Page 2 of Unhinged Cravings
A growl rumbled through my chest, accompanied by the tightened grip on my phone.
“What do you want?”
“This is your warning. You may think your empire is safe, little brother, bringing Mason Brinks into your fold. It’s not. I’ll take what you covet, and you’ll have no choice but to bow to me. Enjoy your honeymoon.”
He was gone before I could respond. I dropped the phonefrom my ear, looking over at Riley. He’d shattered the peace of the day, the contentment I’d held for that brief time ripped away by his words.
Riley met my eyes, hers creased with concern.
“Who was that?” Mason said, and I turned to him.
“My brother.”
“Your brother? You have a brother?”
“Unfortunately, Emerson is my older brother.”
“And why do you look like I need to worry about that?” Tension played in his features.
“Because he doesn’t go by Emerson Tides. I’m the only one who still knows that name. To everyone else, he’s Cade Slaughter.”
He took a step back. “The leader of the Bad Omen?”
I flicked a strand of Riley’s hair from my suit jacket. “Yes. The leader of the Bad Omen is my brother. A man who hates me with a passion. And the feeling’s mutual.”
He looked over at Riley, then back at me.
“I’ll protect her, Mason. I promise you. No one will ever lay a hand on Riley again.”
“What did he want?”
I watched Riley as she crossed the room, her green eyes deep with worry.
“To threaten me under the guise of congratulations. I need to change our plans. If he knows about the wedding, he’ll know about the honeymoon.” How he knew those things was something I would need to uncover. If there was a mole in my family, I would burn him out and send him back to my brother piece by piece.
“Take my plane. I can get you a room at the island where Tyson and Angie had their wedding.”
My alcohol swished in my glass as I thought about that stark of a change. It would throw Emerson off, but it was far from what I hadplanned.
Riley was almost to us.
“Fuck,” I muttered. I didn’t like running and this looked like I was running. But pride was no longer my concern. Riley was, and I would do what was necessary to keep her safe. Even if it meant letting my brother think he had me on the run.
“Fine.” I took a swig of the whiskey, letting it smooth its way down my throat. “We’ll leave tonight instead of in the morning.”
He took his phone out, saying, “I’ll make it happen. Enjoy telling my sister you’re changing plans on her. That should be fun.”
Rolling my neck, I ignored the urge to punch him before he walked away. His plan made sense and as much as I hated to admit it, if my brother wanted to sabotage my honeymoon, changing the destination and the departure would throw him off. He wouldn’t expect me to deviate because that’s what he would do. He was the one who took chances, who rushed into things. I was the levelheaded one, patient and unyielding. Changing course like this was not something he would expect from me.
“Grey?” Riley said, coming over to me.
I gave her a smile, her presence calming me. “Everything’s okay. Your brother has it handled. What do you think about going to the beach for our trip?”
Her forehead crinkled with confusion. “But you wanted to go to the mountains.”
And I had. I’d booked the lodge, arranged for a chef to prepare our meals, booked the ski slopes, and a slew of other romantic things.
“We just got through winter. I don’t know why I thought staying in the cold was a good idea. Besides,” I said, pulling her to me, “this will give me a reason to see you in a bikini again.” Although the restraint needed to keep from killing every man who looked at her would make the decision even more brutal.
