9. Knox
KNOX
M argaux had a fire in her that her uncle had missed. The red dress Jett insisted on took her beauty and put it on display. I supposed that if tonight were step one in a new plan to disrupt Senator Harrington’s plans, then this was the way to do it.
The issue? And it sure as shit wasn’t just mine, was the way we all looked at her.
What had Ronan started? Arranged marriage?
I think we all agreed that it was bullshit.
His father had his reasons for setting it up.
He always had reasons. Ronan was just a product of an affair, but he’d proven himself to Barone and earned respect.
Ronan was a key player in Barone’s plans, and as long as he fell in line and followed the family’s rules, he was rewarded. We all were.
Tonight was one more game for the family. A high profile-auction for charity. One more piece for the family’s puzzle.
It had taken us years to earn our place in the Barone family. Not all of us were born to the right relative, and not all our relatives lived to tell the tale. The four of us learned early on how to survive. So why the fuck was Margaux disrupting our lives?
We’d never had a woman with us in public, let alone in our limo. I disliked change.
I’d watched Margaux for the last however many miles, trying to read her. The girl had a poker face to be envied. She looked happy as long as you didn’t pay attention to those eyes of hers.
I leaned forward in the limo and slid my hand up her exposed thigh, pushing the slit of the dress aside to give me access to the thigh that was covered by the silky fabric.
I didn’t let the amusement show, but when she jumped and tried to squeeze her thighs tight, I enjoyed pressing my fingers between them apart far too much.
“Careful, angel. A man might think you’re playing hard to get.”
Her eyes were wide and her hand rested on my shoulders like that would stop me.
“What are you doing?”
I noticed the way she looked around the limo like it would change anything.
“This.” I held up a small thigh holster with a knife. “It won’t kill anyone, but if you need to get away go for the eyes or throat.”
Her breasts rose and fell quickly. I liked that she responded to my touch in such a way and hated that I thought that at all. It was clear that my brothers didn’t view her as a simple toy. She was different, and I couldn’t determine why.
Her skin was soft under my touch, and maybe I lingered longer than needed. Perhaps the backs of my fingers brushed over the thin lace of the panties just to see her reaction.
My cock jumped as I watched the way she bit down on her bottom lip like she was trying to keep herself under control.
The driver stopped in front of an older downtown Vegas icon, and I shifted back to my seat.
There was a steady stream of cars for the charity auction. We weren’t here for the charity. Rarely was anything what it looked like. This wasn’t a choice, but we needed something being auctioned off.
The whole thing was slight to our family and our control of Vegas. There weren’t many families left, but those that were, politicians sure as hell were doing their best to force us out and take over with their own corruption. One evil for another.
Ronan covered Margaux’s leg, but the slit of the dress fell open anyway. Interesting that he cared at all.
I needed my cock to settle down. I tried to focus on the faces of those walking the carpet to the event. But she was in the back of my mind the whole damn time. Margaux was that change that I’d never expected. Would she play the role she would need to?
I studied her as the limo door opened. She might have looked innocent, her eyes downcast, her fake smile pasted on, but I could see that glimmer of something in her eyes.
The darkness she hid. This was a test, and I wanted to see if she would pass.
We’d missed something about her over the years.
Perhaps we’d been far too focused on the uncle to realize she could be a tool.
I needed to adjust my pants as I moved to get up.
Stepping out of the car, Ronan kept Margaux on his arm, but Jett took up the other side, and I half expected to see Ronan put him in his place. Instead, he just kept walking with Talon and me on their heels.
“What? We’re caging her in public now too?” Talon asked me, indicating the trio in front of us.
I studied them.
“Not sure we have a solid plan with her yet. Ronan’s got something going on with this Margaux situation. Jett? He’s just having fun. I’ve never seen him quite like this, though. If she breaks his heart, we will remove hers.”
Talon nodded knowing I wasn’t kidding. Jett needed our protection. He was the joy in our darkness, and if she ever dimmed his light? Well, he was my brother, my choice, and she was just some woman.
Some woman we’d all been watching and catching glimpses of for far longer than she probably had a clue. I wonder if she knew just how corrupt her uncle really was.
I wondered if she was the missing card to our royal flush.
Talon and I walked in silence as we entered the main banquet hall.
There was a live orchestra in the corner.
