The Fortunates (Unfortunate #2) - Skyla Madi Page 0,28

and find Nine in his arms, but it didn’t happen. It wasn’t a surprise. He’d always underestimated her courage and strength. Of course she didn’t come running back to him, begging to sleep in his bed. She’d never stoop so low.

“Kade?” Vince boomed, pulling Kaden from his thoughts. Kade snapped his head up, focusing his attention on Vincent’s angry face. “Did you hear what I said? At all?”

Kade tried to recall Vince’s question. He was certain he heard it, but it failed to stick.

“No, but I’ll bet three virgin Unfortunates it’s the usual boring shit you feel the need to dribble.”

Vince rolled his broad shoulders and bit back an aggressive sneer. “I said, the moderators I have investigating Dad’s death found his handkerchief by the river bed this morning. I’m having them sweep the lake tomorrow.”

Hair lifted on the back of Kade’s neck and his stomach quivered. It took every fibre in his being not to react to the news. His first thought was to panic, but then reason kicked in. It had been weeks since Kade dumped his father’s body in the lake and even if they found it, there’d be no evidence to tie Kade or Nine to the murder.

Kade despised Vince’s investigation. It prevented him from entering the city. If Vince found Michael’s body, Sario house would be under investigation for treason. One by one they’d question the Fortunates and whip the Unfortunates, waiting for someone to slip up. Unfortunate eyes were everywhere—moderators too. What if one of them saw something—anything? Kade would be shot.

On second thought, maybe the investigation was a good thing. Kade needed time to work out how he was going convince Nine to marry him. It wouldn’t be easy. He knew there was no way she would agree to marry him as long as Vince still breathed. She’d die before calling him family.

A union between him and Nine would ensure her safety. After they married, he could rest easy for a year before he started to think about having children. Unless Vince found someone who wanted to marry him and birth his devil spawn before Kade’s twenty-fifth birthday in a few years, Kade’s position was safe.

“Have fun with that,” Kade said, plucking a blueberry from his palm and slipping it between his lips.

Vince tilted his head, zeroing his espresso stare in on Kade. “You’re colder than I thought.”

Crushing the berry between his teeth, Kade shifted his weight on to his left leg. “Cold?”

“Your callousness is a dead giveaway. You murder our father in cold blood and don’t even bat an eyelid when I tell you I’m close to finding his body?”

Kade shrugged, bored. He had better things to do than stand here and listen to Vince try to get a confession out of him. “I didn’t murder anybody, Vince.”

“You didn’t murder anybody, huh? The moderator we found in the mud seventy metres south of here. That wasn’t you?”

Killing a moderator wasn’t illegal. Not when it came to protecting a Fortunate.

“I did what needed to be done. Jim was dangerous.”

Vince smirked. “Maybe he was, but you didn’t clear it with the heads of the four families.”

Kade’s stomach turned and he lost his craving for his handful of blueberries. He didn’t have to answer to anybody. Fuck the four families. If Kade had his way, he’d demolish them all. He tossed his berries to the side and watched as a black and blue bird swooped down and snapped one in its short black beak. “I didn’t have to. He was a threat. I was protecting one of our own.”

Vince snorted. “One of your own. She’s not one of us. She’s not a real Fortunate.”

Kade snapped forward, closing the distance between him and his brother. Blood pounded in his ears as he snatched the neck of Vince’s grey collared shirt and tugged him forward. “You shut the hell up. We’ll see how much of a real Fortunate she is when I make her my wife.”

Vince’s narrow slits widened, his top lip twitching in disgust. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, I would.”

He struggled against Kade’s grasp. “You’d disgrace our family? For what? For some filthy Unfortunate? No. I won’t allow it.”

Grunting, Kade shoved Vince. He stumbled backwards, hunching his back to keep himself from falling onto his ass.

“It’s a good thing I’m not asking for your blessing,” Kade stated, flicking his shoulders and straightening his fitted, black jacket.

“We’ll see how you go trying to marry a dead girl.”

Kade shot forward with a snarl, throwing all of his body weight into