Page 83 of Devilish

Alessio arched a brow. “Tell me more.”

“There were several high-profile sales Kai was witness to that involved forged certificates of authenticity. He knows where those documents are hiding.”

“I love when rich men are idiots. I can only imagine his digital footprint.”

“Think you can do anything there?”

Alessio scoffed and dropped his feet from the desk. “Is the pope Catholic?”

“You tell me—you’re the one with the closest contact.”

“You trying to piss me off? ’Cause last time I checked, you were asking me for a favor.”

“This is true. So how about this, I?—”

“Get lost? Great idea. I’ll text you when I have something.”

I was about to protest, ready to get moving on my Make Rupert Suffer plan, but Alessio had already dismissed me, his focus firmly back on his screens.

Not about to sit there and twiddle my thumbs all night, I headed back out into the main area of our subterranean headquarters and ran into Shep. Or, as all of America knew him, Shepard O’Neil Winchester III. A pompous name was apparently standard for any royal, even the American kind.

“Fancy running into you here tonight. No meet-and-greet with the governor over at the mansion this evening?” I said.

Shep aimed that million-dollar smile my way, the one that had been splashed over countless magazines, from fashion to politics, then slipped his hands into his pockets.

“Despite what you all think, my life doesn’t always revolve around schmoozing and?—”

“Kissing ass? Isn’t that the same thing?”

“Sometimes. But let’s not forget, I only schmooze because it gets me leverage. You think I’d be spending my time with a bunch of politicians for fun?”

“Is that a trick question? I only spend time with them to take their money.”

Shep scoffed and clapped me on the back before pointing to the throne room, where there was a fully stocked bar. “You up for a drink? I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” he added.

I followed him through to the vast room that housed seven high-back throne chairs that sat upon a raised dais. It was where we held initiations into Libertine, and at times, member meetings.

There were smaller tufted velvet seats filling the space, but tonight Shep and I were more inclined to stand up at the bar in the back. He headed behind the stone counter, and after he poured us a couple of glasses of whiskey, we threw back the good stuff.

“You wanted to talk to me about something?” I asked, wondering if it had anything to do with Rupert, or, for that matter, Kai.Shep waded in the kind of waters I knew that rich, powerful men who’d go after Kai would swim in.

“Yes, I do. You just got back from Monaco, did you not?”

“I did. Why do you ask?”

Shep’s lips curved in a devious smile as he tapped the rim of the glass. “Well, as you might have heard, a certain prince is getting hitched.”

“Yes, I might’ve heard something along those lines.” I raised a brow, not missing the twinkle sparking his eyes.

“How’s Theo taking the news?”

“How do you think?”

“About as well as if it were him who was to walk down the aisle in the next few months.”

“Why are you so interested?” I asked, and reached for the bottle Shep had left on the counter.

“Because the family and I received a formal invitation to it this morning.” My hand stopped mid-pour as Shep chuckled. “I was just wondering what kind of royal nightmare I was going to be walking into. After all, we need Theo to stay calm.”

---