Page 66 of The King of Hearts

“Dad?” she asks when he doesn’t say anything.

I can imagine the many ways Alexander is killing me right now in his head. I don’t blame him. If I were in his shoes and it were my child on the chopping block, I’m not quite sure I could stop myself from pulling my gun and putting a bullet between his eyes, no matter the consequences.

I guess Alexander’s smarter than me, because I’m still standing here, heart beating with breath in my lungs, and he’s about to give me his only daughter. To a man he trusted. A man who not only betrayed him, but also manipulated him and his family. Not to mention the blackmail I just presented him with.

“You want the honors, or shall I be the one to inform her?” I ask Alexander.

His jaw tics, and I’m sure he just slit my throat in his head. Probably slowly with a dull, rusty blade.

“Savina.”

My little Vicious walks toward her parents. She hasn’t noticed the small stacks of papers on his desk yet, her attention too focused on her father.

It’s not until she’s at the side of the desk when Alexander finally pulls his irate gaze from me and turns it to his daughter. They soften fractionally, but he’s so angry that he can’t make the emotion completely disappear.

I feel the heat of two other pairs of enraged eyes and know that Bishop and Cassio are just as livid. Especially Bishop. He’s the one who vetted me when I joined The Raven Group. It’s not that he’s careless and didn’t do his due diligence before he offered me the job. I’m just that good when it comes to making shit appear a certain way.

“Will you please tell me what’s happening?” Savina flicks her gaze to me before bringing it back to Alexander. “Does this have something to do with Braxton?”

Hearing that man’s name come off her lips has my jaw twitching and my palms itching to plunge a knife in his chest. Orbetter yet, saw through his rib cage to yank out his heart and gift it to Savina as a warning. I don’t fucking like her saying other men’s names.

“There are things you need to know,” Alexander begins, voice tense. “And after you do, I’m giving you a choice.”

His gaze slices to me, as if daring me to say otherwise. His choice, Savina’s choice. It doesn’t matter. The end results will be the same. Savina will do anything to protect her family, including, but not limited to, sacrificing herself.

Her brows pull down into a frown. “You’re starting to worry me, Dad.”

I shove my hands into my pockets and wait for him to continue.

“Do you remember the silent investor who started funding The Raven Group a couple of years ago?” he asks.

“Yes. He goes by the name Apollo. He refuses to give his legal name because he wants to keep his involvement completely private.”

“Yes. Apparently, his elusiveness has come to an end.” He switches his gaze to me. “Savina, meet Apollo.”

Her eyes swing to me, surprise and disbelief widening the lustrously pretty orbs. “You’re Apollo?”

“Yes.” I flash her a grin. I lose it the moment my eyes go back to Alexander. “Get on with it. My patience is waning.”

The muscles in his cheeks twitch, but he wisely pulls Savina’s attention back to him.

“It appears that Apollo, or rather Ryker, has not only been investing in the company but also gathering intel.”

Alexander reaches over and grabs the stack of papers sitting on the desk and holds them out to Savina.

She glances at them. “What is this?”

“It’s a dossier of all of The Raven Group’s missions. Every single one from the very beginning. Locations, time stamps,client information, training, perp victims, details of actions, even coordinates of client’s current locations. Every dollar gained and spent. Our contacts outside the organization. Assets and moles. Every single piece of evidence imaginable against the group.”

“Okay, but don’t all members of The Raven Group have these details, or at least most of the information, and have access to the rest? Apollo obviously knew what the group was about, or he wouldn’t have invested.”

“Yes,” Alexander grates out between clenched teeth. “But now Ryker is threatening to hand over all of it to the FBI.”

“What?” The anger and incredulity in her eyes when she looks at me sends blood rushing to my cock. I want to bend her over her father’s desk and fuck her. Right here in front of her parents and brothers. She’d fight as I smashed her face against the hard wood and forced my cock inside her tight little pussy. “Why would you do that? Why would you even want to?”

“Because nothing matters more than what I want,” I tell her.

“And what’s that?”

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