Page 34 of A Man of Prestige

“We vow, right now, that in addition to TOD, and the brotherhood, we will always have each other’s backs. We will put each other first and protect each other. We will take a stand against anyone that would harm one of us. We are actual brothers, first and foremost. While we aren’t related by blood, the universe saw fit that we should be brothers, and so be it,” Sebastian states as he takes a folding knife from his key chain and makes a small slash on his index finger. We each follow suit. And then we do our TOD handshake and take our final vow.

“Aiden?” my father’s voice cuts like a knife into the bubble of my memory.

“Yes?”

“I need you to attend Hugh’s grad school graduation on Wednesday. He’ll be in town for it,” he says. I groan internally. Hugh had mentioned it but said it was super lowkey and I absolutely didn’t need to go. I said I’d try to attend if my schedule allowed, but that I would probably end up taking him out for a celebratory dinner later.

“I already spoke to him. We’re doing dinner sometime instead,” I say.

“This isn’t me asking you,” my father retorts. “Sadie and I have a previous engagement that we cannot get out of.”

So fucking typical of him.

“Fine,” I reply through clenched teeth.

“Excellent. I’ll have him send over the ticket to you. I presume I’ll see you for family dinner next month?”

Not if I have anything to do about it.

“I’ll do my best,” I reply. Knowing full well, that I’ll try to get out of this one just like I got out of the most recent one.

“Just do,” my father responds before hanging up. If I wasn’t livid prior to this conversation, I am most definitely ready for murder right now.

Chapter16

Ella

When I get backto my apartment, I nearly have a heart attack. Elena is sitting on my sofa eating out of an ice cream container and watching some sort of trash television show.

“Oh, hey,” she says, waving the spoon. “You need to go grocery shopping. Your fridge is barren, dude.”

It takes me a minute to remember that she is here because of the damn concert. Shit. I completely forgot.

She opens her mouth to speak again but closes it and squints her eyes. “Damn, mamacita, who we gotta kill?”

“What?” I ask as I try to get my bearings. I’m in no way ready to play hostess to my little sister. I am beyond angry at the moment. Elena sets down her ice cream and walks over to me, wrapping her arms around my middle and pulling me into a hug.

Whatever anger I had felt toward Aiden a minute ago dissolves as I hug my sister back. “I’m fine. Just had a fight with a guy I was seeing.” I don’t have the heart to share that it was Aiden. Elena loved Aiden like a brother. And she was heartbroken when I said we broke up. Also, there’s a nagging part of me that after Michelle was followed this week, doesn’t want Elena to know anything that’s going on.

She pulls back and smiles at me. “Well, you came to the right place. Sisters before misters, right? We got ice cream. There’s another tub of it in the freezer, and we can watch a movie.”

“Or I could go to bed because it’s the middle of the night and some of us have work tomorrow.”

“You’re so boring! Call in sick! How often do I visit? Seriously, you’re not going to hang out with me?” she whines.

She does raise a valid point. I struggle with how to answer. On one hand, if I go to work, I can keep an eye on things and potentially learn more about the admiral; but if I stay home, I can protect Elena.

“Come on! We have the concert tomorrow night, and I get it, it’ll be late, but then I leave the next morning and you won’t see me for like forever.”

I roll my eyes at her drama-filled explanation.

“Fine,” I say. “I’ll call in sick tomorrow.”

“Yes!” she says with a fist pump. I smile over at her as we snuggle into my couch and queue up one of our favorite childhood movies.

This woman has no idea how much I need her right now. I couldn’t have asked for a better distraction.

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