Chapter 47 Royal
ROYAL
SCARIER THAN THAT
Leticia stopped answering my messages two days ago.
One day ago, I got a notification that there was movement in Casa D’Medici, and Leticia moved back into her parents’ penthouse.
It was a relief from the sickening dread and obsessive attempts at finding a way into Steffano’s network.
His security is good, I’ll give him that, but I had been close when she’d arrived home.
She has her cell phone. I’ve seen her carry it around. I’ve watched as I’ve messaged her, and she seemingly reacts to it.
But she never messages me back. I’ve tried calling too. Knowing that she’s alone in their penthouse, she should have no reason not to answer.
Something happened to Leticia in Italy, but I can’t figure out what.
“Royal.” A soft knock comes from the top of the stairs. “It’s time for dinner and presents.” Antonella beckons me to come up from my lair.
Presents. I wrapped mine while waiting for messages back from Leticia. I take all but the one I bought for Leticia upstairs with me, wishing for one little message back.
I send off one final message for the night.
Royal:
Merry Christmas, Leticia.
It’s read almost instantly, and I spare another glance up at the monitor. Leticia is staring at her phone, fingers poised like she’s going to respond. Instead, she tosses her phone on her bed before flopping back and looking up at the ceiling.
Why won’t our mate be ours? my wolf howls, angry and heartbroken.
I don’t have answers.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Royal.” Valor pulls off his earmuffs and smacks me up the backside of my head.
I lower the rifle, looking at him rather than downrange. “You said you wanted to scare the guy. I don’t think I can get any scarier than that.”
“I was thinking a little more finesse.” Valor sighs, tossing his earmuffs aside. “Come on.”
I set the rifle on the tailgate and walk with Valor downrange, the frozen ground crunching underneath our boots.
We’re barely three steps away from the truck, and Valor starts. “What are you going to do to get Leticia back?”
“What do you mean?” I pretend not to know what he’s talking about.
“Well, she’s already married in Italy. So killing the husband would be my first move.” Valor slows down his steps, falling in line with where I’m dragging my feet.
“Are you being serious? The last time we talked about her, you were pretty much in the ‘let her go’ category.” I stop and shove his shoulder with my fist.
Valor winces, a little sore from Antonella’s wolf still taking chunks out of him when she gets a chance, which is why he needed the younger brother, with the rifle, on the shooting range for this game.
“I admit that from time to time, I can make snap judgments and need a moment to reconsider.” Valor blows out a breath, the exhale going up in a cloud of condensation in the morning light. “In your text, what did you mean when you said: she’s the one?”
“You know what I meant.” I can’t even get the words out of my mouth.
Coming to a full stop, Valor turns on the ball of his feet and looks at me. “For argument’s sake, pretend I don’t.”
Say it with your full chest. My wolf encourages me. He thinks of all the glimpses of Leticia we’ve been storing away in our memory bank where she looked especially pretty.
I shore up and meet Valor eye to eye. “Leticia D’Medici is my fated mate.”
No ifs, no ands, no buts about it. My wolf finishes.
“Then we’ll do what we need to do to get her back, but it’s not going to happen overnight.
” Valor shakes his head and scratches a spot underneath his beanie.
“Give me some time to figure it out. Obviously, killing the husband is the first step, but how to get a profitable deal between the D’Medicis and us that doesn’t violate the truce is a whole other problem. ”
I should probably open my mouth and say I already found a way. But I don’t want to be scolded right now. I’m already hurting, and if Valor finds out what I did, he’s likely to tell me to undo it. I want my safety net in place.
Valor keeps thinking, and we walk the near mile to the target zone.
The man is struggling where he’s tied up against the backstop. Gagged, he smells like piss and fear, and I think some feces might be mixed in there as well. I wrinkle my nose as Valor has to get much closer.
“Paulie.” Valor pulls the gag off the guy, and that’s when he looks vaguely familiar.
Is that the guy who designed Valor’s remodel of the mansion? my wolf asks, cocking his head.
“Why is it that when I went into your office to get the plans for my house, my entire home was being circulated on your televisions?”
“It’s part of the agreement. We can show off remodels that we’ve —”
Valor tuts. “Now I know for a fact that’s not the case with our agreement. I specifically had the agreement modified that you wouldn’t show any of the plans or pictures from our house, including the three-dimensional sketches and computer-generated rendering.”
“I-I-I can explain,” Paulie stammers.
