Page 92 of Crown of Smoke

“Jenna. She worked…no, her mother worked on the property. Groundskeeper.”

My brothers and I all stare at each other.

“Who is Jenna?” Blaise asks.

“Hart was the groundskeeper,” Phoenix says as he begins to pace, his mind whirring. “She had a daughter… but she was just a kid. She couldn’t have been more than twelve or thirteen. Why would she be telling Ronan about a secret entrance?”

“She has a crush on him,” Lucy says.

“He was what? Nineteen? Twenty?” I’m trying to make sense of this as well.

“I had a crush on a teacher when I was thirteen. He was probably twenty-five,” Lucy chimes in. “I don’t think it’s odd, and Ronan does have a way about him.”

I whip my gaze to her. “You think Ronan is handsome?”

“No.” She shudders. “I’m just saying, he could charm a woman into giving him information, especially a young one with a crush.”

“She betrayed us. Our parents’ blood is on her hands,” Blaise hisses. “She pays too.”

“Where’s your phone?” Phoenix asks.

“He took it, but this uploads automatically to a secure cloud server. I started recording the moment I walked into his office." A hint of pride colors her tone. Silly woman almost got killed but she’s proud of herself.

I let out a surprised laugh. "You brilliant, reckless woman."

"I know it was stupid going in there." She touches my arm. "But now we have proof. Real, concrete evidence of what the Keans did to your family."

"You're amazing." The words slip out before I can stop them.

She squeezes my arm. "We're going to bring them down, Flint. The right way. With evidence that will stick in court."

That I’m not so sure of. I know, as my brothers do, that it will take more than Ronan’s bragging to bring the family down. Not if he has important people in his pocket.

But I understand now that her actions today were an attempt to save me from myself. To bring the Keans down legally, not with vigilante justice.

"Thank you," I whisper, covering her hand with mine. "You should get some rest. You’ll stay here for now.” How do I tell her that she won’t be able to go home until Ronan Kean is dealt with, as he’ll surely come after her?

"Flint." The way she says my name, my real name, makes me so ridiculously happy. “I’m sorry?—”

I shake my head. “It’s done and over. You rest.”

“It’s not over yet.” Ash steps forward, his expression grim. "Ronan knows who you are now, Lucy. He'll come after you." His eyes meet mine. "She won't be safe anywhere except with us."

Fuck. I was hoping to save that discussion until later. Not that I don’t want to keep Lucy close, because I do. I want to wake up beside her. Want to see her smile over morning coffee. Want to build something real beyond the revenge that's consumed me for so long.

"He's right," I say softly, rubbing my hand on her arm as if that will soothe the hard reality of her situation. "You'll need to stay somewhere secure, at least until we can deal with the Keans."

She turns those fierce blue eyes on me, and my breath catches. "And after?"

The question hangs between us, loaded with possibility. My brothers exchange knowing looks, but I barely notice them. All I can see is Lucy. All I can think about is the future I never dared imagine before she crashed into my life.

"After," I echo, reaching for her hand, "depends on what you want."

My hands feel clammy as I turn to Lucy. The weight of my brothers' stares presses against my back, but I focus only on her face, searching for any sign she might want the same future I envision.

"I know it's complicated," I start, my voice rougher than intended. "My life isn't exactly what most people dream of. But being with you these past weeks…" I swallow hard, forcing myself to continue. "You make me think about tomorrow instead of just dwelling on yesterday."

“Aww… sweet,” Blaise teases.

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