Weapons?That sounded scarier than it probably should have. Then again, the last movie I watched with people smuggling weapons to the Middle East hadn’t exactly worked out with a happy ending for the smugglers. I wouldn’t even be surprised if this was the shit Delta was up to. After all, Catherine was one of them, and she was Satan’s daughter. “Sebastian,” a deep voice came through the phone in front of Catherine. “I expect you to deal with this. I don’t care what you have to do, make it happen.”
Beck’s jaw tightened, just minutely. I doubted anyone else would have noticed, but I was watching him closely. Almost obsessively.
Because apparently I was fucked up that way.
“When do we leave?” Jasper asked.
Evan’s father answered, his European accent deep and thick. “Private plane will depart at fourteen hundred hours tomorrow. Be on it.”
The four nodded, I just blinked, my expression no doubt a combination of horror and what the fuck?
Remembering Catherine’s threat, I raised my hand in the air. She let out a suffering sound before nodding at me. “What?”
“Uh, why am I here? I’m not part of your company, I don’t have a fucking clue why you would bring me to this meeting.” Okay, I sort of had a clue with the whole successor and stand before your parent thing, but I really didn’t want to be here. “Is this a mistake?”
Please let it be a mistake.
Catherine stood then, her shoulders broad in the black suit jacket. The evil twist to her lips had my stomach clenching tightly. “Did you think I brought you back into my life for love?” She looked her nose down on me. “I told you I needed you. Delta is a five part company, formed by your great-great-grandparents. We have a lot of control in America … we have a lot of control in the world. But you need an heir to remain on the board and vote. I’m not giving up my vote.” She smiled with saccharine sweetness. “Blood is thicker than water, daughter.”
My gaze flicked to Evan, and I could almost see him thinkingspare heirin this head.
A thought occurred to me. “So how do you have a vote at all, Catherine? You’re not blood. You don’t have a dick. What gives?”
My bio-mother’s face tightened into a deep scowl, but it was one of the other men—Evan’s Dad, maybe—who answered me.
“Catherinedoesn’t have a vote. Deboise does. She is simply Richard’s proxy while he grieves the loss of his only—er, oldest—child.”
“You should have just taken the cut, Catherine,” Beck said coldly, drawing everyone’s attention from me. “You still receive your shares, you just don’t get to make the final decisions any longer on Delta business. It was not a bad fate for Deboise.”
Catherine flushed, anger marking red splotches across her cheeks. “You might be the oldest successor, Sebastian, but don’t forget your elders. We still have power, and I can make your life hell.”
He smirked. “You don’t stand a fucking chance against me. If you push, you might find your second heir is no longer a viable option.”
I spluttered before blinking at him. Had he just threatened to kill me to get rid of Catherine from their group?
The threat hit its mark though, and she shrank down into her chair. Beck turned then, and his friends fell in at his side. The four of them moving almost as one entity, so used to each other, they were that in sync. “Be on that plane,” one of the men called after us. “All further instructions will be onboard.”
No one said anything or acknowledged those words, and I was just wondering what the fuck I was supposed to do, when Beck swung toward me, his strong hands wrapping around my biceps as he all but picked me up and hauled me out of the room. My skin tingled and burned where he was touching me, and I sucked in as much air as I could, because his close presence was … intense.
The door closed behind us, leaving the five of us standing in the hall.
“Those bastards,” Evan said, his voice low. “Always making us do their fucking dirty work. How many this time, Beck?”
He shrugged, his face awash in secrets. “Family business, we have no choice.”
“There’s always a choice,” I said softly, and suddenly four sets of eyes were on me, as they moved to surround me.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Riley,” Dylan said, speaking for the first time since he entered the room. I wondered if that was athing, just like him standing back. Was he allowed to speak to them? “You’ve only just stepped foot into our world, and already it’s trying to break you. Imagine living this life since birth.”
“What happened to Oscar?” I whispered, because true fear was driving me now. It didn’t sit right with me, my brother’s death, and even though I had more information coming at me, it wasn’t enough. So much still didn’t make sense, and unless I unraveled the secrets soon, I had this sick sense that I might meet the same fate.
In one swift move, Beck wrapped his hand around the base of my throat, pushing me back against the wall. His hold was tight enough that I could feel it, but not so tight that my breath was cut off. His hard lines were pressed everywhere, and I had to clench my thighs together because a hot, desperate need was clawing at my center. “Don’t fucking mention Oscar to us again,” he growled, lowing his head so close toward my face, that I could almost taste him on my lips. “Our brother was a casualty of this war, and if you don’t watch yourself, you’ll be next.”
His fingers twitched, and despite my deepening desire for this sick bastard, I still had to say something. “Stop threatening me,” I whispered, our gazes locked together so I could see the storminess in his gray depths. “I’ve already lost everything, death is not my worst fear.”
Those last words were choked as I thought of my parents, of the simple but perfect life I’d lost. Beck stilled, and I could tell I’d confused him. It felt like a minute fraction of hostility bled out of him, and his eyes dropped to my lips then, and I sucked in a shocked breath.
He was going to kiss me?
