Page 72 of Beyond the Horizon

“You’re tellingme that my godson is usingkidsas mules to smuggle drugs?” Grandma Silva’s voice is laced with venom as her pretty blue eyes spark with disgust.

“Yes, and to sell them too. But that’s not the worst of it…” My hand grips my bottle of beer so tightly that I fear it’s going to shatter under my touch.

“Please don’t tell me there’s more.”

“There’s been recent talk of sex-trafficking, though I’ve not been able to confirm that yet.”

“WHAT?!” she booms, shocking me a little with her rage. “I suspected many things, but sex trafficking, Malakai. How could he do something so, sodisgusting?”

“Because he is fuelled by greed, by power. He’s worse than his father ever was.”

“When did you find this out?”

“Not too long ago. I keep an eye on my cousin. If I know what he’s up to, I know how to stay the fuck out of his way.”

“I promised his mother I’d protect him from the family business. I failed,” she mutters.

“He was next in line after Grayson to take the throne, Ma. There was nothing you could do.”

“I could’ve stopped him, been in his life more. I could have helped him choose a different path.”

I shake my head. “He was never,evergoing to be anything other than who he is. He’s his father’s son. The King wears his crown with pride. Believe me.”

“But you turned your back on the Bennett family name and everything that goes with it. Why not him?”

“Because he has no conscience, feels no empathy or anything else pertaining to real human emotions. He’s cold, calculating. He’s a goddamn monster.”

“He wasn’t always that way…” Her eyes well with tears for a man who sure as fuck doesn’t deserve them.

“We all grew up, Ma. No one stays innocent for long.”

“But there issomegood running through the veins of the Bennett family,” she continues, studying me closely.

“Yeah, and that goodness was cut out,” I respond, avoiding her gaze. “My mother, my aunt, all the damn women who’ve got involved with the Bennett men are dead. As you well know, the only surviving female who carries the Bennett name is Avery and she had to run, just like me, to live.”

Ma Silva looks off into the distance, the memories of her best friend welling in her eyes. The Silva family and the Bennett family have always been close. Entwined one way or another by friendship over the past sixty or more years. I don’t know for certain, but I believe Ma Silva had a hand at helping Avery escape her father Montgomery Bennett, one of the most feared leaders of the Bennett family. I’ve no idea if they still even talk or have any contact. What I do know is that Ma Silva has always been on the fringes of our family and her connection will only be severed when she passes. I understand why she’s so protective of Connie. Igetit.

“Not all the goodness. Grayson got away just like you did. He made a new life…”

“What do you know?” I snap. I thought Grayson’s new identity was the best kept secret. Perhaps I’ve been wrong about that.

“Enough to know that he’s trying to make amends for all the bad things his family has ever done. You’re not the only one with contacts, Malakai. I have a few of my own.”

“I don’t doubt that,” I respond.

“There’s Grim…” she says, matching my steely gaze with one of her own.

“You know Grim?” I’m not sure why I’m surprised by that fact. I should’ve known Ma is more connected than I’ve given her credit for.

“Yes, her grandfather and I were friends once upon a time. She calls me occasionally, checks in.”

“So you know she runs an underground fight club in London? You know she’s had dealings with the Bennett family too. That her fight club is shady as fuck.” I know that because I’ve fought in the club a handful of times over the years.

“I do. I also know she hates the King just as much as you do, and that she has some very powerful allies… Allies that could come in handy one day.” She lets that statement hang in the air, but I refuse to bite. I am not getting in the middle of some fucking turf war. I stay out of trouble for a goddamn reason. “I’m to understand that those same allies are friends of Grayson’s,” she continues. “Three hotshot billionaires apparently. They could prove useful one day, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Whatever you’re getting at Ma, I want no fucking part of it.”

“I’m not getting at anything. I’m just pointing out that there are always options should you ever need them. Do you speak with Grayson at all?”

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