Page 17 of Reckless Promises

My phone rings, and I drain the rest of my whiskey before picking it up.

“Yeah?”

“Tell me Daniel was kidding.” Adam’s voice comes through the line, and he sounds like he’s been laughing. Which is ironic, given it’s rare for Adam to ever crack a smile.

Adam Kingsley’s family empire runs the West Coast, and he’s been my mentor and client for the past few years. He taught me everything there is to know about running a successful business while I headed his security, avoiding my inevitable family obligations.

Adam taught me how to grow wealth, along with respect, instead of relying on fear and illegal trade like my father did. Adam’s businesses are mostly clean in the legal sense. And even if I helped him bury a few bodies toprotect the empire he built, he’s managed to keep his name out of it.

He understands the importance of maintaining control—in life and business. And that threats come in all shapes and forms. So he taught me that the only way to truly have security is to stay one step ahead of anyone who might threaten it.

“Depends.” I lean back in my chair. “What did you hear?”

Marriage auctions are nothing new in my social circle, but it’s rare someone tosses away a million dollars at one. And after what happened between the Bardot and Cross families last year, I’m sure the rumor mill is going wild with theories surrounding my intentions with Odette.

“I heard someone bought himself a bride.”

“Isn’t that the whole point of a marriage auction?”

“You’re twisted, Cillian, but buying a wife? That’s…”

“Disturbing?”

“Exactly.” Adam chuckles. “And you’re not sick enough to buy into that shit. So what is it, love?”

“Very funny. You know it’s not.”

“What Iknowis that Cillian Cross swore he’d never be stupid enough to be in a relationship, much less get married. Clearly, something’s changed. If you were having trouble getting laid, you could have just asked me to borrow the Midnight Manor for a weekend.”

Adam hosts kinky holiday parties at the Midnight Manor. And while on the surface, it’s nothing more than an outlet for sexual exploration, we’d also use it to lureout the competition and collect blackmail to exploit them.

“Hilarious. Adam Kingsley with a sense of humor. Looks like Lakeyn uncovered the humanity in you after all.”

“Stop avoiding the question.”

“It’s just business. Trust me.” I shake my head. “She’s a Bardot.”

There’s a pause. Nothing more than the squeak of his desk chair from the other end of the line as Adam digests my comment.

“You’re smarter than this, Cillian,” he finally says. “What’s the first rule in business?”

“Money makes more money.” I lean back, knowing that’s not what he’s referring to, but it’s been a long fucking day, and the last thing I need right now is another lecture.

“Don’t make it personal,” Adam corrects me. “Nothing good comes from revenge, and you know that. You would have been better off walking up to Gabriel and putting a bullet in the back of his head.”

He’s not wrong. Replaying tonight, I know it’s what I should have done. It would have been a clean, clear way to make my point. A reminder that testing my family will land you six feet under.

My fingers itched for blood the moment I spotted Gabriel in the front row.

But then Odette took the stage.

It could have been how Sascha Rochefort was looking at her. Or it could have been her angry green eyes. But Icouldn’t help my curiosity. So I played straight into their game.

“That would have been too easy.” I spin in my desk chair to face out the window. “You understand this world better than anyone, Adam. And you know as well as I do that if you let people think they can walk all over you, you end up like my father. The Cross name is being tested. If I don’t meet the challenge, they won’t relent. They need to know that just because he’s gone doesn’t mean this is over. And they need to know who they’re dealing with. So I’m going to show them.”

“By using her?”

“Yes.” I’m not sure why he cares when it’s rare he cares about anyone besides his own wife. “When did you get soft?”

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