Page 39 of King of Ashes (Kingdom of Sinners #4)

PHOENIX

I watch as Keira is escorted from the room with Brigit crying for her. They disappear, and I turn to see everyone's eyes on me, waiting to see what I'll do next.

My chest tightens with an unfamiliar panic. What the hell just happened? Why was Keira trying to smuggle the girl out? The questions swirl in my mind, but I can't afford to show weakness. Not now.

I turn back to the remaining man kneeling before me. As he realizes my attention has turned to him, he knows what's coming.

"This is what happens to traitors," I announce, my voice cold and steady. Without hesitation, I pull the trigger. The gunshot reverberates through the room, and the man who tried to kill me this week crumples to the floor. The message is clear to everyone watching. This is the price of betrayal.

I scan the room, meeting the eyes of each family representative. "Let there be no confusion about who runs Boston now. The Ifrinns have returned and reclaimed what's ours."

Hampton shifts on his knees, opening his mouth to speak. I swing my gun toward him, and he freezes.

"One more word," I warn, "and I'll forget the promise I made to your daughter."

Lana's face contorts with rage. "You can't?—"

I press the barrel of my gun against Hampton’s forehead, cutting her off mid-sentence. "I can do whatever I want. You and Hampton played with fire when you came after my family."

I lean in closer, my voice dropping to a whisper meant only for them. "The only reason you're still breathing is because of Keira. Remember that before you test my patience again."

I holster my gun and turn to address the assembled families. The room reeks of blood and fear, exactly as I intended. This display wasn't just for the men who betrayed us. It was for everyone who might consider crossing the Ifrinns in the future.

"Now that we've dealt with those unfortunate matters, let's proceed with the loyalty pledge."

My men remove the two dead bodies and tarp, and then one by one, the heads of Boston's most powerful families approach.

They kneel before me, swearing their allegiance to the Ifrinn name.

Each oath feels like another brick in the foundation I'm rebuilding.

My father's legacy, restored through fear, retribution, and blood.

I catch Flint's eye across the room. His face is tight with concern, and when I glance at Ash, I see the same expression. They're worried about how I handled the situation with Keira and the girl. Or more likely, how I will handle the situation. To be honest, I’m not sure. I’ll confront Keira for sure.

It’s clear, though, that any sort of amicable or tolerable marriage we could have had is impossible. She betrayed me. Again.

Despite the successful proceedings, unease crawls under my skin.

The image of Keira's face as she knelt beside those men, offering herself in exchange for the nanny and the girl, won't leave my mind.

There was something in her eyes, a desperate protectiveness I've never seen before.

Except maybe with my brothers. In my brothers toward their wives.

I shake the thought away. I need to focus. Every family that pledges allegiance strengthens our position. Every man who kneels before me cements our control over Boston. This is what matters now, securing our birthright, protecting my brothers, honoring our parents' memory.

The ceremony finishes, which is the cue to start the wedding. But I need a drink. And I have to decide whether I should talk to Keira beforehand or drag her down and marry her before confronting her.

I nod to my men and tell them to take the Keans back to the basement. “We'll bring them up again when the wedding starts.” Then I turn to my guests. “Please enjoy refreshments while we prepare for the wedding."

My servants arrive with drinks, and one mans a bar in the corner. There is some unease in the room.

I hold my hands out in a friendly gesture. "Drink. Celebrate. The Ifrinn family has reclaimed what was stolen from us," I continue, forcing a confident smile. "Today marks not just my wedding, but the start of more peace and prosperity for all of us."

That seems to do it. That and booze. My guests drink and chat.

Flint approaches, clapping me on the shoulder. "Quite the show."

"Necessary," I reply, my jaw tight. "We can't afford to look weak. Not now."

"And what about Keira? The girl? What was that about?" Ash asks.

I shake my head. "I don't know yet. But I intend to find out." I look for Blaise but don’t see him. I imagine he’s worried the most about what I might do to punish Keira. “Where’s Blaise?”

“Jenna was checking flowers but then he couldn’t find her. I think he’s looking to see where she went,” Ash says, grabbing a flute of champagne from a passing tray.

