Page 128 of Theirs to Rule

I didn’t know what I should do, other than I wasn’t going to call the police. And I wasn’t going back to the chateau either. I drove Elise to a hotel, sending a prayer of thanks that I had a sweater and spare jacket in the car for us to wear to cover up traces of my father’s blood that had gotten us.

Then I did the only thing I could. I called the three guys in my world I trusted the most.

As soon as I heard Kage’s voice, I was overcome with emotion. The moment he heard me sobbing, he put me on speaker so Ty and Dante could hear too.

“Rebel, what’s wrong?” Kage asked.

“I killed him,” I whispered. It was like I was just realizing what I’d done.

“Fuck,” he whispered. “Are you still at your dad’s?”

“I’m with Elise. At a hotel. She told me my dad was trying to marry her off, that Bianca had come to see him two days ago and they’d fought. I went home to see her. W-we were talking, she told me our father had a tree tattoo,” I mumbled, trying to make sense of everything in my head. “Then suddenly he was there. He admitted he had an affair with Ava. Had her killed. He grabbed Elise. He had a knife. God, Kage, I thought I was going to lose her.” A sob escaped me, the thought of losing both my sisters too much.

Where was Bianca? Was she still alive?

“Stay where you are,” Kage ordered. “Lock the door and don’t let anyone in. We’ll meet you there soon. I’ll send some men around to your dad’s place to take care of everything. This needs to stay a secret, Camille. Do you think Elise can do that?”

I glanced at Elise, who I’d thought was asleep. She was staring at me, her eyes wide with fear. “You can’t talk about this to anyone,” I said.

She nodded.

“She said yes,” I replied. I took my sister’s hand and squeezed it, determined to be strong for her.

“Good,” Kage said. “We’re on our way. Stay strong, Rebel. We’re going to get you both through this.”

“Rebel? You in there?”

Startled, I opened my eyes and looked around, disorientated. After a few seconds, the events of the last few hours came back to me. Shooting my father. Escaping to the hotel. Calling Kage.

I stood up and padded over to the door, unlocking it. I opened it and fell into Kage’s arms, relief washing over me. Dante and Ty stood behind Kage.

“It’s okay, Rebel. It’s going to be okay. I want to get us out of here fast, though.” He glanced at Dante, who had already scooped Elise into his arms. We all climbed into Kage’s SUV.

“Where are we going?”

“My place in Manhattan.”

Chapter 56

Dante

The late afternoon sun poured through the windows of Kage’s Manhattan apartment, casting long shadows across the polished hardwood floors. The light was warm, golden—ironic, really, given the storm brewing beneath our collective calm. We’d been holed up here for two days, riding the precarious edge between strategy and chaos, with Kage juggling his phone calls like a chess master playing an invisible opponent. Every conversation ended the same: no chatter about my father’s murder. Great news, right? Except it didn’t feel like it. Not when every second ticked by with the weight of something about to snap.

Elise curled up on the couch, her small frame lost in one of Kage’s oversized sweaters. She hugged her knees to her chest, her eyes darting between the muted TV and the phone she barely touched. She was resilient; I could see that in the way she carried herself, but resilience didn’t mean unbreakable.

Kage stood off to the side, his broad shoulders taut with tension as he leaned against the wall. Even in stillness, he radiated power, like a coiled spring waiting to explode. Dantewas next to him, his relaxed stance a deliberate contrast, though his sharp eyes missed nothing.

"Do you think Vance and Talon are up for this?" Kage asked Dante, his voice low and deliberate, each word precise as a scalpel.

“After what I told them?” Dante snorted. “They’re itching for it. Your guys ready?”

“Ryker and Declan are solid.”

I leaned against the counter, catching snippets of their conversation while keeping one eye on Elise. They talked about tonight’s plan like they were ordering pizza instead of planning a kidnapping. Sure, it sounded excessive—seven of us, plus half the MC—but we didn’t know what we’d be walking into. My father’s secrets had cast a long shadow, and we needed answers. The university president wasn’t just a key player; he was the key. If we cracked him, everything else would fall into place.

“Camille,” Kage’s voice cut through my thoughts. He crouched in front of me, his dark eyes locking onto mine. “We’re ready to go.”

I nodded automatically, my fingers tightening around the counter’s edge. “Are you guys absolutely sure about this?”

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