“There’s no need.” Valor clearly isn’t feeling the bloodlust today because that sort of behavior, putting his kid at risk, isn’t normally well tolerated. “When we leave, Royal is going to be accessing your company’s mainframe.”
Oh joy, more work for me. I bite my tongue.
“He’s going to personally scrub every inch of your computers and pull out every single project you’ve done for Clark Enterprises and our subsidiaries.
” Valor smiles, and it’s scary. “Then, because I’m feeling generous, he’s going to give you a software security update.
It’ll let us monitor who you work with, when you start and end projects, and who is paying for everything. ”
“No.” Paulie struggles harder. “You can’t. I have confidentiality —”
“I wasn’t asking.” Valor reaches up and taps the backstop, where the first bullet I sent downrange hit just an inch from Paulie’s ear.
“You’ve been bragging about working with Clark Enterprises for a long time, and now I’m just making it official.
By the time Royal is done . . .” Valor kicks Paulie’s leg over, revealing the second shot that I’d placed between Paulie’s legs.
It nicked his pants but missed anything important.
“You’re going to be a Clark Enterprises subsidiary, and well, I think the metaphor about where this shot landed speaks for itself. ”
We own his family jewels. My wolf laughs. Nice.
I’m smiling at my wolf’s need to explain the nuance, which draws Paulie’s attention. “What can I say, I love a good dick joke?”
The normalcy of working again will be nice though.
“I mean, a hostile takeover isn’t really complete without one, is it?” Valor huffs a laugh.
“Takeover, I mean, silent partners?” Paulie starts trying to make a deal. “Surely we can come to an agreement.”
“The agreement is that I’ve already talked to your chief architects and all the high-level staff.
I picked up the plans for my new build already.
” Valor pulls out his phone and holds up what must be a picture to Paulie.
“See, here’s me and the chairman of the board.
” Valor turns it back to himself before showing him another one. “Me and your chief architect.”
“So, what you’re saying is that Paulie here is really just a figurehead CEO at this point.” I deduce aloud to further the conversation for Valor.
“Exactly. Truthfully, not necessary and redundant. The chief architect could do his job.” Valor stops talking to Paulie and turns to me. “Is it worth keeping him alive?”
I look at Paulie, debating Valor’s words. I don’t particularly enjoy killing people, and Paulie doesn’t seem dangerous. “I mean, I guess. Just in case there’s something I can’t figure out in the system, it might be beneficial to have him alive.”
“When was the last time you couldn’t figure something out?” Valor casually leans against the backstop.
“I mean, never say never . . . but I can’t foresee him being really all that useful.”
I hate when Valor makes me determine whether someone lives or dies, but usually, if we get this far, he’s already decided. He just wants someone to approve his choice.
“What, no. I’ve a wife and kids. You can’t leave them without a father. I’ll do whatever you ask. I’ll step down.” Paulie tries to negotiate.
“Now that you mention it.” Valor pushes off the backstop and stands next to me, looking at Paulie. “There is a job Paulie here could do.”
“Oh?” I look at my older brother, who is full of surprises today.
“We need a messenger. That acquisition we had out in Indianapolis needs a new figurehead CEO.” Valor crosses his arms in front of his chest. “Of course, there’s a salary reduction, and it wouldn’t come with any of the benefits he’s got now.
But if he’s truly begging for his life, then he won’t mind. ”
“I’ll do it. Please. I’ll gladly do it. Help you get the company making more money. It’ll be good.” Paulie nods the little he can with how his head is fastened to the backstop.
“Good, excellent, two birds, one stone.” Valor nudges my arm, and we turn to leave. Valor calls back over his shoulder, “I’ll send someone for you. They’ll have more information about your role. Remember, Paulie, I own you. Not the other way around.”
We’re well out of human earshot when Valor changes the subject.
“I think the best bet is to wait for Steffano to come Stateside. It’ll be easier to make it look like an accident and untraceable.
If we send a hit in Italy, too many things could go wrong.
Like someone claiming the D’Medicis were the ones who ordered a hit.
I don’t want anyone caught in the crossfire. ”
“Your plan makes sense.” I nod and rub my chin.
I should really tell him what I’ve done. I bite my lips together.
The alpha will figure it out sooner or later. Let him think he’s in charge. My wolf yawns and settles in. He knows she’s ours. He’ll know the lengths we’ll go to keep her. It’s just a matter of time.