Page 71 of King of Depravity

“I need the number to Killian’s burner.”

“You know I can’t.”

“Don’t argue with your mother. If you want Killian back in the fold, you’ll do as I say.”

I sigh. I’m the head of a global company approaching its first billion in earnings. And I still have to listen to my mother. “Fine.”

“Should I send your brother?”

She’s talking about our eldest brother, Lord Winston Smith IV, heir to the Duke of Grandmont. He lives in England with her. That is not to say he’s a mama’s boy. If anything, he keeps our mother at a very healthy distance. He does what he wants, and she moves pieces to support his political career.

“No. I am more than capable.”

“Don’t lose Killian, Tris.” Her voice holds a hardness I’ve never heard. “I want to find my lost son again, not watch him slip further away.”

“I’ll do my best.” I don’t make promises I’m not sure I can keep. I hear her dissatisfaction as she hangs up the phone.

I heed her command to make certain I’m not being followed before I pick up the phone and call Mason. I’m not going home. Not yet.

He picks up on the second ring. “Hello?”

“It’s me. We need to meet. Somewhere secure.”

He pauses and I look at the clock. It’s approaching ten.

“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t an emergency.”

“Your brother dive into the deep end?”

“In person,” I demand, my tone clipped. If I’m going to succeed, my first job is to manage Mason Kincaid. I will not let him know the depth of the threat that Killian poses. Mason might put a target on my brother’s back if he feels threatened.

So I need to make it clear that Killian’s actions are to our advantage.

With a sigh, he texts me an address. I’m there in five minutes, the locked metal gates swinging open for me, though I see no guard. It’s honestly impressive.

I pull into the garage, which is completely empty, and wait. But a minute later, another car arrives. It’s not Mason who gets out, however, it’s Jake Kincaid.

Am I walking into an ambush? I step out of the car, squaring off as Jake approaches. He raises both hands. “I come in peace.”

“Mason didn’t tell me you’d be here.”

“Sorry.” He shrugs off his jacket and turns in a circle, showing me he’s not armed. “I really like your brother, Killian. I want him…”

“What?”

“I want him to join me on the security front. I’ve got loads of technological expertise but he’s miles ahead of me on recon. He sees things, knows things I could only dream of discovering. Together…”

I blink in surprise. I didn’t expect an ally, but it makes my job much easier. “You came here to advocate for Killian.”

“I called Mason just before you. I…” He winces. “I have cameras near Killian’s home. I saw the helicopter and the shooting and was alerting Mason when you called.”

My hands clench. Killian was partially right. The Kincaids are not completely friends if they’ve been spying on us, and I’ve been a fool not to trust my brother more.

Another car arrives, Mason steps out from the backseat. My jaw is set in a hard line as I glare.

But another car is entering the garage. One I immediately recognize as my brother Gris. Mason has stopped. “I knew you would have reservations when Jake told you about the cameras. Gris is here in a show of faith.”

“Did you send that helicopter?”

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