Page 97 of Deviant Princess (Knight's Ridge Empire 5)

“Your grandfather has always been power-hungry, Emmie. It’s all he can see. It comes above family. The club and his standing in this town… it's all he cares about.”

“Gran,” I cry, jumping out of my chair and racing toward her. “What are you doing here?” I ask, still in the dark as to where here is.

“My boys didn’t give me much of a choice.”

“I’m so sorry,” I tell her, hating that all of this is because of her husband.

“Oh, sweetie. This isn’t your fault. I always knew this day was coming.”

“W-what day?”

Gran, Dad, and Cruz all share a look that makes my stomach sink.

“W-what are you going to do?” I ask haltingly, although I’m pretty sure I don’t actually need anyone to spell out the answer to me.

“I think it’s time the Reapers fell under new management,” Dad answers, his voice cold and haunting.

“Right.”

“Come and sit down, sweetie. Your mum’s sleeping.”

“Mum’s here?" Shouldn’t she be in the hospital?”

“In the Cirillo ward?” Cruz asks. “No, we thought we should probably discharge her. Mum’s got her care covered, right, nurse?” He winks cheekily.

“Watch your mouth, boy,” Gran says with a grin, seemingly completely unfazed by all of this. I guess you don’t spend your life as the prez’s ol’ lady without growing tolerance for this kind of shit.

Silence falls over the room and I glance around the faces, coming to a stop on Faith. She looks a little older than me, although not much. She also looks completely unaffected by what we’ve been discussing.

“Faith’s twenty. She’s at Lovell Uni,” Cruz says, filling in some of my blanks as if he can read my mind. “Thought you might want a girl around.”

“Thanks,” I whisper, the mention of hanging out with a girl suddenly making me achingly aware that I’ve not just left Theo behind, but also Calli and Stella.

“So… where are we?”

“The Cotswolds. Mal and Faith’s grandparents’ place.”

“They died a few years ago,” Mal explains. “It’s off the grid. We thought it would probably be safe while we come up with a plan.”

I’ve spent plenty of time with Mal since I started hanging out with Cruz and the Reapers, but I think I can count on one hand how many times I’ve heard him talk. And I’m pretty sure that’s the most words I’ve ever heard from him in one go.

“Fair enough. It’s pretty,” I say, looking around the old-fashioned farmhouse-style kitchen.

“Yeah, that’s what we were going for,” Cruz jokes.

“We’ll give you all some privacy,” Faith says, slapping her brother around the head, followed by Xander and Gunner.

We all sit in silence as they shuffle out and close the door behind them.

“You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?” I blurt out the second we’re alone.

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to, kid,” Cruz says.

“Contrary to popular belief, I can actually handle all this hard shit. I know this life isn’t pretty, or easy. I know the kind of violence involved. And despite Dad trying to keep me away from it, I can’t help feeling like I was always meant to be a part of it, you know.”

“The club runs through our veins whether we like it or not because of those we love, Emmie,” Gran says. “And you’re right. This life… it’s messy. It’s unpredictable. Brutal. And sometimes you have to make hard decisions for the good of the club. You have to be selfish, because it’s more than just about one or two people.

“We’re a family. All of us. And we protect our own.”

Just like the Cirillos are doing. I might not like what Damien has done, but I think I’m starting to understand it.

It’s all about family. And as much as I’m one of the Reapers, I’m one of them, too.

But can I be both, or will they end up ripping me right down the middle in this tug-of-war?