Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 98121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
And I still hate myself for it. Still feel all that shame. I will never not.
“I’m trying to do right by you, Jethro,” Senna says, his tone gentler. “Your grandfather was posthumously excommunicated from The Society, and your family was given the choice to stay or go. Severin, as the head of the family, you chose to leave us, and we honored your request with terms agreeable to us all. That agreement was broken when you, Jethro, decided to keep memorabilia–”
“I’m going to fucking—”
“Brother,” Sev barks, hand over my thigh, his tone stopping me. “Focus on what’s important now.”
He’s right. And what’s important is somewhere upstairs in this godforsaken place and I need to get to her and get her off this island.
“That watch should have been destroyed but because it was not, it has cost more men their lives. I do believe you are here in good faith, and I understand what happened to you may be triggering.”
“Jesus. Fucking. Christ. Fucking get to it.”
“And thus, I will draw up a new agreement with updated terms.”
“Great. I’ll sign it. Now I’d like to get my wife and get the fuck out of here.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to spend the night, at least.” He gestures out the window where hail pelts the glass. “One night, Mr. Blackstone. Tomorrow, the forms will be ready. Once you sign, you will be permitted to depart.”
“You can email the forms. I’m getting my wife and we’re all leaving now.”
“We don’t use electronics for such communications as I’m sure you and your brother would understand. It would be a shame for anything…untoward, to find its way into the wrong hands.”
I’m about to ask what kind of threat that is when Sev stands. “Councilor. It’s fine. My brother just misses his bride. I’m sure you understand.” Before I can say anything to either of them, my brother turns to Robertson. “If you can have your man show us to our rooms.”
26
JET
“What the fuck, Sev?”
Sev ignores me as Jameson shows us to our rooms while educating us on the castle’s history as if we’re here on some tour. A fucking vacation maybe.
“Your rooms are adjacent,” he says and opens the first door. “Here is—”
“It’s fine,” I bark at him, needing to talk to my brother alone. “My wife?” I ask.
“She’s having lunch in the East Conservatory.”
I’m surprised but glad she’s not cowering to these assholes. “We’ll join her in a few minutes.” I close the door in his face before he can annoy me further and I have no choice but to punch it.
Once we’re alone, Sev walks through the room scanning it. Trust issues. It’s a Blackstone family trait. He’s a man experienced at looking for bugs and hidden cameras. I wait for him to finish and raise my eyebrows.
He shakes his head, signaling he doesn’t see anything obvious. “But you never know,” he says casually, walking over to where his suitcase is laid on a luggage rack, the case itself open. “Someone unpacked for me. How lovely.”
“I’m sure it was all done with the best of intentions,” I say with an eyeroll. “Just being nice and wanting to make us feel welcome.”
“Don’t antagonize Senna, Jet. Or Robertson for that matter. Let’s just get through this night and get home.”
“Why the hell do they want us to stay?”
“You know how official things are with them.”
“I don’t, actually. You handled all of that. Why are you being so cooperative? That bastard knows full well what our grandfather did. Hell, they were grateful once upon a time that we handled the situation for them. We did them a favor. Yeah, I kept the watch when I agreed I wouldn’t keep anything. Make the man disappear like he never existed at all. You know I wanted that more than anyone. But it was me down there in that room, Sev. Me he—”
“I know that, Jet.” Severin walks toward the window. He keeps his back to me. “Believe me, I know. But it doesn’t matter, not to them.”
“I know. I’m sorry you’re in this shit again because of me.” I push a hand into my hair.
“It’s not because of you,” he says.
“Yeah, well, we’re here all the same so.” He just gives a shake of his head as he studies the view from the ironclad window. I dig my phone out of my pocket, at least they didn’t take those. But then I remember Amal doesn’t have one because I took hers. “Shit.” I scan the messages but realize nothing new has come in since about the time we got on the plane. I try sending one to Cassian to test a theory, but it doesn’t send. “They’ve blocked our phones,” I tell Sev.
“Figured they would if they didn’t take them outright.”
“I need to find Amal. I don’t want her alone with these people.”