Page 56 of Royal Beast
“I’ll try my best,” Kellan says, then takes my hand in his. “But there’s a lot going on right now. I don’t want to make any promises I can’t keep.”
I nod, understanding where he’s coming from. “Okay, how about we play it by ear then?” I offer.
He reaches down to kiss me, then pulls back. “Yeah, that sounds good. And if I can’t, then when things settle down, how about we go somewhere?”
“Like where?” I ask, my brow furrowing.
“Maybe a belated honeymoon,” he offers. “You deserve it for putting up with all this.”
I like the sound of that, so I snuggle against him and yawn, content with the way things are going. We might have more to discuss, but at least I know that Kellan wants more, just like I do.
28
KELLAN
As I plow through a pile of paperwork, my cell phone buzzes, cutting through the quiet hum in my office. I glance at the caller ID on the screen, irritation brewing when I see who it is.
“This had better be important, Brody,” I growl. Things with the casino deal are going sideways and I can’t afford any distractions right now.
“Kellan, it’s bad. The cops just raided The Emerald Lounge,” he says, his voice shaky.
My jaw tightens and the pen in my hand snaps under the pressure of my grip. “What?”
“They got Fiona Grace,” he explains. “They took her book, they arrested a bunch of people, and they’re shutting the Emerald Lounge down.”
The Emerald Lounge is the nickname of the basement of the Twin Shores Hotel, one of our legitimate businesses, where we run some of our illegal operations, like the poker games in the basement. Fiona Grace is the woman who runs our games, the face of the Emerald Lounge.
I’m already on my feet, grabbing for my coat. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Don’t say a word to anyone until I get there.”
Shoving the phone in my pocket, I stalk out of the office, the weight of this new problem sitting heavily on my shoulders. Another fucking raid. First, the warehouse, and now this? Someone’s playing a dangerous game here.
By the time I arrive at the hotel, the scene is chaos. Uniformed officers are everywhere, hauling out machines and counting wads of confiscated cash in full view of the guests. Brody is pacing near the entrance, wringing his hands.
“Kellan,” he says, his voice shaky, “I didn’t know what else to do?—”
“Shut it,” I snap, brushing past him and heading straight for the officer in charge. He’s a smug-looking man with slicked back black hair and a walrus mustache.
“Lieutenant,” I say, keeping my voice steady despite the anger bubbling beneath the surface. “I’d like to know what the hell is going on here.”
He doesn’t bother to hide his smirk. “We got a tip about illegal gambling. Turns out, the rumors were true.”
“This is a legitimate business,” I say coldly. “Whatever you think you’ve found, you’re mistaken.”
“Legitimate?” He chuckles, folding his arms across his chest. “Cut the act, Brannagan. We’ve been building this case for months. We’ve got more than enough to take down your operation. Might even put you away while we’re at it.”
The way he says it—with such smug satisfaction—makes my blood boil. I can picture the ways I could make him regret those words. A single order and his family would live to regret crossing mine.
But I rein it in. Barely.
“Be careful with your accusations,” I say, my voice dropping dangerously low. “You’re overstepping.”
“Am I?” He leans closer, a taunting smile curling his lips. “Enjoy your freedom while it lasts, Brannagan. Because when we’re done, there won’t be a single one of you left to run this town.”
It takes every ounce of control I have to keep from snapping. Instead, I take a step back, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. “You’ve made your point, Lieutenant. Let’s hope you don’t come to regret it.”
Just then, another officer approaches the lieutenant and whispers something in his ear. I’m about to leave when he turns to me. “I think you’d better come with us, Brannagan,” he says, looking far too smug for someone whose life I could end in a heartbeat if I so chose.
“Am I under arrest?” I ask, my tone icy despite the fire burning in my chest.
