Page 41 of Bloody Kingdom

Smiling back, I tell him, “Well, I wouldn’t sayIdid it. Silas made it happen, it was just my idea.”

Tears fall down his face. Pulling out one of the tissues I’d stuck in my pocket just in case, I gently wipe them from his face, all while being careful of the oxygen cannula.

“Just the fact that you got Silas to do something like this…” He trails off, his head shaking in disbelief. “It just means you truly are a miracle worker.”

Della nods her head in agreement, but when she notices me looking at her, she’s quick to turn her head. She’s avoided any form of eye contact since we left my closet. Even as she helped me prep Ira to bring him down here, she never once met my eye. I know she thinks by acting like this she’s keeping his secret, but she’s only further confirming it.

“The real test is going to be if I’m able to keep them alive.” I chuckle, though it feels forced now. “You’re going to have to talk me through it because I won’t lie, I’ve killed many plants in my time.” I’m not sure why I tell him this, because if given the opportunity, I’m getting the hell out of here. This is my first time outside since that night, if it were possible, I would take off right now, but Silas’s property sits far out by itself, there’s nowhere for me to go. I could try, but I have a sneaking suspicion I’d only get lost in my attempt.

Ira gives me a crooked smile. “I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

“I’m counting on it.”Tell me about your roses, but more importantly, tell me about your boss.

The building that once stood in front of me used to hold millions of dollars worth of equipment and now it’s nothing but a smoking pile of debris and ash. They couldn’t get to my guns and drugs, so they’ve started coming after my legitimate businesses. This building held machinery for a construction company I own under a pseudonym, it’s not common knowledge that it’s one of mine, yet somehow these bastards knew.

The flashing lights of the fire trucks bounce off the rubble in front of me, the scent of wet earth and smoke fill my nose as I watch the firefighters attempt to put out the last of the flames.

Duke stands silently at my side, his own anger mixing with mine in the air around us. He’s a loyal man and these attacks are wearing on him just as much as they are me. His sense of duty and his inability to find the people responsible adding to his frustration. Duke has many skills, but his ability to track and find people is unparalleled. A skill that was once esteemed during his time in a special ops unit, but it’s a skill that is invaluable to me now. It’s the original reason I brought him on as an employee, his loyalty and the strong work ethic of his coming secondary. I have big things planned for him that I’m slowly putting into motion.

“It took a lot of time and resources for them to learn of your involvement in this company,” Duke finally mutters lowly, but he knows I can hear him just fine. “Whoever’s behind this is highly motivated and money isn’t an object to them. They’re also not concerned about who gets hurt in the process.”

The coroner is loading up the two bodies of the employees who we presume were accidentally trapped inside. Innocent bystanders who did not deserve that kind of death. Unfortunate.

“Who did you piss off this much that they’d go to these kinds of extremes to ruin you?” Duke asks.

“I left a trail of angry people behind me to get to where I am. It could be any one of them.” The climb to the top was a bloody one. There was not a single person I wouldn’t have cut down to reach my goal. “They have been at this for months, they’re clearly getting frustrated and lashing out at the easier targets.” My dealings in the underworld are better protected, as they discovered when they went after my shipping container. “This tells me they’re driven by their emotions rather than money. If they were doing this for money, they would have stolen the equipment inside, not burned it.”

“The attack on the firewall at Blackwood last week was almost successful. If Rory hadn’t been there and stopped it, it would have been detrimental to you and that company.” Blackwood is a tech company that has been a pioneer in advancing technology through the decades. One of the positive parts of living as long as I have is being able to be present for the creations that have made the world the thing it is now.

Being around as long as I have also means I have been able to invest money in many different industries. Some legal, many not. This just means I have multiple businesses these fuckers can go after to get to me.

“Lock it all down, Duke,” I finally order. “Bring in more people, I don’t care where you pull them from as long as they’re briefed and standing guard over my assets in the next twenty-four hours.”

“I’m on it.”

“Let’s go.” I turn, leaving the burning remains behind me. All those items are easily replaceable, but that’s not the point. By executing such a blatant—obvious—attack on me, they’re giving others the idea that I can be trifled with.Thatis something I will not stand for.

“Are we headed back to the house yet?” Duke asks. I’ve been around him long enough to know that’s not the real question he’s asking. He wants to know when I’ll return to Quincey. I haven’t opened up to him about the events that took place, but he’s not blind. He’s annoyingly observant. “It’s been two weeks.”

A low growl cuts through the air between us. “You do not have to tell me how long it’s been since I’ve been there.” Or how long it’s been since I laid eyes on her. Time is irrelevant to me—it means nothing. A year for me passes quicker than a month does for a human. I don’t give the idea of time much thought, but I’ve all but been counting down the minutes since I was last with Quincey. I feel every single second apart from her in my soul.

The past two weeks have been the longest I’ve experienced in decades. Two weeks feels like months and it’s taken everything in me to not return home to her. The only thing stopping me is knowing that I’m a danger to her.

When I brought Quincey in, I didn’t think her safety would end up being such a concern of mine. Besides a few obvious exceptions, the well-being of my staff isn’t something that weighs heavy on me. Mainly that’s due to me knowing that in the long run, humans are expendable. They grow old—sick. I can’t depend on them to be around for a long time.

She was supposed to be a means to an end, not something that consumes my every blood cell. She was not supposed to be something that has enthralled me to no return. And because of this, I cannot be the one who puts her in harm’s way.

She is a safe haven for many, and I am a threat to all.

“They put the flowers in today. I’m sure Ira would like to see you and thank you for them.” Duke presses on when we climb into the car. “Della sent a text; said he was the happiest he’s been since his diagnosis after seeing what you did for him.”

“It was not just me,” I correct him stiffly. “I’m pleased to hear he enjoyed them, Miss Page should be proud of herself for putting the plan into motion.”

“Miss Page,” Duke mocks, rolling his eyes. “You need to get over yourself with that one. You just use that name to keep her in the safe little box you’ve placed her in, but I hate to tell you, that ship has sailed. The box has been blown to bits and there’s no taping it back together.”

“Duke...” I warn.

Not surprising, he elects to ignore me. “You’re very old and you’ve lived a long time, but have you truly lived? You have the opportunity to experience the best things in life for…eternity… and you’re wasting it on being bitter and angry. I’m not saying she has to be your forever, but I’m saying she could be a bright spot in your very dark life if you’d stop being a dumbass and pushing her away.”

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