Page 132 of Beloved Sacrifice

“Protect the Trinity Masters? You must be senile.”

“I will take you downstairs, girl, and remind you of your place.”

Victoria placed a hand on her husband’s arm. “Elroy, please, can’t you see she’s grieving for Caden?”

“And why aren’t you?” she asked desperately. Damn it, she hadn’t been able to love Caden, not with all that lay between them, not when he didn’t know how to treat her, be with her, without making her his property. But he deserved to be loved. Caden had tried, so very hard, to protect everyone—her, Tabby, and all those people who would have been collateral damage. Over the years, these three monsters had ordered plenty of people killed whom Caden had instead smuggled out of the country, given new identities to.

Caden Anderson had deserved to be loved, and he deserved to be remembered.

“I am,” Victoria said softly. “But we can’t let anyone know. We need plausible deniability.”

“Plausible deniability? So if the Grand Master finds out that you stole all the art in the tunnels, that you’ve been covering stuff up and undermining the Trinity Masters for decades, you’ll blame it on Caden, who would have been a child?”

Elroy stood and unfastened his belt. “Downstairs, girl.”

Weston was nearly to the door that led to the deck, the rifle in his hand, when Marek grasped his shirt and tugged him back with force.

“I’m going to fucking kill him! I’m going to beat him to death with my own fucking hands!” Weston jerked hard, trying to break Marek’s hold.

“No,” he said. “Listen. Our wife is amazing.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you ever again. Put your belt back on and sit down.”

“Now punch him in the fucking dick,” Marek said.

“You just said a curse word,” Weston said in shock.

“My apologies. These people are quite despicable.”

Her husbands’ conversation gave her courage. Both Barton and Elroy stared at her not with shock, but like a cat who suddenly spots a mouse. It was as if they saw her for the first time in years.

“You’re not protecting the Trinity Masters.” She let scorn drip from her voice.

“We are protecting them, more than you’ll ever know,” Elroy said in a menacing growl.

Deep inside her, a warning alarm was going off, telling her that she should run from Elroy. But Marek thought she should punch him in the fucking dick.

She smiled.

Barton and Elroy looked at each other, then back to her. “You must understand,” Barton said. “We protect the Trinity Masters, and protect Victoria, at all costs.”

“Protect them from the Masters’ Admiralty?” she asked.

All three of them started. Victoria frowned. “Oh dear, Rose. What have you done?”

“What have I done?”

“You shouldn’t even say that out loud.”

“Why, because they might find out about the Esperanza?” Rose watched the blood drain from their faces with vicious satisfaction.

Weston and Marek stared at each other, confusion clouding Weston’s judgment. “What did Barton mean? Protect Victoria?”

Marek shrugged, and it was obvious his husband had focused only on the Trinity Masters part. But that reason wasn’t as shocking to Weston. That had been the Andersons’ “go to” excuse for all the crimes they’d committed over the years.

We’re protecting the Trinity Masters.

This was the first time they’d proclaimed that protection included Victoria.

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