Inheriting a SECRET (Corrigan & Co. #7)(44)

What a sad arse. “You realize how stupid you both sound, right? I mean I can’t be alone in wondering how you’ve made it so long in this world by being so chav.”

I should’ve expected the slap, but I didn’t. My head whips to the side, and I can taste blood in my mouth. “I said I like your fire, but there’s a limit to my patience. Even for someone as luscious as you, my dear. You will learn to mind yourself with me.”

“You’ve completely lost the plot if you think that’s ever going to happen.”

He raises his hand again, and I force myself to not flinch back from him. Before he can hit me again, the door bursts open, and a drunken Wayne is there before us.

“Hey, man. Is the party in here, or did I miss it? Maybe I had my own party. I can’t remember.”

“Get out.”

“I’m a guest. You can’t kick me out. Especially since there’s only like eighteen of you in here. I mean, that’s not too many for a party. You could add one more.”

“I’m not going to ask you again.”

“You won’t have to,” Wayne says with a smirk, standing to his full height. I realize now that he’s not drunk and probably never was. He came for in here for me.

Before I can fully process how that thought makes my heart skip a beat, the windows crash open, and the rogue Society members flood the room, along with Nate, Aiden, and Jake. Wayne pulls me to the wall and stands in front of me. “I’ve got you, Jeny,” he says, pulling a gun out of his waistband. “Just stay behind me.”

I want to tell him that I’m not Jeny to anyone, but I’m too busy watching his friends easily overpower the guards. Derrick and Angelo run out of the room when they see that it’s not going to go in their favor. I push Wayne out of the way, and start to go after them.

“Whoa,” he says, grabbing my arm.

“Let me go. I need to go after them. They’re going for my family. I know it.”

“That’s my guess, too,” Reina says, coming up to us. “Ladies, let’s go.”

The men are checking the bodies on the floor, but all of the women follow as Reina leads us to the throne room. The door is open and I hear the clang of swords as we get closer. If those two men hurt my family, I’ll kill them myself.

* * *

Brayden

Derrick and Angelo burst into the room, and I know that the women are here now. They stop short when they see Steven and Noah with swords in their hands. Derrick gets a sadistic smile on his face.

“You two want to play? We’ll play with you. And then we’ll kill Brayden. All of your efforts will be for nothing.”

“We’ll see,” my uncle tells him.

The two men take swords from the guards and then the fights begin. They’re pretty evenly matched, and I’m a little scared for my uncle and best friend. As their swords clang, the room starts to fill up. Reina leads the group of women, who readily dispose of the guards inside of the room. Shortly after, the guards who had been imprisoned because of their loyalty to us, stream in to drag the others out. Jen comes in with Wayne, and then the Society leaders along with Matt, Jessica, Alex, and Miles enter. Jessica and Alex join Reina, while the men stay with their grandmother and her friends.

Derrick makes the mistake of looking around and getting distracted, giving my uncle the opening he needs to plunge his sword into his stomach. It’s gruesome to watch, but I know it needs to be done. I force myself to keep looking as he pulls the sword out and slices it across Derrick’s throat. Angelo shouts out a curse, turning towards his friend. Noah stabs him straight through his throat, and I gag a little. I knew Noah was tough, but that…that was brutal. I know he had it coming, but still.

“It’s over,” Steven says, dropping his sword as the bodies are carried away. “It is finally over.”





Chapter 17


Brayden

“Is it? Is it really over?”

I look up to see Darcy standing in one of the tall windows that are a few feet off the ground. She looks so beautiful and fierce in her leather pants and jacket with her hair free and wild. She has a gun in her hand, and her jaw is clenched.

It’s my uncle who she’s looking at, and he’s the one to answer her. “It is, Darcy. Please come down.” He looks around to the rest of us. “Please step off of the royal seal.”

We all move to the sides of the room. I don’t know what’s going on, but I watch as Darcy jumps down and goes to one knee in the middle of the seal that is painted into the floor right in front of the king’s chair, placing the gun down next to her.

“Darcy, I release you from the oath you swore to my brother, and thank you for your service to the crown. You may give the jewels to Brayden.”

She stands and turns to me, holding out a pouch. I don’t take it, I can’t. “What? Your oath was to my father?”

“Yes.”

“How? I don’t understand.”

She drops her hand and looks behind her. “It’s your story more than it is mine, Steven.”

He nods, and then starts speaking. “As you know, your father and I spent a couple of years attending school in America. While we were there, we met Darcy’s father. He was our best friend, and we stayed in touch throughout the years, even though he chose a life that was…well less than legal. He taught us his cons and we taught him how to fit in with high society. He was very particular about the jobs he did, and never hurt anyone or stole from someone who would be ruined by the loss of what he took.