Deviant (Boys of Winter #3) - Sheridan Anne Page 0,25
plan. We need something better. Dynasty needs to be better.
“The risk is too great,” Harlen Beckett says. “Yes, in the past we have simply eliminated the threat, however, there are too many witnesses. We cannot draw that kind of attention to ourselves. Elimination is not an option.”
“So, what do we do?” Matthew Montgomery questions.
“Rebuild,” Mr. Danforth suggests. “We all have homes outside of Ravenwood Heights. We disperse. We abandon Ravenwood Heights and keep quiet for a few years while we build a new foundation. We have all the contingency plans in place and the finances to fund it. We could be out of here by tomorrow.”
I shake my head. “No. This is my home,” I tell them. “This is where my father is buried and where our history originated. Rebuilding is not an option.”
“But—”
“I said no,” I snap at Mr. Danforth. “Because of Dynasty, I was ripped away from my family. I’ve spent eighteen years without a home, and now that I’ve got one, I’m sure as hell not about to give it up.”
King meets my eye. “We’re at risk, Winter. We can’t just sit back and do nothing. This is our whole world, our families.”
“Trust me, I’m more than aware of that, which is exactly why we should be fighting to protect it rather than allowing the outside world to trample us. We stay and we fight for what is ours. There have been rumors going around town about Dynasty for years. You’ve laughed them off, and that’s exactly what we will continue to do. If you get questioned, you tell them that they’re crazy and reading into the rumors. If asked about the underground ballroom, you tell them that we stumbled upon it years ago and that we kept it quiet for our own benefit. If the city wants to claim the ballroom as their own, let them. What is one loss in the grand scheme of things?”
“Plausible deniability,” Carver mutters. “If we don’t admit to anything, they won’t have anything.”
King leans forward, and I watch as the thoughts circle his mind. “Are you sure?” he asks me. “So much could go wrong.”
“I’m not giving up my home,” I insist. “If it gets too much, everyone else is welcome to take their families and vacate as you were before I arrived in Ravenwood Heights. We have the best technology in the world. We can run this organization no matter where everyone is in the world. We can regroup once the speculation dies down. All I’m saying is that I’m not running. This is my home and this is where I’ll stay.”
King nods, watching me carefully to make sure that I’m making the right decision for me. Hell, he couldn’t give a shit what everyone else does as long as I am safe.
“Alright,” I say, quickly scanning around the table again. “So what now? Is this one of those things we all need to vote on?”
Earnest clears his throat beside me. “No, I believe not,” he says. “This is more of a personal matter for each of us to decide with our own families in private. You’ve stated that you do not wish to abandon Ravenwood Heights and we will respect that. Can I suggest another meeting in a few days where we can all share our plans moving forward?”
Sebastian Whitman scoffs from across the table. “Oh, please,” he says. “If our leader wishes to stay in Ravenwood Heights and fight for our organization, then we all should. Now is the time to stand as one, not run away scared.”
Carver nods. “I agree. If Elodie is putting her neck on the line to save Dynasty, to ensure that it continues to flourish, then we should all follow her lead. I vote that all families stay and fight for what we’ve built.”
“I second this,” King says, raising his hand.
One by one, hands begin to rise around the table, and before I know it, all seventeen hands are held proudly. “Good, I guess that’s sorted out,” I grumble, realizing that the last half an hour was more than a waste of time. What did we really discuss? That we’re all staying in Ravenwood Heights and keeping Dynasty on the low just as we were before? Fuck me. And to think that I could have been curled up in bed with Grayson’s head lost between my legs. “Is that it for the night? Can I actually go home?”
“There’s just one more issue to deal with,” Harding says, quickly flicking his gaze toward