Page 124 of Mad As Hell

“No, smart-ass,” he chided, shaking his head. “Phoenix is a company. Our company. We started it three years ago.”

“You started your own company,” I said slowly, still feeling like I was missing something.

“Were matching tattoos a requirement?” Bex added, amusement coloring her words as she glanced around at the guys. “Or just a team-building exercise?”

“Phoenix is a company we formed when we realized our fathers were monsters,” Court answered flatly. “When we realized that each one of our fathers was a self-serving prick who was out of control, we decided that instead of inheriting their kingdoms, we were going to burn their shit to the ground.”

Linc raised his glass mockingly. “And rise from the ashes of what we’d destroyed to leave a different legacy.”

Ash leaned forward, his forearms braced on his knees. “Beckett and Gary aren’t the only assholes running shit in this country.” He inclined his head at Court and Linc. “Our fathers are just as culpable. Mostly because they’ve all thrown their hats into the same fucking ring.”

“And what ring would that be?” I asked, dread pooling in my chest as I waited for the answer.

“Human trafficking,” Court finally answered. His gaze snapped to Bex. “So, when Gary said he could sell you to some overseas prick, it wasn’t an idle threat. He could auction you off in a matter of hours, sweetheart.”

Bex’s face paled.

“Wait, hold on. I don’t understand.” I looked at Ryan, needing to know more, but not sure what questions to ask.

He sighed softly. “Let’s start at the beginning, okay?”

I nodded, the quick, jerky movement showing how rattled I was.

“We all grew up together,” he started. “Our fathers have known each other for… fucking forever. Since before they were at PC. Obviously you know our dads went into business together. They merged parts of Cain Global and Cabot Industries to focus on energy resources. Oil and gas, mostly. Offshore drilling rigs and, more locally, fracking in North America. But the biggest money comes from Asian countries where they do the same thing but pay a fraction of the labor costs and can control the market better.”

“I thought fracking was illegal.” I thought back to when I’d mentioned it in a research paper years ago when I’d been asked to write about sustainable energy sources. Truthfully, I didn’t know much, except that it was bad.

“In some places,” Ash agreed. “But in countries overseas, Beckett and Gary have made a killing exploiting people who live in shitty conditions. Fracking destroys the land and often contaminates the water tables. People get sick and die. But at the end of the day, they throw money at an official who says they didn’t do anything.”

Linc gave a dark chuckle. “Yeah, because it’s totally normal for a hundred and six people to get the same kind of rare blood cancer in a town of five hundred.” He shook his head in disgust.

“But your dads aren’t involved in that,” Bex pointed out. “I mean, Court’s dad is in the military.”

“Ex-military,” Court corrected with a grimace. “The General now has his own army of mercenaries that he’s contracted to help them cover up shit that goes wrong internationally. For the right price, of course. Beckett and Gary practically have him on retainer.”

“You call your dad the General?” I huffed out a small laugh.

Court met my gaze. “No, I usually call him the fucking cocksucker. But Jasper Woods is proud as fuck of his military career and insists everyone refer to him by his rank. Even my mother. The man is a fucking narcissist.”

“Oh,” I whispered, my gaze darting away to Ash. “And your dad?”

Ash ticked up a finger. “My dad is an accountant. Howard Newhouse. He helps them all move their money around in different shell companies and offshore accounts to skirt tax and labor laws.”

I glanced at Linc without thinking.

The corner of his mouth hitched up in a rueful smile. “My family operates a chain of hotels. My dad is Kent Westford.”

I gave him a blank stare. Was that name supposed to mean something?

Ryan rubbed a hand up my back and leaned in to explain, “The Westford Group is worth billions. They have luxury and boutique hotels across the globe, baby.”

“That doesn’t sound very criminal,” I admitted.

“It is when several of them have secret sex dungeons where they cater to whatever your sickest whim might be.” Linc’s cold eyes met my gaze and held. The demons I saw in his eyes made me shudder. “That’s where this whole thing started. A fucking club where they…” He trailed off, a muscle popping in his jaw. He reached for the bottle of tequila on the table and bypassed his glass as he tipped the contents into his mouth.

“And your moms don’t care?” I asked in a hushed voice, stunned.

“It’s amazing what you can ignore as long as your black card bill gets paid,” Ash told me. “Welcome to the world of the rich and the depraved. Aren’t you glad you came to join us?”

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