sometimes I wondered if Braxton took anything seriously. His constant jokes were like nails on a chalkboard when I was trying to focus. But I knew deep down he cared as much as the rest of us—he just had a different way of showing it.

Sebastian stopped pacing, his shoulders sagging. “We’re talking about kidnapping, Joel. It’s not just illegal, it’s morally reprehensible.”

“Oh, spare me the ethics lecture, Seb,” I scoffed. “Our family didn’t get to where we are by playing nice and following rules.”

Sebastian’s moral high ground act was starting to wear thin. Did he forget who we were, what our family stood for? We didn’t climb to the top by asking nicely and hoping for the best.

Braxton leaned forward, his usual grin replaced by a thoughtful frown. “What if we approach Elizabeth directly? Maybe she’d be willing to help us take down her old man voluntarily.”

I snorted. “Right, because daddy’s little girl is just itching to betray him. Get real, Brax.”

The idea was so ridiculous it almost made me laugh. Elizabeth Shoemaker, turning on her father? The princess of the elite, slumming it with us? Fat chance.

“You’d be surprised,” Sebastian said. “From what I’ve heard, their relationship is...strained, to put it mildly.”

“Strained like a bodybuilder’s jockstrap, you mean,” Braxton said, earning an eye roll from me and a reluctant smirk from Sebastian.

Elizabeth was the key to bringing down Shoemaker, I could feel it in my bones. We just needed to figure out how to play this right.

I stood up, pacing myself now. “Look, voluntary or not, we need Elizabeth. She’s our ace in the hole, our golden goose, our—”

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