Page 15 of Heir

We were busier than ever with them as our biggest clients—and biggest security.

It paid to be in bed with people who were so fucking powerful. We might rule the West Coast with an iron fist, but the Four Horsemen’s reputation preceded them throughout the country and a few sovereign nations.

Fuck me, but it was hard not to be impressed when I was looking over the numbers myself.

I heard my front door being unlocked, and I looked up, not worried. Only a few select people had the keys to my apartment, and judging by the time, I could only guess who was at my door.

Sure enough, as soon as it opened, Braxton walked in excitedly, followed by Dad carrying the twins.

I watched the way Braxton moved, observing his innocence. Dad tried his best to protect me, but when he was younger, he’d never guessed that he would have to protect me from my own mother in his home.

And by the time Dad split with that bitch, it was done. She’d already done her damage, and there was no way to come back from that. He didn’t know the shit that went on in my childhood home, and fuck me, but I would never tell him.

He’d protected me his whole life. Now it was my turn.

And things were better for Braxton than for me when it came to our childhood. Things had been picking up for Dad by the time Braxton was born, so he didn’t know about the struggles.

Though that didn’t stop him from being nearly kidnapped a year ago.

It was one of the reasons why my brother and I were so different from each other.

He was the light in our family, the innocence we would all kill to protect, and now we had two more children.

I looked at the twins in Dad’s arms.

They were only about five months old, and they were already vocal. The Madden gene was strong in those two.

I grinned as Maddox made a reaching motion when he saw me.

Dad laughed and walked closer, letting me grab hold of Maddox as Caleb stayed perfectly content in Dad’s arms.

My baby brothers were happy boys.

Rambunctious and loud and happy boys.

Poor Emmy had her hands full, but she wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world.

“How are you, son?” Dad asked, scrutinizing me in that way of his, as if checking me for signs of injury. I had noticed him doing that since I got out of the hospital at fifteen, after that incident with Jude.

I was sure he wasn’t even aware of doing it.

“I’m good,” I said, pulling Maddox closer to me and inhaling his baby scent. Braxton was now rummaging through my kitchen for food, even though I was sure they’d had breakfast before coming here.

There wasn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind that he would be as tall as Dad and me.

“You’ve been sleeping?” Dad asked.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

And the words didn’t taste bitter. I could be going through insomnia, and I would still tell him I was sleeping.

He worried too much.

Dad took a seat and looked at the laptop screen, his smile widening.

“Fuck me, but those numbers,” he said.

I laughed. “Can you believe it? The year isn’t even over, and we’re already doubling in profit from last year. We keep this up, and we’ll be taking the King’s Men to new heights.”

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