Page 5

BLAISE

T he taste of her lingers on my lips as I walk away from the cottage, and it’s…well… fuck… Like her, it wasn’t what I expected.

Until I kissed her, the night was going perfectly. Her shy smiles, the way she leaned into me during dinner, how easily she opened up. All according to plan.

The irony of it all. She's spent years mooning over that entitled prick, Ronan, and here she is, falling for a son of the family he helped destroy. The same son whose parents died because of her loose lips. She’s falling into my trap.

But then I kissed her. It replays in my mind.

Her body melting against mine. Her soft gasp when I tangled my fingers in her hair.

The sweet taste of her lips. Something twists in my gut, different from the satisfaction I expected.

There was an innocence in the way she kissed back, hesitant at first, then eager. Real. Intoxicating.

"Fuck." I’m not supposed to like being around her, kissing her. That’s not a part of the plan. She's supposed to be a means to an end, my way into the Kean estate, my chance to destroy Ronan's world piece by piece. Starting with the girl who worships the ground he walks on.

But there was something in that kiss, a spark I didn't anticipate. No . I shake my head, forcing those thoughts away. She's the enemy. The girl who got my parents killed. This connection I think I felt, it's nothing.

But fucking hell, how does a woman pull off acting so innocent after betraying the people who’d taken her in? Maybe Ronan manipulated her somehow, used her obvious crush on him to extract information she didn't realize would lead to murder.

No. I can't start making excuses for her. She's not some wide-eyed innocent caught in Ronan's web. She works for him now, doesn't she? Lives on his property, tends his gardens, probably still follows him around with those adoring eyes when I'm not there.

Even if she was manipulated before, she's chosen her side. She's loyal to the family that murdered mine, that stole everything from us. That makes her the enemy, no matter how sweet her smile or gentle her touch. No matter how real that kiss felt.

I push away my reaction to the kiss and focus on hers and how I’m sure I can make her fall for me. And the harder she falls, the sweeter my revenge will be when I finally show her exactly who I am.

I head to the security office in the main house to get ready for my shift.

I’m glad no one recognizes me, but it’s fucking insulting at the same time.

The Ifrinns have been completely erased from the place they built.

As I holster my gun, I have a fantasy of walking into the house, guns blazing, killing them all, not just Ronan and Hampton, but Mrs. Kean and maybe even Keira, Ronan’s sister, too.

She and my brother had been close, and the few times I’ve seen her, she doesn’t seem to care about anyone or anything except the kid Mr. and Mrs. Kean have taken in.

I’ll spare the kid. She can’t be more than nine or ten. She really is an innocent.

I live in my revenge for a moment and then like Jenna’s kiss, I push it aside to focus on my job.

Not the one where I protect the Keans but the one where I map out the estate's security system.

Flint's already identified that at least one of the secret access points is still there, but we need more.

I enter the house, making my way back to a room where all the property’s surveillance system is set up. As I round the corner, I run into Ronan. He has his phone to his ear, but he holds his hand up to stop me.

"Yes, Father, I understand." He rolls his eyes. "The shipment needs to be clean. We can't risk another incident like last month."

I force myself to breathe normally, to keep my face neutral. I keep my head down, like any good subordinate would.

When he hangs up, he studies me, and my pulse kicks up wondering if this is the moment he realizes who I am.

“Have you worked for us before?”

I shake my head. “No, sir. I’m brand-new.”

His brow furrows. “Maybe we went to school together?”

Ice slides down my spine. We didn’t go to school together, but we knew each other as kids and later teenagers. We weren’t close. My brothers and I always thought Ronan was a prick. But our families were friendly. Hampton was my father’s friend. Or so my father thought.

“I doubt it, sir. I’m afraid I wasn’t able to attend a prestigious school like you did.”

"Huh." He steps closer, and I resist the urge to reach for the weapon at my side. "Could've sworn I knew you from somewhere. Junior year, maybe? You played lacrosse?"

"Never touched a lacrosse stick in my life. More of a hockey guy myself."

The lie flows smoothly. It's not even completely false. I did play hockey.

"Must be thinking of someone else, then." Ronan starts to walk away but then stops again. "You know what? This is going to bug me. I'm going to figure out why you seem so familiar."

My mouth goes dry, but I force a casual shrug. "Like I said, sir, I must have one of those faces."

"We'll see."

I don’t think he means it as a threat, but it does feel threatening to me. If he figures out who I am, I’m well and truly fucked.

"Of course, sir." I keep my voice steady, deferential. It’s not easy because he deserves my wrath, not my respect. "Though I'm sure you have more important matters than checking up on a new hire."

He doesn't respond, just gives me another long look before finally walking away. I keep my stance relaxed until he disappears around the corner. Only then do I let out the breath I've been holding. Close call. Too close.

Still, there’s a certain thrill in standing right in front of him and lying to his face. He has no idea who I really am. The son of the family he helped destroy is now walking his halls, learning his secrets.

Ten years ago, he knew exactly who I was. Now I'm just another face in his army of guards. It's almost poetic, how completely he's forgotten the family he burned to the ground.

Fucker.

I enter the surveillance room, rolling my shoulders to release the tension. I feel like the fox in the hen house. It won’t be long now before the Keans and Jenna Hart pay for their betrayal with their lives.