Page 53 of Tangled Lies

“We’ve never rescued a princess, and I don’t think we’re starting now.”

She studied me for longer than I’d have expected. Someone tapped a mic and she wiggled out of my lap, but before she moved back to her seat she leaned between Talon and myself.

“I’ve learned that sometimes the prince isn’t the one who needs to save the girl. Maybe I need a few villains.”

She sidestepped around our feet and sat back in hers. Ronan’s arm wrapped around her shoulders, claiming her for the moment. I leaned into Talon.

“Are we the villains?”

He rolled his eyes at me.

“Have you ever heard of the prince killing off the competition if he needed to?” Talon nodded to the stage.

Right. I shifted in my seat a bit calmer now that I’d gotten her for a moment.

I smiled.

I liked the idea of being her villain. I’d make everyone in her past hurt. We finally had her in our world, and Ronan certainly wouldn’t stop us anymore.

Talon elbowed me.

“Pay attention. The deed is coming up. The land needs to remain within the family.”

I stretched out my legs and got comfortable for the show to start. We had a good idea of how much was coming in from the shell operations run by the good old senator and funded by his voters and investors. The fucker was dirtier than a pig in a mudslide, not that it changed anything.

“Now, the land at 1532 El Fortuna Avenue where the once glamorous Fortuna Royal once thrived. Bidding starts at eight million,” the auctioneer announced.

Paddles went up, and I watched who the key players were.

Not many and all the expected ones. They thought they were getting it for a ghost value and they thought they were getting away with taking this from us.

“Twenty million,” Ronan said and raised his paddle just as they’d nearly called it.

If they were going to attempt to block us from further construction, we were going to have to control more than just the crews and the union. Good thing for the Barone family, we were good at the real estate game. We were even better at calling the bluffs of assholes like Harrington.

I turned to see his face.

“What a photographic moment.”

I slipped my phone from my suit pocket and snapped a photo of him and gave him a little finger wave as the gavel hit the podium and we were the new owners of land that should havenever left the family’s hands to start. Too much mafia history sat on that land and too much money would be made to let it all go.

“Time to leave then?” I asked and stood up as they brought out some paintings. Good ways to hide money, but tonight we just didn’t need to deal with the land.

I reached for Margaux and pulled her with me, dragging her against Talon and Knox, maybe on purpose. I wanted to see her reaction.

“Let’s go play, pretty girl.”

Eyes followed us, but no one said shit. Not now. We’d just added a wildcard and now we’d just wait for the Thornes or the senator to catch up.

The doors opened without me having to push them.

“Thanks, guys, three more are coming.”

I knew my boys would follow.

Most of the people were in the room for bidding, but there were still plenty of rich but not too rich idiots milling about the food tables. I kept walking. Out here there were fewer looks.

“Jett, where are we going?”