Page 31 of Imperial: The Corvidae Family

“Nah, I’m not, but it’s easier for you to say that than trust your gut. You know this feels right and you also know I mean what I say.”

She smiled, but before she could respond, someone signaled for her across the room.

She grinned and leaned into me, stealing a quick kiss. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m good. Go do your thing.”

She gave me one last look before she turned and made her way toward a couple standing near the dessert table.

I watched the woman animatedly gesturing with her hands as she spoke.

From the way her palm hovered over her stomach, I assumed she was talking about her own gender reveal, probably trying to convince Baylyn to plan it.

My baby was comfortable in this space and I loved seeing her fucking shine, which had me thinking about a lot of things.

I barely had time to let my thoughts go too far before my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

Kades: Need to talk.

Me: Important?

Kades: Can wait.

I sent another message.

Me: Swing by the house later.

Kades: Will do.

I locked my phone and slid it back into my pocket, hoping he had something that would get me one step closer to ending this shit with Trent.

My time was better spent focusing on the woman who had my dick hard and my emotions out of fucking control.

Baylyn’s presence lingered even after I left my house.

Her scent was on my skin and the taste of her pussy was still on my tongue.

After we left her event, I took her to dinner.

She wanted burgers, so we hit up BJ’s and had dinner there, then I made her cum several times before I let her know I had to leave for a little while.

She was too exhausted to argue so I dipped out, mad that I couldn’t spend the rest of my night laid up with my baby.

As soon as I walked into Yair’s crib, I dropped down on the sofa, ready to find out what he and Kades needed to run by me so I could get back home to Baylyn.

This shit was wild. I went from rotating women to only wanting to be in and around one.

Damn sure didn’t see this coming but I was perfectly content with what my life looked like.

“I got into Trent’s laptop,” Yair rattled off robotically.

“And?”

Kades lifted the laptop sitting on the coffee table, tapped the trackpad a few times, then turned the screen to me. It was a bank statement.

“Two months ago, he transferred half a million dollars into a trust fund. The money goes to an eighteen-year-old girl when she turns twenty-one.”

I frowned, taking in the details. “Who is she?”

“His sister.”

Trent didn’t have siblings that we knew of. I had done the research so this didn’t make sense but people hid shit when they wanted to.

“Outside child of his father,” Yair added.

I didn’t react. That part wasn’t surprising.

Most people in our world didn’t have families built like ours.

Our pops would rather die before cheating on our mother.

They genuinely loved each other regardless of the lifestyle he was rooted in.

So Trent’s father having an outside child was believable and him having a relationship with her meant he had something, or rather someone, who actually mattered to him.

“That’s not all,” Kades continued. “He transferred both of his properties to the same trust for her.”

I sat back, processing.

“That was all the money he had left,” Yair added.

Kades raked a hand down his face. “He’s cutting ties but making sure she’s good before shit gets real.”

Before I dropped that muthafucker.

I mentally ran through the details. I had already been playing Sea’an words over and over in my head, letting them sit until they finally made sense.

"Trent wants to die with honor. Ruin you in the process."

It was finally starting to click.

I lifted my eyes to Kades. “Sea’an said Trent was obsessed with me.”

He and Yair both frowned. “We know that already.”

“Nah,” I said, shaking my head. “Like really fucking obsessed. He had videos of me on his phone. Kept them on rotation.”

Yair raised a brow. “And?”

“And it didn’t make sense then. But it does now.”

Kades’s frown deepened. “Okay, so what does it mean?”

I leaned forward, dropping my elbows on my knees. “Everything you just told me. Think about it. The trust, the properties, the last of his money. All that shit points to one thing. He’s planning to disappear or die. And based on what Sea’an said, I’m betting on dying.”

“You’re not making sense, Mir.”

“You’re not thinking.” I met my brother’s gaze. “Trent can’t kill me. It goes against code. And he was specific as hell about ruining me. Killing me doesn’t do that. That would only hurt you and Yair, our family, shit even Baylyn but my name still means something when I’m gone.”

Yair’s eyes darkened. “So what the fuck does all that mean?”

“Think about it. ‘Die with honor and ruin me.’ Trent fucked with Baylyn to make me come after him. He tore up her place, sent flowers, followed her at that club, but he never fucking touched her. It was never about that. He wanted me to think he would though because that would have me not thinking logically. Shoot first, no questions asked. If I kill him, he dies with honor. As fucked up as things are, he wouldn’t put a gun to his own head.

His legacy would be ruined. We live by a code, and even if he’s no longer relevant in our world, if he puts a gun to his own head, that legacy is done.

If I’m the one who pulls the trigger?” I sat back, letting the words sink in.

“He gets to die with honor and my legacy is fucked up.”

Kades’s expression was blank, but I saw the gears turning.

“That’s a stretch,” he muttered.

“Yeah, it is,” I admitted. “But it makes sense. You gotta think like a crazy muthafucker. You’re using logic.”

Kades ran a hand down his jaw, thinking. “But coming for your girl justifies you pulling the trigger.”

“It does.” My voice stayed even. “But what if there’s no proof he did that?”

Kades narrowed his eyes. “There is. We know it was him who broke into her place.”

“Nah, not really. We know it was him. But what proof do we really have? How could we prove that? What if his plan was to make me come for him and erase all the evidence that pointed to him coming for me and Baylyn? If I kill him against code, it ruins me. That muthafucker wants me to kill him because even after death, he destroys me and my legacy. He couldn’t do that shit in life, so he’s willing to die for it. ”

Silence filled the space between the three of us.

Yair shook his head and laughed dryly. “That’s fucking wild.”

Kades looked at me with his expression hard. “It doesn’t fucking matter. You still have to take him out.”

“I am. Trust me. But I need to prove this shit before I do.”

Yair jerked a hand down his face. “I can do that. There’s a paper trail out there. Give me time and I’ll find it.”

“Good.” I leaned forward, resting my forearms on my knees. “After you have it, I’ll wait for him to make his move then end this shit.”

Kades nodded. Yair didn’t argue. Once I dropped Trent, I would be moving on with my life and focusing on the one woman I was willing to risk it all for.