Chapter 31
THIRTY-ONE
THE DUCHESS
I glided up the stairs, hand trailing along the smooth railing as I ascended to my father’s private dining area. One of my father’s bodyguards opened the door as I approached, and I stepped inside with light feet, trying not to draw attention to myself.
The circular room had high mirrored ceilings, and the panelled walls were a dark black. The room let in sunlight from the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, with a sliding door that opened onto a balcony as large as the room, which my father favoured when the weather was warm.
Most of the space was taken up by a round, ebony table, where the family’s inner circle was already seated.
Jag sat to my father’s right side, his suit jacket slung over the back of his chair. His eyes slid to me and then back to my father as he nodded at whatever he heard.
Gordon Lucas was to my father’s left, looking like an older, shrewder version of Prince. He’d been my father’s second for as long as I could remember, a job that kept him busy. Even now, he seemed to be half-listening as he typed something on his phone.
To his left, Prince’s pack father, and my dad’s cousin Marcus, was doing his best impression of a stone wall.
His own suit sleeves—as always—were rolled up to his elbows, and he never wore a jacket.
My guess was that he couldn’t be bothered to get one custom fitted for his massive frame.
He was my father’s chief enforcer, and in charge of security, logistics, and most of the legitimate casino operations.
The last of Prince’s pack dads was Ashton Vass, who was lounging on the opposite side of the table to my father, already half-through his glass of wine.
He was blond, handsome, and smooth-talking, and dealt with city officials, alliances, and negotiations.
He also had a whole cowboy thing going on, even though we were deep in the city. Jeans and ornate riding boots. Ugh.
Romeo, the spitting image of Ashton—minus the cowboy vibe—was on his phone, looking bored.
He ran the casino’s nightclub as a front for trading in arms and drugs.
He was Prince’s older brother but was fourteen years older than me, so we hadn’t been forced to hang out while growing up, like I had with Prince.
I slid into my seat next to Prince and Romeo’s mom, Angela, not letting my gaze slip to the empty chair that Brian Caulder had sat in until last week.
Prince hadn’t come. I had expected him to show, but I wasn’t sure what he was up to now he was back in town.
My dad didn’t greet me, and I let myself fade into the background, waiting for the food in silence.
Ashton grinned lazily at me as the servers brought out lunch and refilled the wine glasses, but no one else acknowledged I was there.
It was only after the plates had been cleared that I was addressed.
“So, Laurel. I heard you’ve been spending time with our Prince’s pack?” Gordon asked, finally turning his attention to me.
I folded my hands in my lap, offering a smile. “Yes,” I answered. “It was a pleasant surprise to reconnect with Prince.”
“Even with that fight in your suite last night?” Ashton said.
“Not much of a fight,” I responded. “Another alpha intruded on us, quite aggressively. But he was handled. He’s a contender in the Blood Well now.”
I looked at my father, taking my chance. “Actually, the Lucas pack was talking about managing the new alpha. Trying some new things to see if he performs better,” I said, the lie flowing smoothly off my tongue.
My father glanced at Gordon, raising an eyebrow. “It’s time for them to start learning how we do things here. It’s a good plan,” he said.
Romeo looked sour; I doubted he was happy with Prince coming back and starting to learn how my father does things around here.
With that, and the fact Madison had scent-marked me…
Prince was probably gunning to become father’s successor.
A bold move, actually, coming from one of the youngest cousins.
“I’ll orient them to the cages,” I added, needing to find an excuse to visit Ocean without raising suspicion. Thankfully, my father nodded absently, already moving on.
“Now where did you run off to this morning?” he asked.
“Oh, my tea with Soren got rearranged,” I replied, though I’m sure he already knew.
“Ah,” my father said, “yes, I got a message from him this morning with a request to host an associate of his.”
He didn’t hide the disdain in his voice. Soren was everything my father despised, but he was too powerful for my father to brush off or insult. Which was another reason I idolized him.
“Really, Laurel, you missed most of the prep for the photo op,” Angela said in an exasperated tone.
She was in charge of the spa and the events at the casino and controlled most of my social life.
“The reservations are sold out, and we already have people lining up. You need to make sure it goes perfectly.”
I nodded, even as my heart sank. I’d forgotten about the stupid photo op today. My father gave me an affectionate smile, and I held his gaze, my smile feeling stiff on my face.
“So many people would kill for what you have,” he said. “These people adore you. Be proud of the legacy you’ll leave.”
The glint in his eye could almost be mistaken for warmth.
With a flick of his hand, Angela and I were dismissed, but not before I left my pen on my seat, turned on and ready to record.
