Page 94 of Triumphant Kings

“So?” Preston demands.

“Everything is taken care of,” Collin answers.

“Just like that?” I ask, brows furrowing. “It can’t be that easy.”

“It is when you know the right people,” Collin says.

“And that would be?”

“None of your business, Sunshine.” He winks. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that. Just trust that your men have you, okay? We’ll do anything to protect you.”

“I know.” I let him pull me into his arms. “I believe that with my whole soul.”

“She was a very well-known person,” Declan says. “People are going to start asking questions when she’s never seen or heard from again.”

“From what I was told, Tina didn’t tell anyone about her return to the States. And my people have made any evidence disappear that she was. Women go missing in the UK all the time. When she doesn’t show up to class, people are either going to think she ran away, or is just another missing person's case. Either way, it won’t come back to this school, tonight, or any of us.”

“So, it’s over?” I ask. “That’s it?”

“For Tina. Yeah." Collin nods.

“What about your dad? The threats aren’t all gone.”

“That’s the thing about life.” Collin looks pissed, like he doesn’t want to say the next words but knows they’re the truth. “There’s always going to be some sort of enemy in our lives, it comes with the lifestyle, the money and power. It’s either wekeep running, or we stand our ground and face it. I’ll never stop trying to find my father and bring him down, but we also can’t spend every waking moment doing it. We can’t stop living our lives and let him have that power over us. So, the best we can do is keep living, keep moving forward, and tackle anything that comes our way.” He looks between the group of us. “Together. As a family. They can’t take on all of us at once. As long as we fight side by side, we’ll come out on top. I’ll fucking make sure of it.”

We’re all silent, eyes drifting over one another. And I know Collin’s words are true.

Not everything can be tied up into a nice little bow. We can’t make everything disappear. Sometimes there are things that are out of our control, and the best we can do is learn to navigate around them.

For now, I plan on moving forward. Living my life with my men, my best friends, and my family at my side. It’s not going to be easy, and I’ll always be looking over my shoulder. But I know I’ll have four other sets of eyes doing the same thing.

We’ll be okay. Something inside me just knows it will be.

Chapter 22

FIVE YEARS LATER

Sadie

My start with the guys might have been one hell of a roller coaster ride, but it was worth it. The past five years have been amazing, to say the least.

Sure, we’ve had our ups and downs. Being with four men doesn’t come without challenges. But we love one another and do our best to work through any issues we might have.

Since Tina’s death, life has returned to normal. Honestly, it wasn’t hard to continue on living knowing what really happened to her. I had no guilt. Lost no sleep. Maybe that says something about me, but I don’t care. There are so many other things in my life worth my time and effort; she isn’t one of them.

The rest of my time at Kingston Academy was amazing. I truly got to enjoy life for once. Had the best years with my friends, fell more and more in love with my guys every day.

We ended up all moving into Collin’s mansion when Carol retired last year, and Collin took over in her place.

It’s been nice having all of us living in one place. Getting to wake up with my guys every day and seeing them before I go to bed. Now, when life gets busy for one of us, we don’t have to go days without seeing one another. Even if it’s just a kiss good morning, or popping in during the day into one of their offices, it’s the tiny things that matter.

Grayson started working for Mark. His grandfather wasn’t happy. After Grayson pretty much told his grandfather to fuck off and took control of his own life, he didn’t hear anything from him until his grandfather found out Grayson took that jobwith Mark. Apparently, he thought Grayson was going through a phase and would see the errors of his ways when he graduated. That old man was sorely mistaken.

As for Declan, he ended up having a falling out with his parents. It hurt him for a little while, but after a bit, he realized that he never really had much of a relationship with them. He would always love them, but he had his family now. Yes, I did cry like a baby, and as much as Preston denies it, he totally had a few tears too.

Declan started working at Kingston as a guidance counselor, something he never thought he’d be interested in until Collin had a talk with him. He’s also working towards being a part-time professor, filling in when needed. He’s happy not to get involved in the business world and enjoys this job better.

After Bradly left, he hasn’t been heard from since. No signs of him trying to get back into the country. Collin thinks there’s a good chance he could be dead. As for his company, it went under, and he lost everything.

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