Page 73 of Rebellion of a Kingdom

“Not sure.” I answer solemnly and they both curse.

Liam sighs, “we need to get rid of her and…” He starts looking at Oliver, but before he can respond, I cut in.

“You can’t fucking dispose of her like she’s no one, she isn’t one of them, she’s one of us.” I can’t hold back the emotions in my voice.

“Marcus,” Oliver starts, but then he’s cut off too.

“I swear to fucking God, Oliver, don’t.” Asher starts, “what are you going to do with Mason’s body?” He snaps, and I feel both Oliver and Liam flinch. “Are you going to dump him, like he was nothing?”

“Of course not.” Liam replies. “We will sort it out, make sure she gets a proper send off. That they both do.”

Asher nods, taking a deep inhale before snatching the phone from my hand where Lincoln is still on the line.

“Blackwell, I need a direct line to the board of Donovan Enterprises,” he says coolly, “tell them we are conducting an emergency takeover. Do whatever you have to do to make sure they are ready to overthrow my father and brother.” His tone is the one I’m most accustomed to: cold, serious, and completely deadly.

“And how am I supposed to guarantee that?” Lincoln responds, and I can hear the frown in his voice.

“I don’t know help, impress me.” Asher ends the call before Lincoln can answer him and then he looks between us. “I want her body to be handled with care and respect, ready for Elle and her family to pay their respects.” Liam and Oliver both nod and then Asher focuses on me, “we’re going to my house.” He turns and stalks back to the car before I register what he just said, and I have to run after him.

I catch the driver’s side door as he opens it, “what the fuck do you mean, your house?”

He rolls his eyes, “Marcus, do you really think my dad or Greg are going to be there when they finally have Elle back in their grasp? This is my one and only opportunity to get inside there.”

“What about security?” I try to point out the obvious, because even if they aren’t there, it will still be heavily guarded.

He pats the guns clipped to his sides, “anyone who gets in my way tonight won’t survive.” He pulls the door from my grip as he climbs behind the wheel and slams it shut. I round the front of the car, getting into the passenger seat and without exchanging another word, we head off into the night.

It doesn’t take us long to get to the Donovan mansion and as we approach, Asher pulls out his phone and taps out a message, before sliding it back in his pocket. I don’t bother asking who he sent a text to. One thing I know about Asher Donovan is that if he wants you to know something, you will. Clearly, he doesn’t need me to know. By the time we pull up to the gates, the guardhouse there is dark, and I frown.

“What the hell?” I mutter out loud.

He looks my way as he says, “my father and brother aren’t the only Donovan’s that people are scared of.” The gates open and we drive through without any trouble whatsoever.

His grip tightens on the wheel as we make our way down the elegant hedge lined driveway. “Greg is a psycho, has zero work ethic and my father is just lazy. They got cocky and overconfident. While they spent their days trafficking girls, I spent mine in the shadows digging. I have dirt on a lot of people on his payroll. He’s just too busy abusing girls to notice.”

“Why didn’t we do this the night Cassie was taken?” Is my immediate thought.

He gives me a stare that would make a lesser man quiver, “do you not think I wanted to?” He snaps. “I was willing to walk right in here and grab her, damn the consequences, but you guys wouldn’t let me. I didn’t care that my father and Greg were here. I would have done it.”

I can tell how serious he is and how hard it must have been for him to have held back. To put Elle before his daughter, and abide by her wishes of keeping himself safe.

“You did the right thing,” I pat his shoulder, “we needed you.” He doesn’t respond, like I knew he wouldn’t, but I still had to ensure he knows how important he is to our dynamic.

Slowly, we move down the driveway towards his house and the hairs on the back of my arms stand on end, it’s been a long time since I was here. I don’t know why Asher needs to come here, but I’ve got his back no matter what.

Asher continues, “I run multiple corporations and am the owner of several successful IPOs. With Zack’s guidance, I now make more money than my father, but again, he is just too ignorant to realize it. He spends his time talking down to me, preparing me to live in Greg’s shadow, when in reality, I have been working to take the company out from under them. I want Donovan Enterprises to be nothing but a vague memory in people's minds. Just like they will be.”

He slams on the breaks and jumps from the car, just as two guards come out the front door. They have bullets in their head before I can even raise my gun. Asher shows no remorse and steps over their bodies like they’re not even there, so I follow suit. Once inside, I follow after him and notice every maid and housekeeper pass him with a nod as they make their way out. It’s like a chain reaction, as they come from everywhere. None of them batting an eyelash at us, as we pass. Asher kills three more guards and I kill two as we continue through the house. We make it to what I presume is his room and he taps a keypad outside the door. Of course, his room has a lock.

He stalks right over to his bed and then I watch in awe, as he taps a panel there and it pops open, revealing a small safe. He pulls out a lock box, some files, and a small black bag. He grabs another bag from his closet and shoves the contents from the safe inside along with some clothes, watches, and a few tech devices. Once satisfied, he zips up the bag and motions for us to leave the way we came. As we push back out into the hallway there is a woman down the hall from us.

“Gail.” Ash shouts, and it halts her in her tracks as she turns towards us.

“Asher, my sweet boy.” She gasps in relief, as she rushes over to him and grabs him by the shoulders. “You haven’t been sleeping?” She scolds him and I can tell from her tender tone that she loves him. Like a mother should a son.

“Do I ever?” He smiles softly at her, “sorry for the late notice.”

She shakes her head, “nonsense my boy, this has been a long time coming, I’m so proud of you.”

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