Page 60 of Hate Mates

Merciless Promise by Anise Storm

BRANNINGTON EMPIRE COLLECTION PREQUEL

ONE

Kingston

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK

Black tie events had never been my thing, and maybe less so now that I felt forced to be here at this particular one. My grandfather was back in Ireland handling family business which left my cousin, Cillian, and I to attend this fundraiser for a local mayoral candidate. As it was, the current mayor had decided to heed the warning of several families, including mine. The Branningtons had been part of Ireland’s mafia scene for at least six generations, but all that was also in jeopardy. After my brother had been run down in the street like a dog, it’d left Cillian and me to carry on our bloodline, and neither one of us was too keen to do so.

A sour pit formed in my throat as I recalled my grandfather’s warning to us just a few days earlier.“Get married and produce an heir, or be disinherited.”If that hadn’t been bad enough, the words that’d followed cemented it.“And only the first to accomplish this task will take over my throne.”

Now, Cillian and I were in a race to the altar, and to find a suitable womb to produce our heir, and one my grandfather hoped would be a male. Only, I had no desire to settle down, and I couldn’t imagine a single play toy of mine becoming Mrs.Kingston Brannington. It was a losing situation, but luckily, I had a little help. Cillian was no more inclined to jump into matrimony or fatherhood, either. The damn man could barely stay off of the drugs and booze long enough to think straight, much less take over a multi-million dollar producing empire. It would be even harder for him to find a willing partner than me.

I scrubbed my hand down my face as my right hand man, Reynaldo, walked over to me. “You look like hell tonight, King.”

“I have a lot on my mind. I need a fucking drink. Where are the servers when you need them?”

“I’ll get you one,” he said before turning around.

I exhaled, then looked around this hotel ballroom. It was crammed full of the ‘Who’s Who’ of Manhattan high society. There were even several members from different law enforcement agencies milling around this space. Bankers, renowned attorneys, doctors, investors, and tycoons from all walks of life. It was a political fundraiser, after all.

“Here you go,” Reynaldo said to me as he handed me a glass of bourbon. I brought it to my nose, then sniffed the rim before bringing it to my lips. I slammed it back, finishing it in a single swallow.

“Thanks,” I said before setting my empty glass down on the nearest surface. “Where in the fuck is our soon to be mayor?”

“I saw Daniro somewhere. He’s...” he paused as he craned his head upward to look around. When Reynaldo looked back down, he turned and pointed across the room. “He’s right over there. Should we make our presence known now?”

I gave a nod, then set forth in his direction. Reynaldo followed behind me, and as I got closer to the man who’d be on my grandfather’s payroll if elected, there was something oddly familiar about the dark-haired woman he was talking to. In addition to her height and frame, there was something about the way she carried herself. A haughtiness I’d seen before butcouldn’t quite recall. When she turned to her side, I came to a sudden stop, causing Reynaldo to run right into me.

“What’s wrong?” Immediately, he went on high alert, but I shook my head.

“Nothing. Everything’s fine,” I assured him.

Andreas Daniro had been married for over three decades, and it was a wedding my own grandfather had attended. The two men went way back, and I’d seen so much of him over the years that he was almost like a second father to me. Or maybe a first after my own was killed in a hail of gunfire one cold December night. Death and violence went hand in hand, and it’d been an act of the latter that had killed my kid brother before he’d even had a chance to become an adult. And the one responsible for it now had her dainty fucking hand on the mayor’s arm.

When I walked over to them, the woman still had her side turned toward me, but I did catch his attention. He smiled broadly revealing even white teeth. “Kingston Brannington, it’s been a while.”

The woman turned in that moment, and the look of shock on her deviously beautiful face might’ve made me smirk any other time, but tonight, all I could muster was disgust. It sure as hell beat the rage her name, voice, and face caused me whenever she crossed my mind. Remembering a solemn vow made, it was actually more often than I’d liked.

“My grandfather couldn’t make it as he’s back in the old country. However, he did want me to pass along his congratulations.”

The mayor chuckled. “The election isn’t in the bag yet, but I feel good about it.”

“As do we,” I said to him before regarding the woman at his side with disinterest this time. “And you would be?” I asked her, even though I knew who she was. This was the first time I’d ever seen her in person, and I’d like to make it the last, too.

At least until the time is right.

“This beauty’s Ekaterina Kotov.”

She extended her hand out to me presenting a façade of calm I knew she didn’t possess. There’d been a moment of sheer terror in her eyes at the mention of my name, and I didn’t miss the slightest shakiness in her hand as she held it out to me. I made her wait a few agonizing seconds before taking it in mine, then kissing the top of it.

An electrical current passed between us, and the soft intake of breath she took in let me know that she felt it as well. For nearly a decade, I’d dreamed of being this close to this venomous little bitch, but all those fantasies had ended with her dead.

She quickly pulled her hand away, as to not test fate, and I remembered the man who’d come here with me. “Andreas, I’d like to introduce you to a business associate of mine. This is Reynaldo Vivaldi.”

“Any friend of Kingston’s is a friend of mine. If you three don’t mind, I see someone I must speak to. It was very nice seeing you again, Kingston. Please let Ronan know that I’ve missed him this evening.”

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