Angela was annoyingly nattering on about the photo op, but I managed to ditch her after half an hour to go back and retrieve my pen.
I’d been spying on my father’s business meetings for years, not wanting to be surprised by any of his plans.
I’d gotten rather good at it, actually. I peered into the dining room, making sure it was empty before crossing over to my seat. I picked up the pen and clicked it off.
The balcony door slid open, and I looked up to see Jade slipping into the room, a once-familiar sight, since the balcony had an easy way in. Our eyes met, and she shifted on her feet before her jaw clenched and she walked over.
“What are you doing here?” I sat down in a chair, looking deliberately at my fingernails. “The black diamonds are at my villa if you’re here to try and steal those.”
Jade sank into the seat next to me. “No, I came to find you.”
My breathing hitched, and I pursed my lips. Of everything I’d expected her to say, that certainly wasn’t it. “I thought I told you we were done.”
She flinched, to my irritation. She didn’t have a right to be hurt by that.
“Look, Laurel, please let me explain,” she pleaded, and I finally looked up to meet her eyes.
I couldn’t look away.
I should get up and leave, or tell her to fuck off, but I found myself rooted to the spot.
“You and Jule were my only friends, did you know that? My only…anyone.”
I shook my head, and she met my eyes. Everything about her right now was slow and careful, as if she was afraid I’d bolt.
She swallowed. “No one else ever stayed in my life. But you two did. Whenever I came here, I had you guys. I started to think I’d always have you.”
I remembered feeling like that too. That, no matter what went wrong, we’d still have each other. Warm, easy moments sneaking around the casino, laughing in our hideout.
“When Jule and I fell out, I didn’t know how to handle it. I felt destroyed, like nothing was safe. It hurt so bad, and I was so angry.”
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Me too. But you made me go through it alone. Made me think you’d never cared about me at all.”
“I know. I messed up so much, and I couldn’t figure out how to make it right.”
I shifted in my seat, meeting her glittering eyes.
“I didn’t think you’d want me back. I didn’t know how you could ever forgive me, but I couldn’t abandon you. I didn’t come back to use you; I came back because I knew you didn’t have any way to make money for yourself. And the way you looked at me killed me, but I didn’t know how to fix it.”
Her voice was thick now, and I saw a tear drip down her face. She sniffed, and I passed her a napkin to wipe her nose. We sat there at the table, the only sounds our breathing and the hum of the ventilation.
“You fix it like this. By talking to me,” I said. I swallowed past the lump in my throat. She seemed serious, and my anger was crumbling, leaving a painful sliver of hope.
“I’m sorry, Laurel,” she said, sniffing again. “You don’t have to forgive me or anything, but I want you to know I’m here for you. Whatever you need, no questions asked.”
I burst into tears, and she tentatively rested a hand on my shoulder. I pulled her into a wet hug. “God, of course I forgive you, Jade,” I said, lip trembling. “I missed you so much. You and Jule were all I ever had too.”
“I’m gonna make it up to you, I promise.”
My tears continued, all the years of frustration and loneliness bubbling up in my soul. But now, Jade was here with me, to hold me tight as I fell apart. Once I’d gone through enough tissues and composed myself, I sighed. If anyone would care about my mission for Jule, it’d be her.
“There’s something I didn’t tell you,” I said. “At Jule’s funeral, I looked in the casket. The body they buried wasn’t him.”
Her eyes met mine, and her mouth opened slightly. I stiffened a bit, terrified she wouldn't believe me.
“I bet it was your father, wasn’t it?” she hissed instead, and I almost started crying again in relief.
“I don’t know. But he knew. I saw it in his eyes when I told him. Then he turned around and lied to everyone, told them I’d imagined it and didn’t let anyone even check.”
“He’s such a bastard,” Jade said.
“Jule might be alive somewhere.”
Jade looked at me, pain shadowing her face as she drew back. I knew they hadn’t left things on the best terms, but she’d cared about him. And she said she cared about me.
“If there’s even a chance…” I said. “You asked why I haven’t left. I can’t, not until I know what happened to him. I’ve been spying on my father, but he never says anything. I don’t know where else to look.”
Jade’s expression was tight, but she sighed and pulled me into a hug. “Well, you got me back now, babe. I promise I’ll help you find out what happened.”
I slowly relaxed in her arms before tentatively hugging her back.
I wanted to tell her the other trouble I was in, about how I’d been dark bonded, but I’d been ordered not to. But she wasn’t dumb. Even though I couldn’t tell her about it directly, she might figure it out if we kept spending time together. She was my only chance right now.
“Okay,” I murmured into her hair.
At least one thing had gone right in my life this week.