Page 40 of Lord of Debauchery

A full fucking house.

I didn’t even like parties, including those for or with my family. They were too regimented, too… Maybe I just didn’t large crowds inside my home.

That’s likely why the moment Kenya had walked out onto the deck, I’d moved to the doors, watching her. Sure, I had guards ensuring that she wouldn’t be attacked from land, sea, or air but that didn’t mean I wasn’t still troubled by the events of the last two days. At this point, I believed anything could happen.

After tending to my wound on the jet, putting the best dressing on it I’d ever had, she’d sat back in her seat saying nothing else. It had been the same while we’d been driven here. Other than noticing she seemed pleased with the surroundings, she’d had no expression on her face.

That troubled me significantly. I certainly didn’t need her to go into the full-blown effects of shock.

“What do you know about that woman, son?” my father asked as soon as he realized I was studying her.

“That woman has a name. Kenya Markham. Try and remember that.”

He glared at me as if I’d kicked him in the balls. “Don’t get fresh with me. Just answer the goddamn question.”

“I know enough to accept that she’s a badass.” I was able to joke even though none of this was a joking matter.

“That’s what bothers me. Camden told me how well trained she appears to be.”

“Well, given the fact she was in the Marines, I guess so. What are you getting at? That she somehow orchestrated the explosion at the studio or perhaps she’s in charge of the group of assassins inside that abandoned building that appeared eager to die. Or maybe she was responsible for the exact location where the fuckers would trap us using a fucking missile, which forced us to suddenly find her bed and breakfast out of the blue.”

Sure, my dad had excellent instincts, but I was at the point I wasn’t going to accept his criticism.

He stuck his finger in my face. “Stranger things have happened, son. Or don’t you remember?”

The bastard had actually decided to throw in my face I’d trusted someone against his wishes, which in turn had almost gotten our entire family killed. That had been when I was barely eighteen, which now seemed like a hundred years ago. “Don’t do that shit, Pops. This has nothing to do with that incident.”

“Uh-huh. Well, I thought it taught you a lesson. Deception is easy when you want to believe in someone.”

“Believe in someone? What I want is not to be treated like some fucking idiot.”

“Then don’t act like one.”

I’d never hit my father because I’d always known that the moment I did, I’d have two broken arms and my fingers crushed to the point they’d become unusable. For all his love of family, he refused to tolerate anyone’s bullshit, including that of his own sons.

“Why don’t we all take a deep breath. This has rattled the entire family.” I glanced at my brother, Sean, who’d made the declaration and sighed.

“She’s not behind this shit,” I continued. “Where are we on the goddamn branding?”

“These assassins have been spotted before,” Declan told me. He was damn good at research, which was why I’d contacted him.

“Where?”

“Various locations across the United States, Europe, South America. They get around.”

“Shit,” I hissed. “They are larger in numbers than I thought and very well organized.” My brother nodded. “We need to find out if there’s a pattern for their attacks.”

“Already thought of it,” Declan continued. “Nothing concrete at this point.”

“See, Pops?” I snarled. “This has nothing to do with Kenya.”

“Maybe not. However, I’m going to have her checked out and before you say anything, we can’t take any of this at face value. By all rights you and the rest of your motley crew should have died during one of those attacks.”

Pops thought it was funny to call us that. He knew how talented my men were. In truth, he was envious I’d used incentives, not brutality, to earn loyalty. “How about this, Dad. Did you find anything out about the brand that Declan didn’t find out?”

“Nothing earth shattering yet, son. These things take time.”

He was lying to me. What the hell was he doing at this point? I knew better than to get into it right now.

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