Chapter 89
“Who’s down to tell him we’re just winging it?” Ivar asks when we get back to the house. Ragnar and I both laugh.
“We kind of are. This is supposed to be our first assassination attempt,” Ragnar snorts.
“What?” Ivar looks between us.
“Yeah, and they can never make us testify against one another because we’re married,” I agree. “Or will be at some point.”
“It’s kind of our first evil thing as the King and Queen of our generation,” he nods.
“You two are just giving into this whole fate thing, aren’t you?” Ivar laughs. “I’m really happy for you guys. I am also very afraid for our fate as a people with the two of you in charge.”
“I say we tell him. I mean, we’re in pretty deep already, and I wasn’t sure if he was going to want to be included in the action. My plan was never meant to include them, but we can use this as a learning exercise to test how prepared we are to take that next step. Frankly, I’m okay with just being a princess for a while.”
“Sophia,” Ragnar laughs. “What are you doing?”
“Oh, come on. They would totally throw us under the table, too, if this all went south. And we’d have an excuse. They’re getting in the way. It’s a solid plan C,” I shrug. The two of them laugh.
“She is learning at an alarming rate,” Ivar smirks.
“She is,” Ragnar says proudly. “Her ability to adapt is great.” He stares at me for a while, then shakes his head. “This is going to work, but we can’t do it with them breathing down our necks. I’m with Ivar on this one, and if all else fails, we’ll go with them, trying to get in our way.”
“Okay,” I agree. Before we can say another word, his phone begins to ring. He pulls it out of his pocket and looks up at me, a little startled.
“It’s Polucci,” he informs me.
“Answer it,” I say without hesitation. He answers the phone and gives single–worded answers before he lowers the phone and turns to me again.
“She’s asking for you. They want to make a deal,” he says quietly as if he himself can’t believe it.
“We should go,” I nod.
“Wait, what about the old people?” Ivar jumps up.
“We go with the winging it story. You stay. Keep them off our asses. Tell them something came up,” Ragnar smacks his arm.
“You want me to tell our very unreasonable father that we’ve been winging this and that something came up
Chapter 89
because you’re both bailing? Don’t leave me here with these people. I don’t think I’ll make it, he grabs his arm dramatically.
“You owe us for the beta thing. Stay and be the insufferable asshole we all know you can be, and get the hell out of there. Disappear for a couple of hours. I’ll text you when we’re on our way back, Ragnar pushes him towards the door.
“You guys suck, he growls at us, but then accepts his fate and leaves.
“I suppose we’re going to need money up front for this?” I ask. He nods, and I reach for the duffle bag where i put Santiago’s money before Ivar, and I left Artume.
“Where the fuck did you get this?”
“It’s Santiago’s. I emptied our joint bank accounts and liquidated a few of our investments before I left.
“So, we’re using his guns and his money to get close enough for us to take a shot at him and his family?”
“Correct,” I nod.
“I am going to love this partnership,” he says, giving my cheek a squeeze. “Good girl, Sophie. I’ll pay you back once all of this is settled.”
He gathers the bag and the two of us head out. He reaches into the glove compartment of his car and pulls out a flask like the one from last night.
“Do you know what’s in this?” I ask.
“I don’t, but it’s made in the temple. That’s where Lycans go when they’re looking for a miracle. Ana and Santiago aren’t allowed near the temple because of their lineage. This stays between you and Seraph. You can’t tell them where it comes from. Not until I can pardon them.”
“Shouldn’t they be kissing your ass? They have more to gain than you do,” I huff. He smiles and reaches out to squeeze my face.
“Your temperament brings me comfort,” he says with a grin on his face. “It’s not that easy. Santiago and I have always had an understanding. We grew up together. My mother was close to theirs, and no matter how hard he tried, my father could never get her to stay away from them. We stayed in touch after they both passed away.
“Anastasia is the oldest of the two, and she was raised to hate us by her father. He wanted to use her to kill Ivar and me. When she refused, he-” he shakes his head. “He called it reformation. He isolated her from Santiago and their mother. There were rumors about what he had done to her, and when she returned to the estate, it looked like whatever was done had worked.
“It turned out that she was just biding her time to get close enough to the old man and to test Santiago’s loyalty. She began removing the lower ranks from his team. She made it seem as if he were under attack. By the time she was done with him, he didn’t trust anyone but her and Santiago.
“She ended up cornering him in their garage. It’s how he set her on fire. They had cut his brakes, and he caught her. They fought, and just as she was moving in to kill him, he set himself and her on fire. Santiago was able to put her out with his jacket. He’s been the face of everything since.”
Chapter 89
“Ugh,” is all I can muster. “I can’t even imagine having to live that way”
“Me either. I argue with my old man all the time, but I can’t even fathom the idea of being the one to put him down. I trust that he’ll always have my best interest at heart.”
“Samezies. I love your dad. He’s fucking funny,” I admit. He grins, rolling his eyes. “What happened to their mom?”
“I think we’re going to have enough of them tonight. A story for another time, Little Wolf,” he shakes his head.
I decide to drop it. I don’t want to know if he’s drawing a line after the story he just told me about their father. I take a deep breath and sit back to watch as the rain slides across the windshield. I need to calm myself so I don’t crumble under the pressure of all this.
When we arrive, there is a mini–army of Lycans awaiting us. As soon as we’re out of the car, we’re patted down, and Ragnar’s car is taken for inspection. He warns them about scratching it as we’re escorted to the front door. He reaches for my hand before we walk inside.
“Ready?” he asks.
“If I told you I wasn’t, what would you do?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” he smirks.
“We shouldn’t keep her waiting,” I smile. “It’s a good thing my morbid curiosity overwhelms my fear of dying. It could be a problem for us in the future.”
“We’ll cross the bridge when we get there,” he sighs. “For now, we’re both going to need it.”
五
AD
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
