It’s seven in the morning. “Ethan?” I call out as he makes his way to the front door.
He doesn’t respond or stop before he shoves the front door open and storms out. I walk back into the office and plop down into the chair. I rip both of my buns out and run my hands through the back of my hair to undo the braids, allowing my hair to fall over my shoulders and down my back. It was giving me a headache. Looking down at the floor, I see what looks like a key card to a hotel room of some sort. A black circle is in the middle with a gold K in the center. Then below that it says Kingdom Members Only.
It must have fallen out of his jacket pocket. I fist it in my hand and sigh.
CHAPTER FIVE
GRAVE
I PULL INTO the private parking garage at Kingdom and bring my car to a stop. Walking up to our elevator, I scan my card and step inside. I make my way up to the thirteenth floor and walk off the elevator, stepping onto the white marble floor. The receptionist looks up at me, but I ignore her and head straight down the hall to the back. The four of us each have our own office, but I’m headed to my brother’s. He hates it when he has to hunt me down, so I might as well get this over with.
Shoving his door open, I refrain from sighing. My brother sits behind his desk. The black curtains behind him are pulled tight since it’s a nice day outside. He has a problem with sunshine. Anything that has life to it, he likes to black it out. Just like our father did.
Titan leans up against the wall to his left. Arms crossed over his chest and ankles crossed. He wears a pair of jeans, plain black T-shirt, and a scowl on his face.
Cross sits in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Holding a Zippo in his hand, he flips it open and closed.
They all look at me as I shut the door, but no one says a word. “I didn’t know we were having a meeting today.” I fall into the seat next to Cross.
My brother leans back, the oversized black leather chair squeaking at his movement. “We need to talk.”
“If it’s about Dad, you can save it.” I dismiss him. I have nothing to say on the matter.
“It’s about you,” Titan growls.
I turn to look at him, wondering what’s up his ass. Ever since he got with Emilee, he’s been much more pleasurable to be around. “What about me?” I ask, not caring.
“We need to talk about the incident last week,” my brother answers.
“What incident?” I ask, but I already know what it’s regarding. Do they think they can corner me and expect me to talk because of their half-assed attempt at an intervention? They don’t know me very well if that’s what they think.
Titan pushes off the wall, eyes narrowed down on me. “Emilee thought you were dead.”
I run my hands down my shirt and jeans to where I grab my cock. It’s still hard from seeing the woman with the purple hair at the flower shop. I never did get her name, but I’ve decided I’m going to call her Petal. She’s as delicate as a petal. “As you can see, I’m very much alive.”
“Goddammit, Grave!” My brother slams his hand down on the black desk. “This is a serious matter.”
It’s one of his favorite lines to yell at me.
“You terrified her,” Titan adds, and I snort.
Cross and I sit in the living room of the Royal Suite—the suite the Kings and I share here at Kingdom.
Titan is working, of course, and Bones left earlier today to go to New York for whatever reason. He never tells me shit.
I throw back the glass of bourbon and stand. Swaying on my feet, my vision blurs. “Fuck …” I slur.
“Yeah,” Cross agrees, falling off the couch and onto the floor. We both laugh. “This shit is good.”
I take a step toward the open kitchen, but trip and fall on my face. My heavy eyes close, and I let out a long breath.
I woke up to Emilee kneeling beside me, shaking my body while screaming in my face. She called Titan, and he called Bones. I had passed out. It wasn’t something new or life threatening, but she freaked the fuck out and tattled.