Page 81 of Royally Ruined

Kurtis Valentine sat there with his fingers crossing in a perfectly even pattern. He bent close to his wife, letting her whisper in his ear for some time. It was such a long stretch that people shifted uneasily, unable to handle the restless tension.

Finally Kurtis pulled away and looked over each of my family members one by one. When he got to me, I stiffened. “We’re not at war,” he said carefully. “Because if we were, none of you would be here. Not one.” He lifted his glass and gave it a swirl. “You’re all part of a grand family ... a grander heritage. Though it’s funny you’d choose a name likethe Badds.” He winked. “What was wrong with Fredricson?”

I met my father’s eyes. Yes, there was no denying it; the Valentines knew exactly who we were. Maverick had used our mother’s family’s influence to create a false identity for himself. He’d told me once that it was designed to keep us safe from people from his home country who might want us dead.

My heart stuttered. Suddenly I couldn’t look away from Kurtis’s cool smile. Had the Valentines been hired to kill us all?Romeo told me years ago that he wasn’t supposed to interact with me. But then he did ... he made a power move.That had to be it. He’d seen an opportunity, and he and Horace had collaborated to try to erase me and my sister.

And all for the Valentines.

But ... why? Why would we be a threat to a Mafia family we’d never tried to butt heads with?

Larchmont waved his glass. “You heard my dad. Why pick such a weird name?”

I shook my head, dismissing him. My focus was on Kurtis. “You know who we are.”

“Yes,” he said. “Are you curious how?”

Maverick spoke up. “No. I want to know whoyouall really are.”

Silence stretched over the table. I had a sense I could reach up and tangle my fingers through the tension like it was a thick string of cobwebs. Kurtis was no longer watching us; he simply squinted into his drink.

With a soft sigh, he said, “We’re a simple family that profits greatly from all of you remembering your place.” His hard eyes stabbed at my father, then me. They didn’t mesh with the dimples at the tops of his wide smile. “This peace was almost broken by one man’s simple mistake. In the future, there will beno moremistakes of such magnitude. If none of you chase the power your father abandoned ... we’ll all live long,happylives.”

His meaning came out like a cannonball.

The Valentines wereallowingus peace—and in exchange we just had to sit on our hands and not dig into our father’s royal rights. They had chosen not to wipe us out, and clearly believed they had no reason to think they wouldn’t have managed it.

Maverick and my mother were eyeballing each other. Something unsaid passed between them, even as my siblings muttered various sounds of confusion. I knew what they were all thinking: What connection did the Valentines have to our father’s crown?

Could we really have peace by leaving it be?

Across from me, Larchmont lifted his glass. His grin showed all his teeth. “Cheers,” he said, taking a swig.

To my horror, my father copied him. Everyone else did the same, though some had uncertainty painted across their features. Thorne was scowling into his glass.

In my pocket my phone buzzed.Scotch is calling me.It reminded me of why I was here ... and where I wanted to be. If tenuous peace was all we could be sure of, then for now I’d take it.

But I wouldn’t toast to it.

Putting my glass down, I rose to my feet. “Costello,” my father said.

Facing the gathering, I flexed my fingers by my hips. Fuck, my ache for a weapon was immense. Kurtis stared up at me, his voice sweet. “You didn’t like my toast?”

“Of course not,” I answered. “I know exactly what kind of man you are. Who you and your whole family are.” For a second I sounded like Detective Stapler, and knowing that just made me want to stand beside Scotch even more. “But all I’ve ever wanted for this family was peace. Safety. And if you’re saying we have that, even for now ... then what reason do I have to stay here and make pretend polite conversation?”

Spinning, I strode from the room. My father didn’t stop me, and my mother? I spotted her hidden smile behind her hand.

I made it out onto the front step before anyone reached me. “Wait, Costello!” Pulling up short, I saw Francesca was breathing hard, her hair tangling around her cheekbones. She slowed a foot away from me, closer than I could recall her ever getting to me in years.

“What is it?” I asked, holding my phone possessively. “I have somewhere I need to be, and after being surrounded by men who want me dead, I don’t have a lot of patience for more attacks.”

I wasn’t ready for the wetness that shone in her eyes. “I’m not here to attack you.”

Thrown off by her emotions, I faced her fully. We were alone outside our sprawling estate. “Then whatdoyou want from me?”

“I—nothing.” Fran knotted her hands together. She was having trouble looking at me, but it felt like she was trying her damnedest. “I don’t want anything from you. It’s me who needs to give you something.”

My eyebrows furrowed. “And what’s that?”

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