Page 22 of Merciless Heir

We’re in agreement on that. Our mother has her elegant fingers all over this. “Yeah. Seems that if I don’t locate this missing final piece, the whole family company goes kaput.”

A dark shadow crosses Ry’s face. I get it, I do. I know what he had to leap through to save it from company hands. Sure, he fell in love and reformed himself because of that, but this shit is so…annoying.

He’s in love, but he’s still him. “I wouldn’t care, but come on. Do you know the kind of boring crap I had to endure?” He shudders. “I have nightmares. Nightmares.”

“And Elliot.”

Ry glares at Hud. “Of course I have her. I’d have gotten her, anyway.”

I know that’s just posturing on his part. Of all the things he’s ever been sure about, there’s only one he wasn’t, and that was the redhead who turns out is his match. Ry faltered, questioned himself, and somehow found himself all at the same time. He got the girl—he’s Ryder—but that’s because he put everything that mattered on the line.

“Uh huh,” I say. “You suffered.”

His eyes narrow, but he smiles and across the room the young wife of some rich ass sighs. And my brother doesn’t even notice. That’s how far gone he is. The great Ryder Sinclair who could pick out a willing female at a thousand paces doesn’t see the one a few feet from him.

Love.

It’s fucking twisted and stupid if you ask me.

Still, he’s happy, they all are.

I look at them all. “I’ve a mind to let it all go, but you’ve all done so much to get to this point.”

“Even with changing fucking rules,” says Hud.

Mag takes a sip of his drink. “For reasons not known to any of us.”

“We all have our own empires, but that isn’t the point. They’re saying if it’s not there, the company and the inheritance is gone. And, I don’t appreciate being fucked with. What’s mine is mine and what’s coming to me is mine, too.”

“So, no luck then?”

I ignore Ryder. And my phone that isn’t ringing. “This isn’t about money as in actual dollars to dollars. This is about us. We lose the company, it makes us look shaky. It takes away that something extra. I really don’t care about the inheritance we all have. I don’t need that money.”

“But you want it.”

“Of course I want it, Hudson. It’s mine. And stupid games won’t be what takes it. Or the company. I’ve got feelers out, I’m waiting to hear from a few leads and I’ve hired the Raven.”

Ryder looks at me. “You hired a cat burglar?”

“Ex.”

“I’m aware people hire what they think is the Raven, but—”

“It’s her.”

Ryder’s face splits into a wide grin. “Hot?”

“And a cynical, duplicitous woman who’s probably going to try and steal from under me.”

Ryder looks at Magnus and Hudson. “So, he’s saying it’s true love.”

“Mother also had her name on a scrap of paper. Well, Raven.”

Hud smiles. “If she wasn’t so annoying with this, I’d admire it all. What is she up to?”

I don’t answer because I’ve no idea at all.

Mag hits Hud on the back. “Speaking of mothers, when’s the baby due?”

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