Page 16 of Primal

“Or through the front door?” I say, weakly. It feels awful to smile and joke on such a sad day.

Marco chuckles as he lets me go. “Probably for the best I don’t.”

I can’t exactly refute him. A cop at a Godwin’s funeral is bound to raise a few eyebrows, after all.

“Do you want me to get my father?”

Marco shakes his head, shaggy brown hair falling over an eye.

“I’ll talk to Hector later. Gotta head back to work, but I wanted to see you. I was happy to hear you returned to Seattle, even if it was because of this.”

I glance behind him to see his car still running. The gesture warms me. Marco has been by my side since we took the same Intro to Business class at the University of Washington years back. He’s also one of the only ones who didn’t pressure me for my familial ties when he found out the truth. I’ve had plenty of friendships crash and burn once they realize that Hector Godwin isn’t just a shipping mogul. But Marco has stuck with me through it all, even risking his job to pledge loyalty to the Godwin family.

If only we could be together. Law and Godwins don’t mix well.

“It was foolish to think I could break away from… all this.” I glance down at the ground and then back up into his eyes and smile. “But it’s good to see you again.”

“Are you gonna be okay without me?” Marco asks.

The question makes me chuckle. He always asks this before he leaves, and my answer is always the same.

“As okay as you are without me.”

“Okay, but if you need anything, you let me know, and I’ll come running. Got it?”

I nod. “Got it.”

Marco leaves with a two-fingered wave, the same as always, but I can’t help feeling like something is different. Maybe the world has shifted now that Mason is gone, or maybe I’m the one who’s shifted. I can’t tell.

The only thing I know for sure is that everything is going to change from this moment forward.

Chapter 10

Braken

I barely hear my bodyguard Jasper call for me over the sound of the power drills.

Construction for my newest hotel only started yesterday. Delay after delay set back my plans. First, it was convincing the old asshole to sell me his broken-down, unusable parking garage and land, and I paid way too much for it. Then it was getting approval for the restaurant I planned for the first-floor lobby. I hate red tape and dealing with the government, but I’m the only one who can get this shit done. And the truth is I really prefer to spend my time on Heathens Hollow and running The Vault, but family loyalty still is a fucking noose around my neck.

Then came the death of Mason Godwin onourfucking turf. We own that stadium, and what happens there falls on us. His murder does make us look shady as fuck.

There are clear boundaries between the Frost family businesses and the Godwins. Seattle is the prime area for hotels, but so much of it belongs to the Godwins. But somehow the two families have been able to live in peace.

But now…

All that burned to a crisp, along with Mason Godwin.

Now my father thinks we all need bodyguards. Hello, Jasper.

Jasper calls my name again and flashes my phone. I grimace. I gave it to him earlier because I didn’t want any more interruptions on the first day of work in what feels like forever. If another setback springs up, I will bulldoze the damn cement parking garage myself.

“Your father, sir,” Jasper says with a bow of his head.

This can’t be good. Ever since news of Mason’s death, he’s been on edge. Silvano is not an easy man to shake. He has my grandfather’s stubbornness and my grandmother’s temper, making him a walking time bomb. Usually, it’s directed at my brother Sam, but I’ve been on the tail end of his fists a few too many times. For him to be this affected signals bad news.

I walk away from the machinery to hear better.

“This is Braken.”

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