Page 118 of Gilded Locks

Katya’s had escaped the winter to visit friends in The States then decided to extend her trip with a vacation off the coast of Italy. It was the first time she’d left since the assault, not counting her time at the clinic, and her brothers were glad to see her back to her former, cheerful self again.

“You said you heard from the lawyer?” More than anything, Marigold feared Jordan would get off on the charges and be set free. She wasn’t worried about him coming after her again. She had her three bears to protect her. But she feared what that might do to Katya’s piece of mind.

“Sit.” Stone ordered, then tacked on a kinder, “Please.”

She dropped into an empty leather chair. “I see your manners are improving as fast as my Russian.”

“Sorry.” He apologized. “That was rude.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re forgiven.”

“I better fucking be.”

She stuck out her tongue, and Stone arched a brow as if accepting her challenge.

“Jordan’s lawyer called this morning,” Ash said, breaking the tension.

“I’ll deal with your attitude later,” Stone promised.

“As I was saying,” Ash’s voice carried the satisfaction of a man who’d waited patiently for justice. “Formal charges have been filed. Between Katya’s testimony and yours, the prosecutors are confident of a conviction.”

The fire crackled in the enormous hearth, casting dancing shadows across faces that had become as familiar to her as her own reflection. They dominated the vaulting space with the casual authority of men who’d never doubted their right to command.

“How long?” Marigold asked, frustrated with the drawn-out sentencing process when Jordan had already pleaded guilty to several charges, but the attorney representing Katya said the case against him was still developing.

“Ten to fifteen years, if he’s extraordinarily lucky,” Hunter’s voice rumbled with deep satisfaction. “More likely twenty to life. Other women have come forward.”

Relief flooded through her like warm honey, but it carried complications in its wake. “When’s the trial?”

“They haven’t set the date.”

“Yet,” Stone said, easing her tension. “But we should have an answer by the end of the day.”

“There’s something we need to discuss,” Ash said gently. “It’s about your family.”

“You’re my family.”

Hunter took her hand. “Yes. But this is about your father,” he said, keeping his tone especially delicate.

Her pulse quickened like a hummingbird’s wings. “Is he sick?” She could tell by their expressions it was something else, so she braced for the worst. “Just tell me. I can take it.”

“He’s officially disowned you,” Hunter said with blunt honesty that could have shattered glass. “He released a statement yesterday calling you mentally unstable and severing all ties. You’re persona non grata in their world now.”

“Oh,” she stared down at her lap, supposing part of her had expected something like this happening. “I guess that’s better than health problems.”

“Fuck his health,” Stone said sharply. “Don’t waste your empathy on that piece of shit.”

The words should have devastated her, should have left her feeling hollow and abandoned, like an empty church on Monday morning. Instead, they felt like the final chains falling away from her ankles, the last prison door swinging open to reveal endless sky.

“Are you all right, Lisichka?”

“I’m fine,” she said with surprising conviction. “I never wanted their world anyway. I belong here. With you.” She scanned all three ruggedly beautiful faces.

“We agree, but now that you’ve had time to settle in, we need to align the past with the future,” Stone said carefully, his voice carrying undertones that made her skin tingle with anticipation. “Our life here isn’t conventional. Our relationship isn’t something most people would understand or accept.”

“I’m not most people.”

“No,” Hunter agreed with a predatory smile that could have melted arctic ice. “You’re not. But you need to understand what we’re asking. What it would mean to be ours—completely, irrevocably, eternally?—”