Page 74 of Savage Reign

She shook her head, taking another bite. “We lived with my grandpa for a while. I think we moved out when I was around six.”

“Your mom’s dad?” I said, even if we already knew the answer.

She nodded. “My dad didn’t have anything. From the stories I heard, my grandpa was quite powerful in his day.”

No fucking doubt about it. But ole Gunnar Rhinelander was good because no matter how much research we had put into Daniel Hayes and his family, we never thought Gunnar was the one who owned Stocken Isle.

Mila shrugged. “I always got the feeling my dad hated my grandpa. Hated him and feared him. At least when Grandpa was alive.” She looked around the table at us. “He died when I was seven. But I’m sure you know that already.”

“We didn’t know the intimate details that went on in your family dynamic though,” Maverick pointed out.

Mila looked down at the table. “Then we’re the same because I can’t exactly say I know them either. Everything was always kept quiet. I do know that my parents never really loved each other.”

“Why do you say that?” Silas asked. It wasn’t anything surprising that sometimes people married without loving each other. Hell, I was sure our mom had spent her entire marriage with our dad hating him. Hating him and fearing him.

“She got pregnant with me out of wedlock,” Mila said. “And my grandpa was big on image, so he made them marry.”

And I was beginning to see what Rhinelander wanted, he usually got.

“Not that my dad was all that upset over it, I don’t think. He didn’t have any money when he married my mom. He rose to power from the resources my grandpa provided him.” Shelooked around at us once more before looking away. “And by… you know.”

I reached over Silas, clasped her chin gently, and turned her toward me. “The night he attacked our family home. It’s okay. You can say it.”

“I’m sorry he did that.”

Letting go of her, I shrugged. “It is what it is.”

Silas grabbed her hand and squeezed it comfortingly.

And had Daniel not attacked our family home, he would not have set us on a trajectory path to him nineteen years later. And we probably would have never met Mila. I couldn’t be upset over that. No, I was fucking grateful. And it wasn’t like we were mourning the death of our father. Hell, I should probably thank the fucker for saving us the trouble of having to kill our old man ourselves, a plan that we had already set in motion before the attack.

I took in her hand, the softness of it, the delicateness, how fucking small it looked against Silas’ hand, playing over her words in my head. I was sure my brothers were doing the same thing. I had already told them about Mila’s inheritance. Her twenty-fifth birthday was quickly approaching, which meant Sebastian was getting desperate. And desperate men usually did stupid, rash things that could get other people hurt. My eyes locked onto Mila’s face. She was eating her food, making soft sounds of pleasure from the taste. For the first time since I met her, she actually seemed carefree. It was a good look on her.

I vowed then that I would do whatever it took to ensure she wore this look for the rest of her life.

Carefree and…

Carefree and happy.

No matter the cost.

It wasclose to ten o’clock at night by the time we got Mila back to her motel, and I was fucking dreading the moment she would leave this car and go back to that shitty motel room, spending another night in those fucking sheets that didn’t deserve to touch her skin.

I wanted to fucking book a room in one of the best hotels Chicago could offer and make sure she stayed there until she was ready to come back home with us. Stay there with the rest of us by her side, keeping her safe.

Fuck all of this waiting around.

I was sick of it.

Silas might be onto something when he suggested we kidnap Mila again. I knew my brothers were thinking the same thing I was, judging by the look on their faces. The car pulled to a stop, and Mila let out a small sigh from where she was tucked by Silas’ side.

“Thank you for tonight,” she said softly.

Silas squeezed her. “You’re welcome, angel.”

She looked around at us, biting her bottom lip, obviously wanting to ask us something. I waited for her to work up the nerve. Disappointment came when she didn’t. I opened the car door and got out, bending down and holding out my hand to her. Slowly, she placed her much smaller hand in mine and let me pull her out of the car. She stood close to me as we waited for my brothers to come out as well.

Silently, we walked her to her room.

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