“You shut the fuck up about my father.” His finger jabs toward me and I know I’ve again crossed a line. “You need to accept things as they are now, Keira.”
I lower my head, a move I learned to do a long time ago when having to yield to my father.
“I know how things are now. I have no power. No control." I spread my arms wide, offering myself up like a sacrifice. "So go ahead. Humiliate me. Degrade me. Show everyone how thoroughly you've conquered the Kean princess if it makes you feel good. You want to break me. To make me feel as helpless and betrayed as you did."
Something flickers in his eyes, but it doesn’t appear to be violent rage. His face twists. Pain and confusion war in his expression before the mask slams back into place. He turns sharply, his shoulders rigid as he strides out the door.
I sink back wondering why I keep challenging him like that. It’s stupid. At the same time, I may be powerless, but I'm notbroken. Not yet. And as long as Brigit needs me, I'll find a way to survive whatever cruel games Phoenix has planned.
I replay those last moments with Phoenix, surprised he didn’t lash out stronger. The quick flashes of something other than anger make me wonder if there is still a part of him that is good. He clearly remembers our past. Is it possible to bring him back?
I shake my head. What we had is dead and gone. Whatever good is left in him won’t be spared on me. And I deserve every bit of his contempt. My family destroyed his, and I've carried that guilt for a decade.
But Brigit doesn't deserve to be caught in this web of vengeance. She's the only pure thing in this whole mess. The thought of Phoenix using her as another tool to break me terrifies me.
Phoenix wants a submissive bride to parade in front of Boston's elite? Fine. I'll give him exactly what he wants. I'll plan his perfect wedding, smile at all the right moments, play the role of the conquered princess. Whatever it takes to keep Brigit safe.
My reflection stares back at me from the window glass. I’m shaken and afraid but not defeated. I rise from the seat, knowing I’ve got work to do. One week to plan a wedding. One week to convince everyone I'm the willing bride. One week to figure out how to protect what matters most.
10
PHOENIX
Isit behind Hampton's desk—my desk now—a little annoyed that I’m not feeling more satisfaction with my feat. I’ve achieved what I set out to do. Mostly. Hampton and his wife are imprisoned. Keira is mine to use as an example. The house and property are now in my control. All that’s left are the businesses and respect of the other families, and those are in process.
So why don’t I feel like the king of the world?
So go ahead. Humiliate me. Degrade me. Show everyone how thoroughly you've conquered the Kean princess if it makes you feel good.
Keira’s words come back to me. Hearing them felt wrong, even as she was right. I want her to pay for betraying me and my family. So why did it feel like shit to watch her gracefully accept her lot in life?
My brothers fill the room with their restless energy. Ash paces by the window, jaw clenched tight. I have no doubt he’s thinking of a million ways to kill Hampton. "So we're really letting that bastard live. After what he did to Hannah?"
Flint sprawls in a leather chair, deceptively relaxed, while Blaise leans against the bookshelf, arms crossed.
"We need him alive," I say, my voice level. "For now."
"For now?" Ash turns, blue eyes blazing. "He kidnapped my pregnant wife. He would've killed her if we hadn't gotten there in time."
"I understand?—"
"No, you don't." Ash cuts me off. "You promised me. I’ve followed your orders for the last ten years. I married when I didn’t want to?—”
“And it seems to be turning out?—”
“That’s not the point. The point is I’ve asked you for only one thing, and after everything I’ve done, you’re denying it?”
“It’s not like you didn’t want to enact our revenge too. Hampton stays breathing until we've secured our hold," I say. "Then you can have him."
Flint shifts in his chair. "And what about your bride-to-be? That wasn’t the plan. Where does she fit in all this?"
My jaw tightens at the mention of Keira. "She's insurance. The families respect her, even if they feared her father."
"That's not what I asked," Flint says, and I know Blaise has shared with them both the meeting I had with the men earlier today.
Blaise pushes off from the bookshelf. "You crossed a line today, Phoenix. That shit you pulled with the staff, that was fucked up.”
I can’t stop the look on Keira's face when she dropped to her knees from flashing back through my mind. Not only is she resolved to her situation, but she was calling me out. Wanting to know if I really was the monster I’m purporting to be. She’s learned that I am.
