The Fearless King (The Kings #2)(79)



But she wasn’t stupid, either.

“After I handle the Eliza situation, I’ll be going into the office to meet with Anderson and hash this mess out. I’ll take whoever you want to send with me.” She held up a hand. “Two men. I don’t need a small army surrounding me, no matter what you think.” It would be comforting to be in the center of men Frank trusted to keep her safe, but that wasn’t what standing on her own looked like.

He seemed to consider arguing but finally gave a short nod. “Two men, and they go with you everywhere.”

“Fine.” Her stipulations from the night before still stood, but there was no reason to fight about it again. They’d compromised, which was more than she could have hoped for considering how deep Frank’s protective instincts ran. He loved her, and if he thought he failed her…Journey didn’t like to think about what it would do to him.

I can’t live my life in a glass box because I’m afraid of him getting hurt.

She’d tried that. She’d failed, and when her father shattered the box around her, it had almost sliced her to pieces in the process. Never again. Journey walked to him and went on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his lips. “I promised I’ll be careful, and I meant it. Trust me to keep my word.”

“It’s not your word that I’m worried about, Duchess.” He settled his hands on her hips and tugged her against him. “How are you feeling today? Truthfully.”

“Truthfully?” She considered lying, but he’d see right through it. “I’m stressed that this is going to blow up in my face and that someone I care about will get hurt because I’m not smart enough or fast enough to fix things before they spiral further out of control. I’m worried about a dozen different things, all of which are jockeying for position in the front of my mind.” In addition to all the life-and-death family shit, she still had to sit down with Ronnie and figure out how to get the tech department back within their budget, and then deal with George and his shitty-ass attitude.

Just thinking about it made her want to take a nap.

She braided her hair and pinned it up in a look that was a little boho for her tastes, but since Frank didn’t own a hair dryer, it was the best she had to work with. Journey pulled a dress out of her bag, considered it, and traded it out for a pair of slim black slacks and a red blouse. If I have to run, pants are a better option. Paranoid thoughts, but it wasn’t actually paranoia if people were truly out to get her.

One thing at a time.

First she had to ensure Eliza was safe. That had to be her top priority right now. A close second was getting their company out of the fire, at least for the near future.

Journey straightened her shirt and tucked a stray strand of hair back into her braid. “I’m ready.”

It almost felt like the truth.

*



Leaving Journey on the curb in front of the hospital—again—was the hardest fucking thing Frank had ever done. He kept thinking about what could go wrong the second she left his line of sight. It took everything he had to drive away and leave her there with Ethan and José flanking her. They would keep her safe. There was no other acceptable outcome.

Not to mention she’d never forgive him if he tried to keep her away from this mess.

He checked the time and headed for Morningstar Enterprise. Beck met him as he stepped off the elevator. His friend cast a critical eye over Frank. “You look pretty damn happy.”

“I…am.” The words tasted strange on his tongue. Strange, but not unpleasant.

Beck stared for a long moment and then burst out laughing. “Holy shit, you’re in love. That’s the only thing capable of making this shit show of a situation with my family look even remotely positive.” His dark eyes took on a crafty gleam. “How is my cousin, by the way?”

“Journey is fine.” And she’d damn well stay that way with Ethan and José watching her back. He followed Beck into his office and took the chair across from the desk. “We need to fast-forward on your reconciliation with your cousins.”

Instead of sitting behind the desk, Beck took the chair next to Frank. He frowned. “What the hell is going on, Frank?”

Frank hesitated. He trusted Beck with his life. No question. But did he trust Beck with Journey’s? By telling Beck exactly how bad things were over there, he’d be opening the door to more corporate warfare. Beck knew something big was happening because of the meeting with Frank and Anderson the other day.

Stop second-guessing yourself. You know Beck. You trust Beck. The man is not going to turn mercenary just because you suddenly have more at stake in this situation.

“Esther Bancroft has orchestrated a hostile takeover of Kingdom Corp. She turned the board at some point, and she sent in Elliott as soon as Lydia was gone to soften your cousins up to seeing things her way.” It really was a brilliant plan as such things went. “She offered them a deal—she’ll send Elliott back into whatever hole he was hiding in as long as Journey and Anderson fall in line.”

“Hmmm.” Beck sat back and drummed his fingers on the armrest. “She doesn’t have to play nice with them. If she has the board, she has the company. Even as COO and CEO, Journey and Anderson can only do so much without board approval. She’s hamstrung them.”

“Yes.” Frank had already put some thought into this. “But if she wants a healthy company—and all evidence says that she does for bargaining purposes, if nothing else—then she needs to keep the status quo. I don’t expect she plans to keep them on indefinitely. Once she’s accomplished what she’s set out to do, she’ll kick them to the curb. I’d wager she already has that exit strategy in place.” It was what he would have done in her place.

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