When Adria tried to cover his mark, he grabbed her wrist. “I want to see it.”
She seemed like she wanted to argue, but instead, she just nodded.
His legs felt unsteady as he got up. He moved slowly, feeling lightheaded. At the corner of the room, was a mirror.
When he glanced into it, Adria was right behind him. Her eyes watching, no doubt waiting for him to fall over.
“I’m okay,” he said, bringing his eyes to the mirror.
There she was, just over his shoulder and on his chest. Bryson saw three eagles flying just above his heart, and above that, were two wings.
Adria’s wings.
EPILOGUE
NORTH CAROLINA
Eric opened the morning paper. His contact, Josh, communicated solely through code in The Charlotte Observer. His eyes scanned quickly over the obituaries until one caught his attention.
“Gregory ‘Lucky’ Harmon passed quietly in his sleep. Survived by his three beloved nephews. Services held at Crescent Hill Chapel this Saturday at 2:45 pm In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Horseshoe Foundation.”
There it was.
“Lucky” wasn’t a nickname. It was a reference to the high-roller table. And “quietly in his sleep”? A signal the dice were being loaded—someone had been cut out.
Three nephews.
Three players still in rotation? Or three who made a clean break?
“I’m going for a run, old man,” Bryson said.
Eric gripped the paper, losing his train of thought. “You don’t have to tell me anymore, kid,” he said.
“And miss out on that face when I interrupt your morning routine,” Bryson said, laughing.
Eric would have ignored him, except he heard Bryson pulling up a chair across from him.
“You all ready for the feisty heiress?” Bryson asked.
Eric’s mind immediately went to the room he and Adria had outfitted next to his.
What used to be his training room was now a BDSM dungeon. Although he would probably do most of his training in the woods a half mile from here.
He shifted. “You ready for Cole?”
Bryson tapped his fingers on the table, and Eric folded the paper, looking at him.
“Cole’s great. He’s helping me get one of Adria’s side-income projects up and running.”
Eric’s expression was calm. “That’s great, kid. Jealousy didn’t suit you, anyway.”
“Yeah well, I just started thinking, what was there to be jealous of? I got the brand.”
Eric watched him. Bryson was practically vibrating with pride. He had grown so much in their short time together, but he was still so young.
“So basically, you won?” Eric said dryly.
Bryson gave him a full grin. “Yeah, I fucking won.”
