Page 59 of Blades and Bone

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Brodie called Vivian, praying that she answered. She did and didn’t seem impressed to be woken up. “Do you know how long it took me to get to sleep and how often I need to get up and pee?”

He considered placating her for a heartbeat and decided not to bother because the news was only going to piss her off. “Two men broke in and attacked us. Are you secure?”

She stayed in one of the family suites with its own access. “Yes.” The annoyance was gone from her voice. She called out and issued an order. “Everything is being checked. You’re obviously okay, and Hamish?”

“A stab wound to his arm. One man is dead, the other is unconscious. He will be questioned.”

“I’ll come to you.”

“No. You need to stay put as we don’t know who is behind it…” He wrapped his hand around the coffee cup Hamish had placed in front of him. “I’m sending you a photo of the marking the unconscious man has. Hamish is confirming what it means with his family, but he said it looks like the kind of symbol that is made when a family is taken over.”

He waited for Vivian to get the photo and study it.

“It’s a white dagger,” she said flatly.

“On the palm,” Brodie added.

“Does that mean an Orlan takeover? How is that possible? I’m pretty sure I’m not dead.”

Yet.

Hamish gave him a thumbs-up. Which Brodie guessed meant Hamish’s assumption about the marking was correct. “Who is next in line to rule?”

“Why does he want to know that?” Vivian asked. “I hate this. It would be easier if we were all together.”

“One moment. I’ll put you on speaker so you can hear.” He placed his phone next to the coffee. “What is your family saying?”

“I’m talking to Garrick, who has sent someone to get Ann up. He said the next in line may have sold out the family, which explains the combined symbol.”

Vivian’s voice was surprisingly loud through the speaker. “That’s preposterous. Felicity would never do that. I’m having lunch with her tomorrow…today.”

Felicity worked at the resort as the events planner and was older than both of them. If Vivian hadn’t been born, she’d have been the next matriarch, but his mother’s second last child had been a girl, and while she’d been hoping for another, she’d had him instead and and five had been enough kids for her.

“Garrick said that’s a really bad idea, and I agree,” Hamish said.

Brodie didn’t want to think the worst of his cousin, but if not her, then who? Not only that, since Vivian was having a girl, it cemented her line, while Felicity’s daughter would never rule. “Mirabella would have promised that she could rule as a sub-branch, and to her it probably sounded like a win. Hamish said that the men weren’t fighting like they wanted to kill us.”

“They wanted leverage. If you were captured, Vivian might have stepped aside.” Hamish turned away, cup in one hand, phone in the other, pacing the bedroom in his frayed jeans and nothing else. “How can he be missing?”

Brodie watched as Hamish took a drink, then leaned against the wall, staring out the window.

“Viv, something went down at the bungalow.” That place was meant to be secure. He’d been contemplating getting Viv and going there, but if that was no longer safe, she was better sitting tight. Wasn’t she? He needed to send extra guards, but who did he trust? His brothers were too far away. Suddenly being a small family didn’t seem like such a good thing because if shit went wrong there was no one to turn to and he couldn’t trust Felicity’s siblings.

She swore. “She knows where I’m staying, so I’m a sitting fat duck who can’t do much more than waddle away.”

“You’re not that bad.”

“I have another fourteen weeks of this!” Vivian snapped.

“Felix is missing. Garrick is coming here…he has the clean-up gear and some weapons. We are then to protect Vivian. Ann’s orders.” Hamish put his phone in his pocket.

“Ann can’t order you around,” Vivian said. “This is my territory.”

“Viv, she’s the most senior matriarch and has seen some shit. I think we should listen.” He glanced at Hamish, who simply nodded. “We need to come up with a plan and stop this takeover before it goes any further, and step one is protecting you.”

“If you move, she will know you haven’t been captured, and by coming to me she will know that you know she’s up to something.”