Page 87 of The Broken Queen
“They’re getting on their private jet, bound for North Carolina.”
Her eyes searched mine nervously as if she was putting a plan together. “They’re coming here.”
“Seems that way.”
“He’ll come for the house, Kingston. He’ll torch it to the ground and ensure I have nothing to go back to.”
Hauling her back into my arms, I stroked down her arm while we rocked some more.
“He won’t get past my men, except for in the places we want him to.”
She smiled, tipping her head back. “You’re going to force him into a corner.”
“The manor, but yes, and when they get there, I want you to have the opportunity to end him.”
“And Gio? What does he think of this?”
“He thinks you’re fucking crazy if you assume I’d ever go alongwith this.” Gio suddenly appeared behind us, arms folded across his chest, his grim expression set firmly. As twins, we tried to diversify what we wore so we didn’t always match, but seemed we fucked that up today by wearing the same blue jeans, navy Henley, and brown boots. Even our hair had gotten to roughly the same length.
Presley let out a sigh. “Gio.”
“No, we aren’t doing this. You’re not risking your life to appease whatever bloodlust is in your heart.”
I stood from the swing and faced him. “It’s not up to you.”
Gio shot back, “And it’s up to you?”
“It’s up to Presley, but either way, Scotty and Markos are coming. They got the message Presley left when she murdered the son of the Vissimo family, and they are coming to enact their own revenge. They will come for what matters most to her, which right now is us, this house, the animals and the greenhouse. They’ll take it all from her and then toss her into another arrangement. So, stop being so fucking stubborn and support her.”
My brother’s jaw pulsed, but he seemed to get the message as he turned and walked away.
Presley held my hand on her way past me, and I decided it was time to go inform my dad and Kyle about what was about to happen to the manor.
Chapter 30
Kingston
Iwanted to pull my dad aside and tell him Presley’s idea about the nonprofit. The more I thought about it, the more excited I became. Just because we’d fucked everything up didn’t mean we couldn’t put it all back. Gio and I were the leaders; we could simply execute the orders to protect the inner city and give everyone a role. Unfortunately, time was of the essence, so it would have to wait.
I’d explained everything, and now I waited for the room to respond. We were in the manor, near the back terrace, with everyone filling up a spot. The vines over the glass doors looked malnourished, like they were about to die. Some part of me wanted to figure out why and how I could fix it, but I had to stop trying to revive the manor. For all I cared, this place could burn. All I needed was the farmhouse, and the future Presley painted.
“So, you’re telling me you allowed my daughter to take a meeting with an ally that Scotty set up, and she killed them?” Kyle asked, tugging on the ends of his hair. He wore a simple black T-shirt with a pair of sweats, and for the first time since I could remember, he wasn’t intimidating theshit out of me.
Rylie sat on a lounger, leaning forward with her elbows pressed to her knees. Mom, Dad, and Alex all sat across the room while we tried to explain what was about to take place.
“With all due respect, Kyle, there was no allowing Presley to do anything. Her choices are her own, and we just try to protect her.” I explained while Gio scoffed.
“She made us believe she was going to entertain the alliance. We had no idea she’d pull out two assault rifles and begin shooting.”
I lowered my hand and agreed. “Right, and that.”
Dad pulled out his phone and began texting. I gestured toward his phone and asked, “Who are you messaging?”
Dad’s eyes remained on his device. “Archer. I’m seeing if he has any contacts in the area that might be willing to assist us.”
Gio furrowed his brow. “We have El Peligro, Dad. It’s the whole reason we risked everything.”
“I’m not arguing that, but I’d still prefer the extra backup.”
