“You should've thought about that before you crossed me,” I whisper in his ear. Grabbing my butcher knife from its sheath, I hold his head steady with one hand, as I plunge the knife through his temple with the other, twisting it to make my point to the others clear. Stack’s limp body hits the ground with a loud thud, a river of crimson pooling beneath his head. There’s no room for mercy in my business and although I should’ve made him suffer, I’m not in the mood tonight.
“This is what happens when you betray me, lie to me, or steal from me. Understood?” I ask, loud enough so that everyone could hear me. Each member mumbling, yes, shocked as they stare at the body laying at my feet.
“When you leave here tonight, put the word out on the street about what happens when you fuck over the Royal Bastards!” I sneer, wiping my knife clean on my jeans. “Let ‘em go,” I order and one by one, they scurry to their cars like the pussies they are and tear out of the lot. Dementor calls in his crew to help clean this mess up while the rest of my men congregate next to our bikes.
Walking in the opposite direction, I tell Steel I need a moment alone to think. I can't go through this again. It feels like I'm losing control of my club and I'm not sure how much longer I can keep living this double life. Jameson, the President of the Royal Bastards National Chapter, entrusted me to continue my father's legacy. He would know how to handle this situation, so I'll give him a call. But first, I need to call my wife and inform her that I'll be away longer than expected. I have to fix the mess that Stacks caused for my club, so I'll personally oversee the vetting of the new runner and assign Nightmare to watch his every move.
FOUR
EMBERLYNNE
After wrappingup the second meeting of the day, I make my way back to the office for a quick lunch and to get ready for the acquisition meeting later in the day. When Silas is away, my days at work are hectic but I enjoy the challenge of handling things independently to show our employees that they can rely on me in my husband's absence. Initially, some board members doubted my ability to handle the demands of a COO, but I have not only proven my competence in the role but also earned their respect. Upon entering my office, my assistant Londyn, who has become one of my closest friends, is setting our lunch down on the table in front of the couch. It couldn’t have come at a better time because I’m starving.
Earlier, I felt a bit queasy, but now, my stomach has settled. Maybe I'm just overthinking things. Work has been incredibly stressful recently, so that could be the cause, right? However, there's a nagging thought at the back of my mind - what if I'm pregnant? I noticed this week that I've missed my period for the second time. We’re always careful, but nothing is foolproof. My periods have always been irregular, and while birth control was meant to help regulate things, I still tend to skip cyclesoccasionally. This second missed period prompted me to stop by the drugstore before work and buy a test. But for now, I'll take a moment to relax and have something to eat.
“Thanks for joining me for lunch, Londyn. I need a break from all those meetings.”
“Anytime, Ember. It's nice to get away from the desk for a bit and catch up. How's your day going so far?”
“It's been non-stop! We had that budget review earlier this morning, which went very well, by the way. Followed by the strategy meeting on buying Stephens Global Inc. How about you?”
“Pretty busy too. I managed to complete the travel arrangements for the conference next week, and I’m almost done with the quarterly report.”
“Great job as always. That puts me well ahead of my schedule for the rest of the week. Which is actually a good thing. Silas called in between meetings and said he needs to stay longer than expected,” I relay solemnly, disappointed that my husband won’t be home until next Sunday. I was hoping we could take an impromptu trip up to Blue Ridge with Piper, our Pitweiler, this weekend and get a hike in but oh well. We’ve had our fur baby for three years and she loves hiking the trails with us. She is a rescue pup that we both fell in love with and has been a great addition to our family.
“Which means you’ll be handling the acquisition, solo,” Londyn says, breaking my reverie.
“Yes, but, I’m prepared for this and it should go smoothly.”
“It’s a lot of pressure, but I know if anyone can do this, you can.”
“Thank you for the vote of confidence. Silas believes I can pull this off, but there’s nothing like having your bestie on your side,” I tease, giving her a smile. She has been my rock in more ways than one. I’ve shared things with her that I’ve yet toshare with my husband and I’m not sure I ever will. I suppose at some point I have to, but for now, I just don’t have the courage. Londyn has been my assistant since I became the COO of Barrister Holdings. Over the years, she and I have become more like sisters than colleagues. Although we’re not equals in business, I don’t treat her that way. Our friendship means everything to me.
“You guys deserve some time to unwind,” she comments between bites of cobb salad.
The chicken soup with crackers she brought me, has done wonders for my upset tummy.
“Well, I wanted to drive up to the mountains with Silas, but since he’s going to be away until next week, I’m not sure it would be worth the trip.”
“That would’ve been so good for you two. It’s been a long time since your last vacation and I heard about the new trails up there. It would be great to get away and get a break from the office.”
“Well, since he won’t be home, would you care to join me,” I ask, hoping that I’ll get some time away from the city despite Silas not being here to join me. Although we live in the suburbs with at least a mile from our nearest neighbor, there’s nothing like spending time in the mountains.
“Sounds amazing! I’ll come over Friday and we can leave early on Saturday.”
“It’ll give us time to catch up on our reading as well,” I add. We’ve been reading, “It Ends With Us” by Collen Hoover. It’s been all the rage lately because the book has been made into a movie and we already have our tickets.
“That sounds absolutely perfect!”
“Have you thought more about telling Silas about your past?” She inquires. “You’ve always been so open with each other and Iknow you try to hide it, but I can see that it’s starting to weigh on you.”
“You’re right, it has. We have always been honest with each other, and that’s what makes this even harder. It wasn't relevant at the time, but my father called me this morning and a threat which I assumed was taken care of, has resurfaced.”
“Is it something serious? Do you think it could change how Silas feels about you?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I keep telling myself that he’ll be understanding and we’ll work through this together, but it’s still difficult. I don’t want him to feel like I’ve been hiding things from him. Then there’s something else that’s come up,” I admit hesitantly, unsure of how this will affect my marriage.
“Something else?”
