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"What the fuck happened? Why does the Princess look terrified?" Az demanded.

"I took care of it." Leighton answered. "Let's just get back to the manor and we can fill you guys in. What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Rich sent us when he saw you three leave on the cameras and all of you decided not to answer your phones." Craig said.

"How mad is he?" Joey asked, pulling me closer to his side.

"Pretty mad." Craig replied.

"So, the usual?" I snorted. "He's got like chronic constipation of moods, that one."

Az eyed me warily. "Great, the Princess found her voice. I hoped whatever the hell happened would be enough to shut her up for a while."

"Fuck you, Az-hole." I spat.

"Why don't you ride with me and Joey, Princess? We'll make sure you get to your room and by Rich unscathed." Craig interjected before Az, and I could argue further.

"That sounds like a good idea. L, you ride with Az. We'll see you at the manor." Joey added.

I heard the others grunt in agreement before Joey led me to where we parked and helped me into the car. We were just pulling away from the warehouse when my phone vibrated in my pocket. Ignoring the dozen missed call notifications, I noticed another text from the private number.

"I hope you've learned your lesson. You belong to me."

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Rich

I stood in the foyer, arms crossed over my chest, seething. Something had told me to check on Victoria, and when she didn't answer the door to her rooms, I'd checked the cameras and seen her sneaking out with Leighton and Joey. Taking her out of the manor without permission was something I'd expect of Leighton. Still, Joey had surprised me. He'd been challenging me on the rules lately, but he wasn't the sort to leave without a word. There was only one place that Leighton would have gone after returning from a hunt. When none of the three stooges answered my calls, I sent Craig and Az to collect them from the warehouse where L participated in underground fights.

The sound of voices was carried to me through the front door, and I narrowed my eyes. Craig strolled into the foyer first, his shoulders slumped forward as he shook his head in irritation. Az and Victoria followed close behind him, speaking to each other in heated whispers. The look on Az's face told me everything I needed to know about their conversation. Leighton took up the rear, covered in blood and grinning like a maniac.

"Welcome home." I drawled, drawing their attention to me. "Why don't you go to bed, Princess?"

Victoria's eyes locked on me. Anger flashed across her face before her lips turned up in a mischievous grin. She sauntered toward me, throwing one last glance over her shoulder at Az.

"Yes,Daddy." She said alluringly, placing her palm flat against my chest momentarily before heading toward her room.

"Good girl." I said. The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

Her response and quick compliance short-circuited my brain momentarily. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep anything else from coming out of my mouth and turned my attention to my boys when I heard the door to her room shut.

Leighton waggled his eyebrows at me but, surprisingly, remained quiet. Az's face was red with rage, and he looked ready to explode.

"Family meeting," I said before Az could speak. "Office, now."

I waited a moment, allowing them to file into the office, before I followed them inside and slammed the door behind us. I crossed the room, pushed my chair to the side, and stood behind my desk, motioning for them to sit.

"You fucking chuckleheads seem to have forgotten a few things since we've been here. We have a job to do, and you've all gotten twisted up in knots over the Princess. You're undermining the rules, at timesactivelybreaking them. What is this, boys? Fucking amateur hour?!"

I looked at each of them individually as I spoke. Joey and Craig shifted in their seats. Leighton was very interested in his shoes, and Az crossed his arms over his chest and met my gaze. He looked less furtive than the others, but his expression had become more apologetic.

"We don't have the details and the scope of the situation. We have more questions than answers, yet for a set of pretty brown eyes, each of you seems to have drawn a fucking line in the sand and decided which sides you're already on. We're supposed to be on no one's side butours! Joey and Craig are competing for 'Best Friend of the Day' awards. Leighton, we'reused to you thinking with your dick and not your brain, but you're pushing lines that youknowdon't need to be pushed."

"And you." I paused, turning my attention to Az. "You're walking around here acting like everyone is against you. You have a rough past, fine. Name one of us in here who doesn't. It's high time you start acting like a fucking adult. We'reactivelyworking on getting to the bottom of the situation and have been since you got cuffed. We haven't stopped since this started. But you're letting your emotions cloud your mind and making yourself useless. And, honestly, if I have to hear that she set you up one more fucking time, the next person you'll have to fight is me."

Az pinched his lips together as if physically holding back a retort.

"We know less now than we did when you got released. More and more shit isn't adding up and if I had to make a call based on all the pieces we gathered, I think someone is playing us all. Not just us, but the Princess too."