“I’m assuming we’re still having a wedding after all that?” Flint asks.

"The wedding proceeds as scheduled," I say firmly. "This alliance is too important." I roll my shoulders, feeling keyed up. "Make sure everyone enjoys themselves. I need a minute."

I step away, finding a quiet corner where I can breathe.

I can’t get rid of the image of Keira kneeling, offering herself in place of the nanny and child.

I've seen people beg for their lives before.

I've witnessed men offer money, power, information, anything to save themselves.

But Keira didn't plead for her own life.

She offered it up willingly to protect others.

What could possibly make her risk everything like that?

And why was she trying to smuggle the girl away?

And Brigit's face, the terror in her eyes when my men dragged her in. The way she trembled and cried. Christ, she's just a child. I never meant to frighten her. And fucking hell, she didn’t see me kill, did she?

It occurs to me that today’s executions are why Keira tried to get Brigit away. Does she think I’d do the same to a child? The thought makes me sick. Is that who I've become in her eyes, a man who would hurt an innocent girl? After everything we once meant to each other?

I think of how Brigit hugged me that night in the kitchen. How she told me I needed to let go of my anger.

I look up to see Blaise returning, Jenna at his side. Her face is flushed, eyes wide with what looks like panic. She's gripping my brother's arm, whispering urgently as they approach. Something's wrong.

"Phoenix," Blaise says, his voice tense.

Jenna steps forward. "Please, just listen before you do anything?—"

Blaise silences her with a gentle squeeze of her hand. "Let me handle this."

I straighten, instantly alert. The way they're acting sets off alarm bells in my head. "What's going on?"

I study my brother's face, searching for clues. His expression is guarded, torn. He's caught between something or someone and I realize it’s between me and his wife. He feels the need to tell me something that Jenna doesn’t want him to share.

I guess I’m about to learn where his loyalty lies most. With his blood, his family? Or with the woman he married?

Jenna looks like she's about to cry, and I wonder what the hell she knows that has her so upset. Whatever it is, it's clearly something Blaise now knows too. Something they don't think I'll handle well.

"What the hell is going on?" I demand, my patience wearing thin. The ceremony is minutes away from starting, and I can feel control slipping away. Once again, Keira has turned everything upside down.

Blaise steps closer, lowering his voice. "You need to talk to Keira before the wedding."

"I don't need to do anything," I snap. "She tried to smuggle people out of my house on our wedding day. If anything, she needs to explain herself to me."

"Phoenix," Blaise insists, his tone more urgent than I've heard in years. "Trust me on this. You need to hear what she has to say before you go through with this."

My irritation rises. I've spent weeks planning this day, orchestrating every detail to solidify our return to power. The families have pledged their loyalty. The message has been sent. Everything is falling into place exactly as I designed it.

"Whatever she told you—" I begin.

"It's not what she told me," Blaise interrupts. "It's what I overheard. And it changes everything."

I study his face, searching for any sign that this is some kind of manipulation. But all I see is genuine concern and something else. Something that looks disturbingly like pity.

"Fine," I concede, though every instinct screams against showing weakness. "I'll talk to her. But this wedding is happening, Blaise. We've come too far to back out now."

He nods, though the tension doesn't leave his shoulders. "Just… keep an open mind."

"Handle the guests," I instruct, already turning toward the stairs. "Tell them the ceremony will begin shortly. Make something up if you have to."

"Phoenix," Blaise calls after me. I pause without turning around. "Remember who you were before all this. Before the fire."

What the fuck? Before the fire? The fire changed everything, including me.

I don't respond, just continue up the stairs. Whatever Blaise overheard has shaken him. And now, despite my determination to maintain control, I feel it too. An unsettling sensation that I'm walking toward something that will change everything.

I push open the door to Keira's room without knocking. The sight of her stops me cold. She's sitting on the edge of the bed, still in her wedding dress, but she looks nothing like a bride on her wedding day. Her face is ghostly pale, eyes red-rimmed and haunted. Her hands tremble in her lap. Worse, the light in her eyes has dimmed. It’s like she’s already dead inside.

Something twists in my chest. This isn't the defiant woman who threw champagne in my face. This is someone broken.

