Last night had been…informative. Theo had finally opened up to me about what had actually taken place in Istanbul, and now that I knew the facts, I was more determined than ever to get to the bottom of who was behind this.
Someone was fucking with him, and that didn’t sit well with me. Neither did the fact they were obviously trying to cause a rift within Libertine by pitting us against one of our own.
The other thing bothering me? This asshole—whoever it was—was good. They’d not only managed to bypass Alessio’s security systems, but also the Palace of Monaco’s walls to deliver two incriminating pieces of information.
They were cunning and determined, hellbent on ruining Theo—and that made them our number one enemy.
All I needed to do now was get King on board, and the best way to do that was have Theo talk to him. Something Theo clearly wasn't looking forward to, judging by the solemn expression that had been plastered across his face the entire triphome. He’d also been uncharacteristically quiet, which never meant anything good when it came to Theo.
But I could understand his reluctance. King wasn’t the easiest person to talk to. He had a brusque way about him, a control that made him seem unbending in his resolve—but he wasn’t unreasonable, and once he found out what Theo had been up to and why, he’d be the first to get behind him.
At least, that was what I hoped.
The moment the wheels touched down on the tarmac and the jet came to a stop outside its designated hangar, Theo was unbuckling his belt and getting to his feet.
“In a rush?” I asked as he grabbed his carry-on from one of the compartments.
“I phoned for a car as we were landing, and it should be”—he bent to look out the window—“waiting for me.”
I frowned and peered out the window to see a black Rolls-Royce with the Monaco flags on the back of the vehicle and let out a sigh.
“You had them send the royal car? That’s not exactly subtle when heading to Libertine.”
“Agreed. But I’m not going straight to Libertine.” Theo went to walk by me, about to exit the plane, but I grabbed hold of his arm and got to my feet.
“What do you mean, you’re not going to Libertine? We decided?—”
“No,youdecided. The time we’d fly out. The excuse I’d tell my family. When and what we’d tell King. But news flash, you aren’t my handlerormy scheduler, so I’m going to go home, shower, and relax before going one on one with the Almighty King.”
“Theo that’s not a good?—”
“Idea?” He nodded, then looked down at where my hand rested on his arm. “Probably. But if I don’t have a second to getmy head on straight and unwind, I might accidentally blurt out something I shouldn’t. Like how damn good it felt having your cock inside me.”
I dropped my hand as though his arm was on fire, and Theo scoffed.
“Exactly. I need to be firing on all cylinders before I deal with King, because we both know if he lands a low blow I’ll go lower, and I have some really,reallygood ammo up my sleeve this time around.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and scrubbed a hand over my face. The last thing Theo should do was taunt King with our recent involvement. Not because I thought he’d care, but because in all likelihood he wouldn’t, and then it would just be one more reason King would be pissed at Theo—and me.
What a colossal mess that would be, and what would be the point? It wasn’t like this thing we’d fallen into in Monaco was going to continue. So then we’d just be in the doghouse because of a moment that was now over? That was definitely something I’d rather avoid, and if Theo needed an hour or two to get his shit under control, then I wasn’t about to pressure him.
“So what time should I tell him you’ll be there?”
Theo stopped by the door but didn’t bother looking back as he said, in true Theo fashion, “Whenever I fucking get there.”
“I WAS WONDERING what time your plane was getting in.”
King’s familiar voice had me drawing to a halt as I made my way through the carved stone halls of the private underground rooms of Libertine.
Our exclusive, members-only club—a nondescript black building—took up a full block in New York, and to the outside world looked abandoned. But if you were lucky enough to be granted entry, one soon found out there was a whole differentworld on the other side of the bolted doors. One full of luxury, decadence, and excess. One that was only available to a select few.
This underground section of the club was even more exclusive. Only seven people had access, and as I came to a stop and turned to face the leader of our elite group, I braced myself for what I knew was going to be a less-than-pleasant exchange.
“You didn’t ask Alessio for our flight details?”
“No.” King slipped his hands into his pockets as he walked toward me, his eyes shifting past my shoulder as though looking for Theo. “But I did expect there to be two of you when you finally arrived. What happened? Did you push Theo out of the plane mid-flight?”
Usually I’d laugh that off and agree that would be the best way to shut Theo up. But something about the comment had my hackles rising.
