I nodded slowly. “That’s between the two of you.”
“It is.” Thomas held my gaze. “But I wanted you to know.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“It’s been a long day for everyone. You two should rest. We can talk more tomorrow.”
My body ached with exhaustion I hadn’t let myself feel until now. The adrenaline that had carried me through the confrontation, the tour, and the drive back—all of it was fading, leaving only bone-deep weariness behind.
“Thank you again,” I said to Thomas. “For everything.”
“You’re family, Isabel. Both of you.” He glanced at Kick. “Take care of her.”
“Always.”
20
KICK
Baron Van Orr had stood before Los Caballeros three nights ago, and I still couldn’t quite believe what I’d witnessed.
He’d come to our meeting room in the wine cave at Tryst’s request—a summons, really, though it had been phrased as an invitation. TheViejoshad gathered in full, along with the current members—my generation.
I’d expected defiance when he stood before us. Maybe another attempt at justification for what he’d done.
Instead, the man who faced his fellowcaballeroswas better described as broken. Humbled.
“I have no excuse for what I did,” Baron began, his delivery stripped of its usual polish. “I told myself I was protecting my daughter. That I knew what was best for her. But the truth is, I was trying to control her the way I’ve controlled everything else in my life.” He paused. “I kidnapped my own child. I tried to take her baby from her. I don’t know how to live with that.”
The silence in the room was absolute.
“I understand if you intend to remove me from Los Caballeros. But I’m asking—” His voice cracked. “I’m asking for the chance to make amends. Not just to Isabel, but to all of you. To this brotherhood I’ve dishonored.”
After Tryst asked Baron to step outside, the debate that ensued was heated. Some said what he’d done was unforgivable, a betrayal of everything we stood for. Others argued for mercy.
“Who among us hasn’t done something we regret?” Tryst asked. “Something we’d give anything to take back?”
“All of us have,” Michael Barrett responded, and when he looked at each of us seated around him, everyone nodded. Myself included.
I hadn’t spoken. It didn’t feel right to. But if I had been asked, I would’ve said to let him stay. And in the end, that’s how we voted.
However, there were terms. If Baron ever interfered in Isabel’s life again, if he ever tried to control or manipulate her, the evidence thecaballeroshad gathered would go to law enforcement and he’d not be welcome in Los Caballeros ever again.
Baron had accepted the terms without argument. He’d thanked us and left the cave, looking like a man who’d been given a second chance he wasn’t sure he deserved.
I couldn’t say that I’d forgiven him. I wasn’t sure I ever would completely. But watching him humble himself before the brotherhood, watching him finally take responsibility for the damage he’d caused—it was a start. And for Isabel’s sake, I’d welcome him to be a part of our lives in whatever way she wanted him to be.
Now, Isabel stood at the head of the table in Thomas Whitmore’s study, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
She’d been preparing for this presentation for weeks, refining the pitch until every slide was polished, every talking point sharpened to a fine edge. The 1934 Society had started as her idea—a membership program that would bring Whitmore’s most loyal customers into an exclusive circle, offering them access to limited releases, private tastings, and behind-the-scenes experiences that money alone couldn’t buy.
Now, she was selling it, and she was magnificent.
“The wine industry is changing,” she said, advancing to the next slide. “Customers don’t just want a bottle anymore. They want a story. They want to feellike they’re part of something. The 1934 Society gives them that connection.”
Thomas shifted in his chair, his attention fixed on the screen. Bas sat beside him, arms crossed, but his expression was engaged rather than skeptical.
Isabel walked them through the tiers—the pricing structure, the benefits at each level, the projected enrollment numbers, based on Whitmore’s existing customer database. She answered questions without hesitation, pivoting when Thomas raised concerns about staffing, addressing Bas’ question about event logistics with specifics she’d clearly thought through in advance.