But I won’t be manipulated. I can’t back down from the importance of today.

"What the hell were you thinking?" I demand, shutting the door behind me. "Trying to smuggle Brigit and her nanny out on our wedding day? Did you really think they wouldn’t be caught?"

She doesn't answer, just stares at me with those haunted eyes. The vulnerability in her gaze disturbs me more than any defiance could.

"Why?" I press, anger mingling with something that feels uncomfortably like concern. "What is Brigit to you that you'd risk everything?"

Keira's eyes widen slightly. "What were you told?"

My eyes narrow. Is this the secret? “That I should keep an open mind.” Maybe that will make her feel safe to tell me what the fuck is going on.

She takes a deep, shuddering breath, closing her eyes briefly as if gathering courage. When she opens them again, there's a new resolve. "Brigit is my daughter."

She couldn’t have hit me harder if she’d taken a sledgehammer to my gut. "Your… daughter?"

"Yes." Her chin lifts slightly. "Not my god-sister. My daughter."

The floor beneath me feels suddenly unstable. Her daughter. Not a god-sister, not a ward, but her child. Her secret.

"Your daughter.” It’s the pain that she’s been with someone else that hits more now than the anger, but I try to hold on to the anger. “All this time, you had a child and never told me?"

“I haven’t told anyone…well, except Jenna.”

"And the father?” I’m going to hunt that motherfucker down and kill him. "Who's the lucky man who gave you a child while my family burned?"

She stares up at me. For a moment, I wait, but then something shifts. I consider the age of Brigit. Eight? Nine?

Oh, fuck . "It's me. Brigit is mine."

Keira doesn't deny it. She just sits there, tears streaming down her face.

I sink down onto a chair, my legs suddenly unable to hold me. My daughter. I have a daughter. A child who has been living under this roof, who looked at me and told me I needed to be happier.

“What happened? I manage.

“I found out I was pregnant right before the fire. I tried to tell you, but my parents had already cut off all contact between us."

"Why didn't you tell me when I came back?" I ask, feeling like I’m in a netherworld.

"Look at what you've become. You came back with nothing but vengeance in your heart. Would you have believed me? Or would you have thought it was just another Kean trick?"

The truth is, I don’t know.

"All this time," I murmur, more to myself than to her. "All this time, I had a daughter."

The magnitude of it overwhelms me. Nine years lost. Nine years I can never get back. Nine years of her life I missed because of hatred and revenge.

And now what? What kind of father could I possibly be to her? A man who executes people in cold blood? A man consumed by vengeance?

"Does she know?" I ask. "Does Brigit know I'm her father?"

She shakes her head. “No. She doesn’t even know I’m her mother.” She looks down as if in shame. “It was the deal I struck with my parents. I could only keep her if no one knew she was mine.”

I want to march down and fucking kill her parents. But then a new, more unsettling thought comes to mind. If Hampton knew, he’d have confronted my father, demanded that I marry Keira.

“Did my father know?”

Her eyes fill with pain that I’m certain is for me. After everything, her heart still bleeds for me. “If what my father says is true, then yes.”

Everything inside me goes numb. I have no doubt that if Hampton knew I got Keira pregnant, he would have used that to his advantage. That means my father knew. He knew Keira was pregnant with my child and never said a word.

I can hardly breathe. “When? When did your father talk to mine?”

She hesitates, almost like she’s trying to protect me. “Two days… maybe three before the fire.”

Two days my father knew about Keira and never said a word to me. Why?

My world is shaken. The man I’d admired, that I aspired to be, that I’ve spent ten years fighting to avenge knew Keira was pregnant and said nothing. And Hampton, finding my father’s refusal to insist on the marriage, saw it as the last straw of disrespect. He killed us all, or at least tried.

I look up at Keira. “I didn’t know. If I’d known?—”

“I know,” she says, and in those words I’m reminded what a fucking asshole I am.

She believed in me back then. And I didn’t.

I failed her and our child. I failed my parents and my brothers by hiding my love for Keira instead of telling my father upfront.

And he failed me by not telling me when Hampton came to him and told him about the baby.

I don’t even know what to say or do. I’m so utterly lost.