Page 65 of Ink Deep Devotion

What did my grandfather do, and why is it such a stain on my father’s legacy?

“Dash, leave the room.” Dad mimics Greg’s stance, leaning on Greg’s desk and causing Greg to inch back.“You wanted our protection, Greg. Be careful before I rescind it.”

“You don’t have the power to do that.” Greg grunts,“You’re not the great and mighty Kings you all once were.”

“Careful because my son will be, and he’s tied to your daughter, Greg.” Dad seethes so low I almost miss it.

Greg whips open his desk drawer, slamming down the marriage contract.“Theywanted this. You can’t betray them again. That boy,” he glowers down at me,“needs to get in line, or they will kill him just like they did your grandfather.”

What the fuck is Greg talking about?

And what about my grandfather? I admit dad never speaks about his father. I…shit, I don’t even know how he died.

It seems there is more to the story. I can’t wait to tell Damian and Titan about this.

“Dash!”

I look up to see my father’s agitated face glaring down at me.“Get. Out.” He bristles, and then his eyes slither to Greg.“Utter one more syllable,” the crisp tone makes every heart in the office pause,“and it will be your last!”

Greg’s throat rolls, the red vanishing from his cheeks, replaced with a color that an artist would refer to as sallow green. A nasty, sick color that would ruin the canvas.

I stand. I’ve never seen Dad this mad.

Ever.

As much as I want to find out, I don’t put it past my father to hurt my cousins in order to punish me for not obeying him. I walk to the door as slowly as I can, pocketing all the information.

I’ll figure out what he’s referring to one way or another. Greg won’t always have my dad protecting him from my listening ears.

???

“He said that?” With a questioning look in his dark eyes, Damian leans forward while I rest my feet on the computer desk. His voice echoes off the soundproof walls of our basement. It’s the safest room in the house, and it’s where we call and meet with the Brotherhood.

After a year away from the chaos of Initiation 101, we’re finally laying our traps. We’re building connections and finding allies to help us take down our families.

“I know how our grandfather died.” Titan hesitates, fingers hovering over the key as he sends an emergency meeting message to Leo, Cillian, Anders, and Dante.

“How?” I lean back, balancing my metal chair against the wall. We really should get more comfortable chairs, but it’s bare bones down here for safety. The fewer cushions, the better; the harder it is to hide a microphone or camera.

Titan hits send.“I asked my father,” he says, running a hand through his golden hair,“and he was furious. Just the mention of our grandfather, and I thought my dad was going to ring my neck. All he told me was that the enemy killed our grandfather, and he was happy, which makes me think this enemy is really a secret ally.”

“That’s all he said?” Damian looks at Titan again.

Titan nods.“I never asked again. Didn’t care to hear what dad said, anyway.”

“There’s no way our dads would let someone get away with that,” Damian agrees.“It would make them look weak.”

“Unless they agreed to the killing. Shit! Maybe they helped them.” I add.

Damian stands and begins to pace.“You said Greg mentioned that‘they’wanted your marriage to Mila and that whoever ‘they’ are, you can’t betray themagain. Why do I get the feeling that our grandfather betrayed these people, but our fathers chose them over their own blood?”

“Greg made it sound like someone was controlling our fathers,” I agree.

“We need to find out who that is before we make a move against our dads. No enemies or allies can be left unaccounted for.” Titan declares.

I agree. Even though I hate it, it’s the safest choice, meaning we’ll be under our dad’s control for longer.

???

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