Page 102 of Vexatious Queen

Dad’s hands fell away from my shoulders.

“That I don’t know. My guess is that it has something to do with Christov. They are plotting again. I can feel it in my bones.”

“Speaking of him…”

Dad was immediately alert, and I noticed Marcus shift as well.

“He showed up at the school today. Not to see me, but we ended up having words.”

“Did he hurt you?”

His voice was calm, but there was a lethal edge underneath.

“He thought about it, but I put him in his place,” I said, and heard Nash swear behind me.

I hadn’t told the guys about the altercation yet. They would’ve jumped into protective mode, and that wasn’t what I needed.

“I’ll have him banned from the property. He is in many ways worse than your grandfather. Do not trust him, and if Sabastian is defending him, then do not trust him either,” Dad said, still discreetly fuming.

“I know you all think that Sabastian is the bad guy, but he’s not.”

“I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him,” Nash said, and I looked over my shoulder at him. “What? I don’t. I said that I would give him a chance, but that doesn’t mean I’m not suspicious of him and everything he does.”

“He didn’t even know that Mum wasn’t his mother. Christov has been lying to him this entire time. He is as much a victim of the lies as I am.”

Dad polished off his drink.

“That may be the case, but you’re also proving my point. We don’t know what he believes and what he doesn’t. We don’t know whether a grudge is brewing under the surface or if he just wants answers. Until we know for sure, Nash is right, you can’t fully trust him.”

I crossed my arms and paced the room as I thought.

“I have an idea,” Marcus said.

“I never like your ideas,” Dad said, rolling his eyes.

“Perfect, why change anything now?” Marcus smirked and gave me a wink. “Why don’t we have a family meal? Invite Vadin at least, if not Vadin and Sabastian.”

“You’ve officially lost your mind,” Dad said.

“I like that idea,” I said, earning the identical have-you-lost-your-mind look from Nash and Eddie.

“Marcus it right. What better way to question them than under the guise of a meal? I’m sure you’re able to be covert with your questioning. We are safest here. It is easy to fortify, and they can be patted down for weapons before entering. You have full control of the situation. If Vadin just shows up somewhere else, when I’m alone or with the guys, who knows what can happen. Besides, you also said that Paul was in hot water, won’t this look like you’re trying to mend fences?”

“See, Lilya gets it,” Marcus said, taking a sip of his drink, smirk firmly planted on his lips.

“It’s not a terrible idea,” Nash said. “The guys that work for me will be here as well. We can have them scouting for Vadin’s soldiers. Their age gives them an advantage. They look like friends hanging out. And maybe if we get Vadin and Sabastian in the same room, without Christov, we can poke and see if they’ve been in contact over the years.”

Nash stood and walked over to me, his hand slipping around my waist.

“And I can promise that nothing will happen to Ren. I’ll always protect her with my life.”

“I’m sure Dimitri would love to attend,” Marcus said, chuckling.

“I see you’re aiming for full fireworks,” Dad said, making Marcus laugh louder.

“We need a little excitement in our lives. Your birthday is coming up, or we can do it over Easter. Dealer’s choice.”

“Your birthday is coming up,” I asked, kicking myself for not knowing. “When is it?”