I sighed. Pretentious rich assholes. I needed something to distract me, and the lighter in my pocket was the best option I had at a party like this.
I pulled it out and flipped the lid open and closed.
I pushed the limits by igniting the flame just to snuff it out over and over.
Following behind my brothers, the pattern we walked seemed a bit random. Jett seemed happy to strut around on her arm, but the whispers? We made it to the other side of the room and grabbed drinks from the staff holding trays. I lowered my voice to talk to Ronan.
“Was the plan to spark rumors or were you looking for the fiancé?”
He wasn’t letting go of Margaux, and as I followed the line of where he was looking, I realized why.
“Both,” was all he said.
The four of us kept close, although I guess now it was five, unless she betrayed us. What was she going to do?
“Mar? Is it you? Why haven’t you answered my calls?”
I moved aside as the little brunette from the game the other night pushed her way through. The way Margaux embraced her, well, we allowed it.
“Sorry. I had some issues with my uncle and turned off my phone.”
More like we took the damn thing. We weren’t allowing her uncle to track her or us.
The two girls talked for a moment or two, but Jett wasn’t letting Margaux go.
My brothers and I kept a close eye on Senator Harrington as he watched us. We were also keeping an eye on Margaux by blocking her in a circle or ring-around-the-Margaux.
“Mar, who are these hunky men? I didn’t think your uncle had anyone around like them.”
The girl took us all in.
“We’re not her uncle’s friends,” was all I said.
“Reina, uh. This is Jett and Ronan. The really friendly one there is Knox, and this is Talon.”
I didn’t bother saying shit because right now I was more concerned about the way her uncle was moving.
“Not his friends? Not his hired guard dogs either? Are you–”
The girl, Reina, was cut off.
“Margaux, dear. Where have you been all night?” the senator asked, his tone clipped.
I shouldn’t have intervened, but I shoved my body between him and Margaux before anyone else could. She pressed closer to my back and I glanced over my shoulder. I wasn’t exactly surprised at the smirk on Margaux’s face, but the way I couldn’t deny her beauty?
“I missed you too, uncle. I was with some friends, as you can see. Why?” She put her hand over her mouth in mock surprise. “Oh, dear. Did me ditching you ruin your night?”
I didn’t miss the way the senator’s fingers were turning more and more white as he gripped his glass.
Jett pushed aside the Reina girl, and in my peripheral I watched her give Margaux a second glance before retreating with a little, “Call me later?”
I didn’t hear Margaux respond, and maybe she knew that her freedom would all depend on us and what we wanted.
“Listen, here. I don’t know who you four are, but I’ll transfer two million to walk away right now.” The vein popping out of his neck was a giveaway at just how much this was getting to him.
She moved around me too quickly for me to pull her completely back.
“Thank you, uncle. Two million sounds great. You know my bank —”
His hand shot out and wrapped around her neck, and Ronan had a knife pressed against his crotch almost a second later.
“Let her go and you can live another day to fuck around and find out. Understand me?” Ronan’s words were whispered.
I looked around. No one noticed or cared. I doubted anyone but me and the dear senator heard what Ronan had said.
Harrington glanced down, and the moment he saw the glint of the knife, well, it was hard to miss the way his eyes stretched open.
I leaned in closer.
“My brother doesn’t lie. I suggest you let her go.”
I was rather good at these games, but I couldn’t deny the swirl of anger in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t like that he thought he could touch what was ours.
Ours? Did that sound right? I wasn’t sure that Ronan viewed her as his or ours or the enemy. All I knew was that whatever Ronan’s plan, I would trust it.
I glared at the good old senator. I knew him even if he didn’t know me. We’d been watching him and, by association, her to get information on who was all in on the land grab pissing off the family. Barone hit red tape too many times bidding on jobs for it to be coincidence.
Someone was cutting into our business, and when that happened, this happened.
A few uncomfortable breaths later he let go, and Ronan made the blade disappear with finesse. No one here was the wiser.
“Give me my niece back and no hard feelings. Let me introduce myself?—”
Jett cut him off.
“We know who you are, Senator. Tell us, why would we let our pretty girl go just for you to lock her away?”
Harrington cleared his throat.
“I apologize, but you have the privilege of knowing me and my niece, but I don’t seem to know her little friends.”