Page 73 of King of Deception

I stand in the middle, not bothering to take a seat.

“Arabella,” Mason rumbles. “If this is the part where you tell me that we have to accept Gris with open arms, it’s not happening.”

Everyone stops as my arms cross, and I pivot toward my brother. “You will compromise on this one, Mason Kincaid. I’m not asking.”

He narrows his gaze. “This isn’t the place you tell me what to do.”

“You are such an asshole, you know that, don’t you?” I’ve got a few things to say to Mason and that seems like a great place to start. “At the point you started messing with my marriage, you lost the right to draw those distinctions.”

I see the very subtle wince.

“I love you, we all love you, but if you continue to refuse to compromise, to scheme behind our backs, you’re going to lose all of us.” I point at Luke. And then Roman. And finally, Leo.

Mason’s wince becomes far more distinct.

“Gris and I are considering moving to England.” I see all my brothers react. Roman’s eyes go wide, Leo growls from deep in his chest.

But it’s Luke who huffs. “He’s not leaving Smith Brothers.”

I shrug. “Ask him yourself. But I’m telling you, he’s the spare to the dukedom. Without the tunnel access, he’ll cut his losses, and we’ll leave.” I know the reasons are more personal. “In a similar vein, if Luke sells, I don’t want the shares. I’ll cut from this family, and you won’t see me again.”

“Are you seriously threatening to leave the family if I don’t give Gris access?” Mason’s fists clench and I feel both Roman and Luke draw closer to my side. The battle lines are being drawn.

“I don’t agree with what Gris did to Nia. What any of you did…” I slash my gaze over them. “For men who say they love their women, you’ve been playing pretty rough with all of us.”

I don’t stop there, though.

“But Gris was loyal to you. If anything, you were the one who went back on the terms.” I point at Mason. “You know I’m right.”

I’m the one who tried to bring Mason and Luke back together. I still want that. But instead of pleading with them to get along, I’m threatening to leave the way Luke should have done months ago.

I’m going to give Mason a chance to make it right.

Mason draws himself up. “We can’t trust the Smiths to help with our agenda. They come with their own.”

“Oh please,” I scoff. “Pot. Kettle.”

I get a small laugh from Roman. Leo smiles. Luke runs a hand through his hair. He knows I’m angry with him too. “Bug,” he starts, “You wouldn’t really leave, would you?”

“You did,” I point at him, and everyone goes quiet again.

I shake my head. “Don’t get me wrong. I left too. Went to New York. But you’re all about to have families. And Gris and I… we’re getting married.”

“Shut up,” Luke rumbles. “How long have you even known…”

“Don’t start, Luke,” I hold up a finger.

“You can’t trust he’s not just working an agenda,” Mason cuts in. “He’s using you.”

“He is the only one who seems to actually be protecting me.”

Silence fills the room. I’m not going to tell them how I feel, or try to explain why I know Gris and I are different. “You can believe me or not. You’ll each make your decision based on how much you trust my judgment. I accept that. And I’ll accept whatever decision you make. Give the Smiths access to the tunnel. Don’t. But just know, I’ll make my decisions, and you will accept them as well. You are choosing whether or not to come together as a family or blow us apart, never to be put back together.”

Dramatic? Maybe.

But the silence is deafening as I cross the conference room and open the door. “Gris?”

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

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