Page 11 of Unveil

“Mind if I join you, boys?”

The blood in my veins freezes solid. I push off the railing slowly, leaning back in my seat, arms crossed.

“It’s your place, Bordeaux.” I toss over my shoulder, loud enough to be heard over the music. My brothers remain silent.

I’m the eldest, which makes me in charge in our father’s absence. And if anyone’s going toe-to-toe with my future father-in-law, it’s me.

“You’re goddamn right it’s my place,” Sol Bordeaux growls as he slides into the seat to my left. “And it’s neutral ground, in case King didn’t mention that before you entered my territory unannounced and without permission.”

“You forced my hand.” I shake my head. “I tried reaching out last year. You know what tonight is, and you’ve still refused to see me.”

“Correct. Because I’d have to be in my grave before I let a Fury near my daughter.”

The amount he doesn’t know about his daughter is hilarious. The Phantom’s princess is pirouetting circles around her father, and he has no idea.

I scoff. “You didn’t even ask her if she wanted to meet me, did you?”

He shrugs. “Didn’t need to. I know my daughter. She’d never want to involve herself in your feud. She’s my little rebel, but in matters such as this, she’s?—”

“Innocent.” I finish quietly, nodding. “I know. I don’t want to corrupt her. Despite what you think. I want to save her.”

“She doesn’t need saving,” he snaps. “She’s perfectly safe here. The last person she needs to be around is an Appalachian outlaw. Yourdairy farmand real estate holdings don’t fool the Troisgarde.”

“We prefer to think of ourselves as the Robin Hood of Appalachia.” A sly grin lifts my lips. “Robin Hood needs his Maid Marian.”

He snorts. “Robin Hood dies in the old versions, you know.”

Prick.

“Bordeaux, I’m not doing this with you,” I growl. “You know the pact. If you try to ‘remove’ me, you’ll lose an ally in King Fury’s bloodline. And trust me. Right here, at this very moment… You want allies.”

He stills for a second, chin tilted in my direction, like he’s waiting for me to elaborate. When I don’t, he settles back, playing it off like he was never interested in the first place. I’ll tell him when my wife is safe by my side. Not a second before. If I tip my hand, he could hide her away from me, send her to the Lucianos in Italy like I heard he wanted. There’s no chance in hell I’m letting that happen.

“You’re arrogant and self-important, Orion. You’re forgetting I know everything that goes on in my city. With how manyshadows followed you after your arrival this morning, you might as well have had a Second Line welcome party.”

This morning?

I don’t let my surprise show, but Sol smirks anyway. “Like I said. I know everything that goes on in New Orleans. Never forget that.”

Not everything.

“Your point?”

“My point is that I know when you arrived, and I already know when you’ll leave.”

“Oh?” I raise a brow, resisting the urge to smirk back.

“I want the three of you gone by dawn. The Troisgarde never agreed to King’s pact. As far as McKennon, Luciano, and I are concerned, it is null and void. Three drunk men have no business betting shit like that.”

“On that, we agree. But… you did. And the Wildes are picking us off one by one, and the other Fury kin are too conceited to work together. We need the blood of three on our side.”

“The blood of three, boy. Not four.”

“It won’t be four once the pact is fulfilled. It’ll be one unified alliance, connected by King Fury’s bloodline.”

“The Troisgarde arenotFurys.”

“Not yet. It’syourvow we’re calling on you to uphold. We’re just trying to make honest men outta y’all, Bordeaux.” My lip quirks, unable to stop myself this time.