Page 109 of Imperial: The Corvidae Family
“I assume you already know how you plan to handle this.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I do.”
He studied me, then gave a slight nod of approval. “I trust your judgment.”
That was it. No hesitation or doubt. Just belief that whatever decision I made would protect me as well as our family.
“But, before you handle it, you take this to the Shadow Court.”
My jaw tensed. “Why?”
“Because when you kill him, and you will kill him, you need to make sure they know exactly why. Present everything to them first, so when the time comes, they don’t question it. They’ll sanction it.”
A sanctioned kill meant Trent would have no legacy, no honor. It would be recorded as a justified elimination, not a personal hit.
The very thing he thought he could manipulate would work against him instead.
“Understood.”
My father sat forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “Emir, this is the difference between acting on emotion and moving with power.”
I absorbed his words, rolling them over in my mind before standing. “I’ll make sure it’s handled right.”
“I know you will.”
I left my pops and headed home to Baylyn. Things with Trent were about to get complicated. I needed a minute to disconnect and clear my head and she needed a minute to be disconnected from the shit I’d brought into her life. On the drive, I mentally mapped out a day for us to just chill and exist. All this other bullshit could wait.
Chapter
Twenty-One
Baylyn
When Emir woke me up this morning and said we needed an escape, I was expecting a quiet weekend somewhere, but instead, I got this.
A gun range.
I glanced around, taking in the spacious private facility which was very different from the crowded shooting ranges I’d seen in movies. Everything here screamed exclusive. Matte black walls, soundproof glass, high-end firearms neatly displayed behind bulletproof cases. It was empty, except for the two of us.
Emir stood beside me, unlocking a heavy case and pulling out a matte-black handgun. He examined the weapon, like it was anextension of himself, before setting it on the counter in front of me.
I crossed my arms. “So this is your idea of relaxation?”
He grinned sexily but his eyes were dark with amusement. “For me, yeah. But for you, this is your first lesson.”
I arched my brow. “Lesson?”
He leaned against one of the display cases, watching me. “You ever fired a gun before?”
“No.”
“Ever held one?”
“What do you think?”
He smirked, reaching for the weapon. “Then it’s time you learned.”
I stared at him, waiting for him to explain what he thought this would accomplish. “Emir, I don’t?—”
