Page 123 of Falcon's Prey

“She’s no pawn or princess. She’s a fucking queen.”

I finished slicing as I held onto this wrist, aware that I was a bloody mess too.

“So as you stay here dying, alone, I’m going to go own all of her. Then tomorrow, when dawn breaks, whatever is left of you will get put in an acid tub, and you will be nothing but a fucking memory, and if I have anything to do with it, not even that.”

I spat at his face and made my way out, grinning.

No blowback was all I asked the Estacados, and Silas was never to be reported missing. People disappeared all the time, and he was just another one.

I didn’t know how much of a future I had, but I hoped that with Pam dead, I would be left alone. And whatever I had left, I wanted to spend it with Ember.

She was the job I never saw coming.

“Fashion week hitthe streets of New York, and yesterday was the first collaboration between powerhouse—”

“Miss Remington,” my secretary said.

I waved a hand, shushing her so I could listen to the television.

“The new collection was gorgeous, but the real gem in this was the collaboration they did with Remington Diamonds.”

I felt a sense of giddiness course through my body. I leaned back in my chair and put the volume up on the television in my office.

“Many were wary when Ember took over her father’s company after her uncle’s disappearance, but after yesterday’s show, I don’t think there’s a thing to be worried about. The new merchandise is stunning.”

My secretary was as engrossed as I was with the footage they showed from yesterday’s show. It was me walking a runway—short-as-hell-me on a catwalk. I wore a black dress with little jewels all over it and a blackish veil, and on my neck was the Ember. When I approached one of my favorite fashion houses here in New York for a collab, they jumped at the idea. Their only stipulation was to have the Ember featured and have me model it. It was scary, and I wanted to back out, but my father was right there, front and center, cheering me on. Tears streamed down my face at the way he looked at me like he was proud. Our relationship wasn’t easy, but it had improved.

“I say she’s doing just fine. She has a vision; the media loves her. She truly looks like she can take the world by storm. She’s the happiest we’ve ever seen her.”

I turned off the television when they started to discuss my happiness. Happiness was a state of mind, and I was in a good place. I was clean and finally had something that set my soul on fire, but there was still an emptiness that I couldn’t make go away.

“What were you saying?” I said, turning to my secretary.

“Oh yeah, I have the designs you sent over yesterday. I just need your approval before we send them to production.”

Grabbing the papers from her, I went over my new collection. People loved gothic things, and they were all over the feel of them yesterday when they were featured on the catwalk. Black steel with rubies, diamonds, and sapphire, and it was already a hit. My eyes landed on the stupid piece that I almost didn’t let go through to production, but my father saw it and sent it over. It was a pendant of a falcon. The bird was in flight, preparing to attack, wings upward and body starting to angle down. The whole design was onyx with the sharp wings covered in red jewels, and the eyes were blue diamonds.

Before I could back out, I handed over the designs. “It all looks good.”

When she left, I opened my desk, pulling out my dab pen. I’d gone to rehab, got my shit together, but since pot was a flower, I told Dr. Wozniak it didn’t count. I needed it with the stress of running a fucking company. Besides, people loved my bong so much that I’d partnered with one of the biggest head shops to make affordable glitzed-out products for girls. My favorite was the pen I currently held in my hand. I took a drag and turned my chair around and stared out the window at my prime view. The day after I got out of rehab, I put on my heels and my mother’s choker, and I made my way to work, calling a meeting.

The first one to kiss my ass was Mattias. He said Silas had threatened them, but I cared not for the excuses of weak men. He usually fought back, called me names, but before he could, it was as if he remembered something and thought better of it. I caught him looking down at his hand and noticed the imperfection on his pinky. If you didn’t pay attention, it wouldn’t be noticeable, but someone had wanted to leave a message.

Not letting myself get caught up in that, I fired him, and all the ones who had wronged my father. It was a loss on my part, buying them out, but it had to be done.

Looking out the window, it never failed to make me feel insignificant and small. The view from the top was somewhat lonely. I put my head on the window, just staring down at the city, knowing I loved it here but wishing I could be somewhere without the memories.

After the hospital, Ren never tried to see me again, and I think that’s what hurt the most. He had given up easily, not that I wanted him to fight for me. Shaking my head, I grabbed my purse and walked out, locking my office. I hated myself when I got like this, thinking of things I should let go of.

As I was making my way down the hall, I saw Marcus.

“Hey, boss,” he said, giving me a small smile.

“You sure you still want to quit? I can triple your salary.”

I needed people I could trust, especially since I had no idea what had happened to Silas. I was determined to live my life out of his shadow, but I knew the threat of him returning was real. The only thing that we were able to do was trace back the money he’d used to triple the price on my head. Hopefully, that gave people enough incentive not to do anything stupid.

“Change is good, Ember, and it’s way past time I got some.”

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