Page 95 of Reign By Wrath

“About this party Everleigh’s throwing...”

Saylor jumped at my sudden speech. “Yeah, it’s at her folks’ place. They’re out of town and she never misses a chance to trash it when they’re not around.”

I nodded slowly, grasping the finer details of my plan and piecing it together.It could work— No, it has to work. This is our last chance.

“You said everyone is going?” I asked.

“Everyone, Dreg and Royal. The only people not invited are you and me. And yes, the guards will use force to keep us out.”

“That’s okay. I’ve got another idea.”

***

WE SAT ON THE BEACHtogether, holding hands in the sand.

“Still nothing from Wolfgang?” The crashing almost took the soft words away.

“No.”

I couldn’t look at Adonis’s face, despite needing to be near him. It was my fault his brother was taken by a psychopath. My fault he’d been questioned three times on why he allowed the terrorist Rogues to live at his place.

The Wilson brothers would’ve been better off if they never met me, and seeing that truth in his eyes would crush me.

“Mom and Dad are going out of their minds,” he said. “They’ve gone to the press twice, swearing that they’ll pay whatever the kidnapper wants to bring him home. The fact that he still hasn’t sent a ransom demand has them thinking— They don’t know if Victor is—” Adonis cut off, squeezing my hand.

“He’s not.” My voice was firm. “If Wolf wanted him dead, he wouldn’t have given him CPR and saved him that night. He’s looking forward to the millions he can collect on the last Wilson heir. I don’t know why he hasn’t made his move yet. Maybe he’s waiting until the heat dies down.” I dropped my head on my knees. “I don’t understand how we got here, Adonis. Everything went so wrong, so fast.”

“It did, and it’s awful that it took everything going wrong for my folks to set one thing right. Victor isn’t the sole heir anymore,” he said, tipping my chin to face him. “They’ve accepted me back into the family. Restored my trust fund and inheritance. They also... apologized.

“Said they didn’t know what possessed them to do something so horrible to me. They love me and my choice to get married or not. Have children or not. Is my choice,” he said. “They’ll support and be there for me like they should’ve done when I got the genetic test results back.”

“That’s great, baby.” I wanted so badly to kiss him. “You deserved to hear that and more for so long. I’m happy you finally did.”

“No.” Adonis sucked in a ragged breath. “I hate that they’re saying all of this to me. It’s the kind of thing you do when you believe you’ve lost one child, so you’re holding tighter to the other one. I said to you once that humans learn their lessons too late.

“Tragedy shouldn’t be what brings us together. I’d just as well stay exiled and my parents remain arrogant and status-obsessed if it meant they still had hope Victor was coming home.”

“He is coming home.”

A car horn honked, turning my attention to the top of the beach, where a figure appeared on the horizon.

“He’s coming home, and when he does, his family will be together again. It’s the best gift you guys can give him.”

Adonis flicked to where I was looking. “It’s time. I’ll leave you alone.”

“I love you,” I said softly. “I’m sorry I gave up, even if it was for a short time.”

“You never have to apologize to me. It’s not right that this was all on your shoulders. But you have help now. You’ll have them,” he said, “and you have me because I love you too.”

I rose as Adonis left, leaving me the one, two— six people who trudged down the bank, arriving to line up before me. I said nothing since more were coming behind them—parking a range of Lexus and Ferraris to Fords and Toyotas, where concrete began to give way to beach.

I counted as they arrived. “Forty-one... Forty-two... Forty-three...” I breathed. “Forty-four.”

Forty-four. Forty-four people received my summons and all of them showed up. Who could blame them? Who wouldn’t be intrigued if they read the email I sent?

“Hello, everyone,” I called.

They just looked at me. No one spoke.

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