Page 30 of Reign By Wrath

“You’re a part of a criminal organization. Any chance I could bribe you into letting me walk away?”

“Try it.”

Okay, time to go.

Climbing out, I forced myself to walk the path under Ronin’s watchful eye. The same guard who greeted me on my first and only visit to the Burkhardt mansion waited for me in the booth.

“Luna Sinclair. Remember me? You confiscated all my concealed weapons.”

He cocked a brow. “Will I have to do so again?”

I shrugged, throwing my hands up. “Would you believe me if I said no?”

The answer was no. I endured two pat-downs and him thoroughly checking everything in my bag. Made me glad I left the list of cabins in the car.

He handed my purse back. “Inside,” he said, motioning at the booth. “I’ll need to fingerprint you, copy your license, and run through a few basic questions.”

“Come on. This isn’t the White House. It can’t be that serious.”

“I also need a photograph to keep on file.”

All right, it was that serious. I fought the urge to turn tail and walk away. I believed Alistair when he said Ronin wouldn’t let me get far.

The guard, Frank, put me through the whole routine. I swallowed my tongue through the fingerprinting but ended up bitching through the rest of the process. None of this was necessary. After I chewed out my father, I was never setting foot in this place again.

The guy weathered my protests until the final snapshot. Yes, he made me turn side to side like I was being arrested. The Burkhardts didn’t play.

Finally, he opened the gates to let me through. “Your friend in the car is not allowed in. You’ll have to walk.”

“Walk? But it’s like half a mile to the mansion.”

He slid the booth door shut in my face. Frank was done with me.

Steaming, I stormed through the widening gates and stopped. Alistair waved from a tiny little silver Toyota Sports 800. You learned how to pick out cars when your stepfather supplied their tires.

“Explain yourself, Burkhardt.” I dropped into the passenger seat. “You spun a whole tale about being estranged from your family. Now you’re bunking down in your old room.”

Alistair started the car, taking off. “I am estranged from my family. If you think you’re about to walk into a happy family reunion, let me deflate that fantasy now. I’m here for one reason and one reason only. There is no place in the whole of Regalia that’s better protected than this piece of property.

“I told you the largest concentration of Rogues lives within these city limits. As soon as you hoisted the flag and my boat sailed into the marina, they knew I was here. More than a few of them will take their shot at the king while I’m in town.”

My eyes bugged. Who talks about assassination attempts this casually?

“At least this way I won’t have to sleep with one eye open.”

“Won’t you? Can you trust”—I looked to the grand palace in the distance—“them?”

“My family doesn’t want me dead. They just want me to keep pretending I am.” He beamed at me. “I promised not to go to the media with my harrowing tale of love getting me kicked out of the family, and into the arms of a gang, as long as everyone lets bygones be bygones.”

“To sum it up, you blackmailed your family.”

He mouth-shrugged. “Yeah, that about sums it up.”

“Advice, Pops... sleep with one eye open.”

Alistair cracked up. Joking around with him distracted me... for two minutes.

He parked before the grand entrance, pulling up beside two attendants waiting to bow, open our doors, help me out, and take his keys. My getaway drove off, leaving me and Alistair on the front steps.

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