Page 16 of Rebellion of a Kingdom

I turn to Arthur, he looks exhausted, “You really think I wasn’t gonna come and see my brother on his deathbed.”

He rolls his eyes causing me to smile, because if he can be playful then I can guess it means Zack is out of the woods, for now. “Such a dramatic little firecracker.”

He moves towards me until he is standing by my side, and then continues, “I’ve been waiting for you.” I flash my surprised eyes to him at that and he nudges me with a smile, as he continues, “What you think because I didn’t raise you, I don’t know you like you’re my own?”

I blow out a breath at his brutal honesty and his endless love. “I don’t deserve you, or him,” I whisper, looking back to Zack.

“I don’t know anybody who deserves more than the two of you.” Arthur moves to sit in one of the empty chairs by Zack’s bed as I perch onto the side of his bed and pull his hand into mine. We both watch him silently for a few minutes.

“He shouldn’t be here,” my voice is still charred with emotion, “this never should have happened. I should have just left him to live his life, not involve him in mine.”

Arthur smiles a sad smile, “Elle, you didn’t have a choice. From the moment he found out about you I saw the change in his eyes. He acted unaffected, appreciative of his family, but I know how important it was for him to have a blood relative.”

“But I did this to him, he escaped the curse of the King name, only to be dragged back into it. And now he is lying here unconscious.”

“He is gonna be fine Elle, I promise. Besides, being a King is the least of his worries, trust me.”

“The Donovan’s know about him, about all of you. What if Sarah tries to find him?” I would never let her anywhere near him, but still, I can’t imagine what this must be like for Arthur and Helen to have to go through.

Arthur reaches out and grabs Zack’s other hand, “I love him, and I will respect whatever he wants. He is my son, no matter what anyone says.”

I don’t know what else to say, so I don’t say anything. We just sit in silence for a while, watching Zack until I know it’s time to leave. I think about trying to make an excuse to Arthur as I get up to leave.

“Erm I should go and--” I start, but my voice trails off, unsure on what to say.

“Elle, I know you. I know you need this. That you deserve it, they deserve it, but be smart, okay?”

I nod as the lies purge off my tongue to appease him, “I know. The guys are waiting outside for me, don’t worry.”

He stares me down, before deciding not to question me and nods. “Go make them pay, firecracker, I’ve got our boy.”

I smile, give him a quick hug, and then drop a kiss to Zack’s head, taking in his motionless form one last time. It’s time to play the big game. Greg taking my daughter has lit a rebellious fire in me that won’t burn out until I get her back. The Donovan’s are done taking from the people of this town, it’s time to do what I should have done from the start.

It’s time for the first act of war.

Chapter 9

MARCUS

She’s gone. I know it before I even open my eyes. I knew it before I even went to sleep. I felt it in my heart. I knew the moment she snapped, that I had lost her. The second Greg said he would give Cassie in exchange for her, I knew Elle would be gone. From the moment I found out about Cassie, so many things about Elle made sense. Why she left, why she came home, why she pushed me away, why she pulled me back. Through it all, the only thing I knew to be true was that she loved me, but Cassie would always come first. I never thought I would resent that, never imagined I could hate the love she has for her daughter. Until now.

That kind of love, the unconditional kind, it’s reckless, ruthless, completely, and utterly life changing. She won’t let anything get in the way of that, not even her own happiness. Yet I also know she won’t go down without a fight. If that was her plan, then as soon as the call with Greg ended, she would have left and gone straight there. I know she wanted to, how could she not?

I’d give anything to get Cassie home to her and she isn’t even mine. That doesn’t mean I don’t love her like she is because I do. I will use everything at my disposal to get her home and get Elle back by my side. Even if I have to plant a bullet in Greg myself. I’d do it. Without thought, without regret and with a fucking smile on my face.

I don’t move straight away, not even to alert my brothers or Asher. I just allow myself a few minutes of silence, to feel the dread of the situation crush my soul. Elle is gone and I don’t know if I’ll ever see her again. I don’t know if I will be able to do everything I need to do before she hands herself over to them. Ironic that the last time she disappeared from my life, I never wanted her to come back, now I pray on every fucking star in the sky that that she does. I know why she’s gone, why she has to do this, but it won’t stop me from doing what I need to do either. She isn’t the only one with a plan.

I take a shower and get dressed before I head down to the kitchen. Max and his guys are all standing around the island talking. When I appear the conversation halts. I know for a fact that Max is in on whatever Elle is doing right now, I saw it in the way they interacted yesterday, the way she commanded him. He would do whatever she asked, and I can’t begrudge him for that, because so would I.

“Hey” Max says tentatively, like he is waiting for me to freak out. Well, not today. Today I am a man on a mission. I pour myself a cup of coffee and then join the guys at the counter.

“Where are we at?” I ask, taking a sip as I look at each of them. They might do this for a living, might be more experienced, but none of them will fight as hard as I will for my girl.

Max clears his throat, “Erm, we were just going over all of Donovan's real estate, see if we can find any hidden places, he might be keeping Cassie, if not at the main mansion.”

I nod as he talks, “Good idea, any that need checking out? We could split up, I’ll take my guys, you take yours, get through them faster.” None of them respond and all continue to stare at me. “What?”

“Erm, Elle said we should expect you to lose it a little,” Max starts but I cut him off.

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