Elegant Sins - Stasia Black Page 0,77

the information from the warning call. How could anyone know about the shipment? I knew it was coming, and I also knew my father had it loaded with so much Black Market shit that it oozed with shady dealings. There was nothing I could do to stop my father while being here at The Oleander, and although I hated what was happening, I was powerless.

But the Feds knew… Father had been sloppy.

There would be a bust…

Running my hand through my hair, I took a deep breath to try to calm my nerves and to formulate a plan of action. Father’s ego and his power-hungry greed might fuck up everything.

I immediately tried calling him but there was no answer. I considered calling my mother but there was no point in waking her up and scaring her if there was nothing she could do to stop him. If the shipment was due to arrive in an hour, then he would be out of the house and heading toward the warehouse anyway.

There was only one thing to do. I had to go to that warehouse to stop him myself.

I went back to the bedroom to get dressed. Grace was still sleeping, beautiful in the moonlight that shone through the window.

I crept as quietly as I could over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans and a black cotton shirt.

Part of me wanted to wake her up and explain it all. But what could I say? That I was risking everything we’d sacrificed so much for to go to try to save my jackass of a father?

I’d had a plan. I’d been trying to ingratiate myself to him, pretending to play his games so he’d let me in to the inner workings of the business and I could have a shot at stopping the illegal shit from the inside before it got to this.

But it was obviously too late. He was too far gone and now if I didn’t do something...

I tried calling him again, but again, it went straight to voicemail.

Damn it!

Because it only really sunk in then—what I’d have to do and what it would mean.

It was one of the most basic rules of the Trials. Initiates were never to leave the grounds during the 109 days of Initiation. Never. Doing so risked expulsion from the Initiation, no matter how close to the end a person was.

And Grace and I were one day away from freedom and all our dreams coming true. The closing ceremonies were tonight. After everything we’d gone through, after all we’d sacrificed, Grace even more than me… What if she hated me?

I froze as I considered what I was risking.

No… I wasn’t supposed to leave… but I had to, or my father would go to jail for a very long time. Losing him in this shameful way would kill my mother. The Kingston name and legacy would be soiled forever in our social and business bubble.

Not to mention, it could ruin the business I worked so hard to build and planned to eventually take over. Everything was on the line.

If I didn’t go…

I stared at Grace for a long moment, stopped by her beauty and perfection.

Then I hurried to the desk, scribbled a note promising I’d be back in time, then I grabbed my shoes and was hurrying down the servant’s staircase.

The muggy air and the stress of trying to intercept my father before he destroyed our empire had me dripping in sweat. I was happy to see his black Escalade parked in front of our warehouse, and that it wasn’t surrounded by flashing lights and gunned law enforcement yet.

Taking the risk that I was on camera, or at least being spotted by the cops’ watch out, I casually walked into the warehouse as if it were just an ordinary day. We still had a half hour before the shipment was scheduled, and I needed to convince my father that the intel I received this morning was accurate.

As I walked into the expansive room, my entrance caught the eye of my father and his crew of men. My father’s eyes widened as he spun around to face me, and one of his security guards pulled out his gun in reaction to the surprise.

“What are you doing here?” my father asked as he motioned for the guard to put his gun down.

“We need to get out of here now. The Feds set a trap, or they got wind of what’s on that shipment.”

“What are you talking