Page 1 of Royal Bargain

1

LIAM

Swirling the clear liquid in my glass, I watch the way it clings to the sides before settling back into place.

The ballroom is packed, and I tug at my collar, the air thick and just a little too warm. Men in expensive suits, women in glittering ballgowns—the upper crust of Thornville is all here, pretending they don’t have a knife ready to slip between someone else’s ribs the second a back is turned.

Politics isn’t much different from our world—just fewer bullets, more handshakes.

Lucky stands beside me, posture straight, exuding an air of confidence that isn’t as effortless as he’s making it seem. With Kellan balancing work and family and Rory off on his honeymoon with Clary, the responsibility of leading the family has fallen to Lucky and me.

I glance at my brother, catching the tension in his jaw, the bead of sweat trickling down his neck. He badly wants to prove himself, to have everyone see him as more than the youngest Brannagan brother.

I, on the other hand, couldn’t care less. This isn’t my scene. I’m much more at home knocking heads or throwing punches than schmoozing with politicians.

A waiter passes with a tray of champagne, and Lucky grabs one, downing it in one go, clutching the stem like a lifeline. We have an inkling of why we’re here, but Senator Burns was cagey with the details, inviting us under the pretense of simply wanting our presence.

I scan the room, shifting slightly as I locate all the exits. It’s a habit, but it soothes me. Just as I start counting them, Burns steps up to the podium at the center of the dais.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he begins, tone smooth and polished, all smiles and easy charm. “I’d like to thank you for attending this fundraising event today.”

He’s got the crowd in the palm of his hand as he thanks the donors before launching into his speech.

“Thornville deserves better.” His voice is practiced, the perfect balance of authority and warmth. “After years of corruption, we need leadership that serves the people—not special interests, not criminals hiding behind respectable façades. That’s why I’m running for governor.”

I glance over at Lucky, and we both raise our brows.

We figured this was about his political ambitions, but the governorship? That’s bigger than we expected.

A gleam of excitement appears in Lucky’s eyes as he leans in, voice low. “This is it, Liam. This is our shot. We get everyone behind Burns’s campaign and we prove to Rory and Kellan that we can handle this shit without them. That we don’t need them hovering over our shoulders like we’re still kids.”

He wants this win as badly as I do. Maybe more. I shrug, but my mind is a million miles away, on something else. Someone else.

It might have been a few days since Rory’s wedding, but I can’t shake off the unease in my gut at seeingheragain.

Ana.

Annika Volkov.

My ex-girlfriend. The daughter of our enemy.

Only now, she is also the mother of my child.

She ended things between us and for six months, she was nothing but a ghost. It hurt, to be honest. I tried to tell myself it was for the best. I tried to move on.

And then, out of nowhere, she showed up, standing there in front of me like some cruel trick of fate.

My gut tightens as I think back to our conversation.

She’d come to beg me to help her, said she needed my protection, insulted me by offering me a huge wad of cash.

I told her I wasn’t doing that shit anymore. Ever since Kellan had married Darcy, I’d had to step up and put that kind of work behind me. But then she dropped the bombshell.

“We have a daughter, Liam.”

Lucky says something else, but I don’t catch it. My mind is too far away, stuck on Ana’s wide, desperate eyes as she laid those words at my feet.

Swallowing hard, I force myself to focus on Burns and the questions he’s fielding from the reporters in the crowd.