Page 65 of Crown of Smoke

As I arrive at Phoenix’s place, I work to get Lucy out of my system. I need all my strength to deal with my brothers who’ll no doubt be pissed at me. As I enter his apartment, the tension is palpable.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Phoenix's voice cuts through the silence. "Killing Marshall in the open? With a witness?"

"He recognized me." I slam the door behind me. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Not murder him in front of your girlfriend!" Blaise pushes off the wall he was leaning against. "Ten years we've stayed hidden. Ten years of careful planning, and you blow it all for pussy?"

I grab Blaise and shove him back against the wall. “Shut the fuck up.”

“Hey!” Phoenix pulls me back and gets in my face. “We had one shot at this. One chance to make the Keans pay for what they did. Now Marshall's dead, and they'll be on high alert."

"At least we know he was part of it," I growl.

"We already suspected that!" Phoenix says with exasperation.

Ash's quiet voice cuts through the argument. "How many times did you dream about killing him, Phoenix?"

The question hits home. The rage drains from Phoenix’s face. “I’ve dreamt about killing them all.”

"We all wanted him dead," Ash continues. "The difference is, Flint had the chance and took it.”

“I had to before he told anyone I was alive.” I sink into a chair, the weight of my actions making it difficult to stay upright. "He would've warned the Keans. We'd have lost any advantage we had."

Phoenix's eyes drill into me. "You don’t think his death will raise questions?”

“About us? No. Ifrinns can’t be the only ones who want Marshall dead. Chances are people will think it’s a mugging.”

“Still, the Keans will circle the wagons. They’ll be on guard,” Blaise says.

He's right. I've kicked the hornet's nest, and there's no telling how far the fallout will spread. Will Lucy ever be safe?

"What about the girl?" Blaise asks. "She's a liability."

"She stays where she is," I growl. "Until this is over."

Phoenix's expression darkens. "And if she talks?"

"She won't." The words come out more confident than I feel. "She knows what's at stake now."

“She’s a reporter, Flint.” Blaise shakes his head at me. “And she’s sitting on the story of a lifetime.”

He’s not wrong.

“What do you suggest?” Ash asks, and for a moment, I want to kick his ass for even asking the question. “Because killing her is out of the question.”

Okay, so maybe he’s not so bad.

“Who said anything about killing?” Phoenix asks.

“Liabilities are usually?—”

“She won’t talk.” I stare at each brother in turn.

“I hope she cares about you as much as you care about her,” Phoenix says. “Because that would be the only reason she’d sit on this story.”

She doesn’t give a shit about me. Certainly not more than the story. I feel like I’m being ripped in two. I love my brothers. I’m all in on our plan of vengeance for our parents’ deaths. I can’t let anything get in the way of that.

But Lucy… she’s now a part of my soul. How can I protect all my brothers and I have worked for from her? How can I protect her from them?

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