I have to stay here and figure out what my father is doing–and how to stop him.I have to find Aislyn and get her out of this ring, and then rescue all the girls still in town.
And I have to go into this new role with my father without anyone to watch my back, because I don’t have the first fucking clue where Lucien is.
I know he’d kill me if he knew what I’m about to do without him.
And honestly...
I kind of love that.
Lucien
I’m going to actually kill someone.
“You’re telling me,” I grind out, “that someone made the decision to get into that caravan, find the van I was in, and take the risk of saving me, but there was never any intention of getting her out?”
I look around the table at the five men gathered there, steam billowing out of my eyeballs and ears, and wait for an answer.
They’re not going to have one, I already know that, because this is the five hundredth time I’ve asked since we got back to my mansion last night, and so far, no one has come up with anything to say for themselves.
I pin Daniel Boniface with a look, though, and then Luke, hoping that they’ve maybe found some fucking guts since the last time I asked.
Because who the fuck stages a rescue operation and then only rescuessomeof the people, rather than all of them?
Granted, they did get all my men out, and that was a feat unto itself.I had ten men with me when we went to the port, and though we lost one of them to the fighting at the port itself, the others were all shuffled into the vans.I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but Daniel and his men managed to find everyone and get them into the cars that belonged to my family, and from there back to my house.
I suppose I should give them some credit for that.
But the fact that they left Brooks behind–and didn’t give me any choice in the matter–will never, ever be okay with me.Because now she’s in Dom Landry’s house, alone with no clue of what’s going on.I don’t know what Dom wants with her or why he did things so dramatically, but I can guess.
And none of the options are good.
He used to beat Brooks when she was young, to the point that she still had scars from the beatings years later.When she came back to New Orleans asking for her help, he straight out refused her and then, when she came to me, sent men after her who tried to kill her and her cousin.When she returned again, he acted as though he was happy to see her, only to kidnap her and throw her into a fucking trafficking circle.
He’s not exactly going for dad of the year, and I don’t expect any better of him right now.What’s he going to do, suddenly elevate her to some glorious position in the family?
Doubtful.He’s never liked the girl.
“Whatdowe know?”I ask sharply, standing from the table and stalking toward the control room, which we set up last week.
I can hear several men hustling after me, but I don’t wait for them.I’m angrier than I’ve ever been in my life–or at least angrier than I’ve been since yesterday–and the men behind me are the biggest reason for my anger.Breaking into a cavalcade to save me and getting me out but leaving Brooks is...
If they weren’t my men, I’d have killed them for it.And that’s all.
“Your father wasn’t in favor of saving Brooks,” a voice suddenly says by my ear, and I whirl to stare at Daniel, my mouth open in shock and my heart standing far too still in my chest.
“What?”I whisper.
He gives me a long, narrow-eyed look like he’s deeply regretting having opened his mouth, but then nods once and continues.“Your father.We went to him or backup because we didn’t have enough men to pull it off on our own.He gave us men, but on one condition.We had to leave Brooks with the Landry men.”
He must see my color rising because he puts a hand up and continues before I can say anything.“We didn’t want to, Lucien.We fought with him about it.I nearly walked out.Nearly called the whole thing off.But we didn’t have the manpower we needed to get you out of there, and I wasn’t going to let Dominick Landry get you all the way to his house.Once you were there, we would have been powerless.”
I shut my mouth, because he’s right about that.The Landry mansion has plenty of holes in the security–I should know, as I took advantage of them when I was sneaking into the house to see Brooks, at one point–but if Dom had taken me prisoner, he wouldn’t have left me alone for a moment.And even if Daniel could get men in, the chances of them grabbing me and getting out alive again were minimal.
Still.
I turn and start walking again, incapable of standing still.“And what did my father give you as the reason?”I ask, my voice sharp with hatred.
My father and I have never gotten along.My mother died when I was young and the moment she was gone, Gemini Boudreaux changed from a father to someone who only saw me as his heir.A tool to be sharpened and used.
