Page 24 of Midnight Salvation

“This is a twisted mess,” I said. “To be honest, I think the only way to fix it is to take all these organisations down until nothing remains of any of them.”

“The zodiac brotherhood defends and protects the weak and supports charity spanning the globe,” Lucas defended.

“I need to think this through,” I replied after several moments. “Xavier, get those deeds out of your house. Our businesses have several safe houses across the globe or Caleb will store them in Switzerland for you. The Council knows they exist and it won’t take our dads long to figure out that you have them. Get them away from your family because if someone puts a gun to Cassandra’s head you’ll hand them over to save her life.”

“What makes you think I would do that?” Xavier replied. “We’ve been tortured before.”

I closed my eyes briefly to centre myself. “Because I know that if someone put a gun to Lucrezia’s head I would sign my soul away to save her.”

I didn’t even wait for a reply from those assembled in this war room. Without missing a beat, I grabbed my wife’s hand and led her from the room. Our bags were packed and sitting in the hall. I lifted them on the way past.

If war was brewing, then I needed to get all my ducks in a row before I met my father and made a deal with the devil.

***

Chapter Eight

Lucrezia

I expected Ash to drive to our townhouse in London. Instead, we were in a quaint little cottage on the edge of a forest that could be a scene from a children’s faerytale. He hadn’t said a word since we left Xavier’s, his hand gripping mine like it was a lifeline. Paralysing fear pulsed up and down my spine because he had never reacted like this before and it was terrifying me. His emotions bled into me until I could barely breathe.

I sat with my head down and my hands clasped in front of me. He finally stopped pacing and I glanced up. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” I asked. “Because right now you’re scaring me.”

Ash knelt in front of me and took my hands in his. “You don’t need to be afraid, Angel.” He kissed the inside of my left wrist.

“Why did we run away?”

“Walk with me.” He stood up and held his hand out.

It was dark outside, but he seemed to know where we were going. We walked down a path until we reached a clearing with a large pond that reflected the moon. Several fallen tree trunks formed seats.

“I bought this place years ago because I needed somewhere to hide from Dad,” Ash said. “Not even the guys know I have it. I tend to come here to think, and watch the frogspawn turn into frogs in the spring.”

We sat on one of the logs and I snuggled in beside him since this wasn’t the warm nights of Tuscany.

“We didn’t run away,” he started, his voice low and husky. “But I need to evaluate exactly what is going on. I can’t do that with so many people around me and I wasn’t leaving you there without me.”

My arm tightened around his.

“To stop my dad, I need to pretend to be his dutiful son. I have to accept his bride and pretend that it doesn’t bother me that he is tormenting innocent women even though it eats away at my insides.” He stopped and stared at the pond. “I don’t want to have to become that man and I never want you to see me like that.”

“It isn’t you,” I replied. “The man I know would never do those things, and no matter how much your dad thinks you are that kind of man, we both know it isn’t true.”

“What if it’s in my genes?”

“The only thing in your jeans is a tight ass and cock that better not go anywhere near your pretend fiancée.”

His lips twitched into the semblance of a smile at my words. “I think I can manage that.”

“I mean it, Ash. I didn’t just lick him, I put a ring on him.”

His laugh washed over me. “There’s no way I’m wearing that on my cock, but I love the sentiment.”

I smiled when his arm came around me because it meant that he was emerging from the darkness he’d found himself inside.

“Since we’ve run away for a few days, maybe we should make the most of our time together,” I said, my mind deliberately wandering down the naughty road to pleasureville.

“Did you want to go back to Paris?”

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