Page 64 of Vengeful King

She’d never make it, but the prospect of dealing with that on top of the meeting isn’t something I want to do.

Even if she won’t run, there’s still something in me that shrinks from the idea of leaving her alone. So I shove my phone into my pocket and kick into gear, my mind already racing.

Ezra expects to meet us somewhere on our home turf, in one of our houses. He expects familiarity and a show of power. A demonstration of what he’s buying into. I don’t want to shove this responsibility off onto one of my brothers; it has to be my place.

But Ezra can’t see Katrina. I can’t risk having her around him, and I certainly don’t want him knowing she’s been with me, hostage or not. He can never know she’s been here. It would risk the negotiations, the marriage, everything.

Just thinking about how thoroughly it could fuck things up is enough to put me on edge.

“Go upstairs and stay there,” I say shortly.

I know I’m being curt when I dismiss her, but I also know that this is not up for debate. She needs to be out of sight immediately, and she needs to stay there.

Still, her eyes are wide when she hears the way I’m ordering her away. There’s a flush in her cheeks, the faintest glimmer of disbelief hidden in her eyes. I know this doesn’t match how I was earlier, how I took her to see her mother. It’s not like I was involved, but I know she must have thought I cared. That I was being human. Understanding.

She looks hurt. There’s confusion clear on her face, withdrawal as she backs up reflexively in response to my harsh tone. But she turns away in the end, and she does what I asked. She goes upstairs.

I don’t know why it matters to me that she’s hurt at all. But the sour taste in my mouth doesn’t go away.

I don’t know why, but having her around right now makes me angry. It puts me on edge. It’s the idea of having her privy to my conversations about the wedding that sends frustration shooting through every cell in my body.

I shouldn’t care. It’s not like what happened between us was a promise; it was a mistake.

But somehow, I do care. And I’m pissed.

She doesn’t argue. She leaves and I walk through the ground floor, irritation mounting when I realize I only have fifteen minutes before my brothers arrive. I take what I can from the office and leaf through the papers, trying to refresh everything I already know.

I can’t believe I fucking forgot.

The door chimes faster than I hoped. Aiden is the first to arrive, serious, hands in his pockets. Connor and Finn are close behind, though they’re less on edge. They always are.

But I’m about to ruin that peace.

“So,” Aiden begins. “You mentioned you know who it is now.”

“I do. It’s Yuri.”

I don’t mince words. They react how I expected—with shock, confusion, anger. Finn swears, turning in a circle as he processes the information.

“How did that motherfucker survive?” Connor asks, disgusted. “He’s like a fucking cockroach. Jesus.”

“He was a bastard,” Aiden agrees. “I thought he was dead for good.”

I shake my head. “The fall should have done it. I still don’t know how he escaped, but he must be messed up from the fall. I’m betting that’s why he tried to get other people to do his dirty work.”

“I always hated him,” Finn mutters. “Even before he started acting suspicious.”

“Yeah, we know,” Connor replies, but there’s strain to his teasing.

I know they’re remembering. Yuri was never perfect, but near the end, calling him a loose cannon would have been an understatement. He was a nightmare to work with.

Looking back, it’s clear that he was discontent. He was looking for something bigger, better. He was restless despite the benefits our family provided him. He wanted more excitement.

And he got it, in the end—even if it wasn’t the kind he was looking for.

“We need to figure out what his game is,” Aiden says lowly. “I don’t buy that he’s just after you. If what you were told is right, he’s been conning people with loan shark schemes.”

“I know. I’m following up on it, but it’s hard to find leads without stirring up the shit.”

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