“WE GOT A problem,” Lucas announced.
I’d fucking say.
After our fight, Z had brought a fed and sleepy Caylen upstairs for his nap, and the three of us spent the rest of the morning locked away in Angel’s bedroom. Angel had his hand planted over my mouth, so I didn’t wake the baby while he tortured me with his mouth and fingers. I was on the precipice when Lucas barged in with a scowl and a gun in his hand. Angel took his time freeing my nipple from his mouth and his fingers from my pussy, but when he saw Lucas ready for war, he was out of bed before I could blink. I scrambled to pull the sheets he’d kicked to the foot of the bed over my body and tried to act normal despite their casual disregard for my nudity.
“What’s up?” Angel questioned as he stepped into his jeans commando-style.
“Reginald is here.”
Angel’s mood shifted right before my eyes as he cursed, threw on a t-shirt, and stormed from the room with Lucas on his heels. Curiosity had me scrambling for our bags in the corner and quickly dressing. I checked to make sure Caylen was still asleep before following them. Guns meant this wasn’t a social call, so I wisely stayed hidden near the stairs when I found Angel, Lucas, and Z in the foyer, towering in a circle around two men of middle height and build. The men didn’t appear intimidated. In fact, the older man with a full head of thick, salt and pepper hair wore a smug smile and held his head high. The second man’s back was turned. I studied his wavy, brown hair and broad shoulders that rivaled Lucas’s, his waist narrow, reminding me of a football player in uniform.
“You want to tell me why you’re here uninvited?” Angel growled.
“You know as well as I do that I have as much right to be here as you do. The estate is home to anyone with Knight blood.” It was then I noticed the suitcases at their feet.
“You know the rules. I haven’t welcomed you, have I?” There were only a few times I’ve witnessed Angel so menacing and none of those occurrences ended well.
“You should. My home was broken into and vandalized last night.” He lowered his head and voice conspiratorially. “What do you think they were looking for?” I shook my head from the shadows. Baiting Angel was a bad idea, yet this man didn’t look worried.
“Careful, cousin.” I guess that would explain why he wasn’t worried.
“It isn’t me who should take care. We all know what it will mean for you if you cannot keep our family protected.”
“There may be a time when your line rules again, but that time is not today.”
Angel started to walk away when the older man shouted, “I demand your protection, Angeles! You can’t deny me sanctuary. You know this.”
From my vantage point, I could see Angel’s jaw working before he turned on his heel, picked up the man’s suitcase, and shoved it in one of the staff’s hands. “Please, show my cousin and his son to a guestroom for the night.” My gaze drifted to the son Angel referred to. He couldn’t have been much older than I am, and he didn’t possess the hard edge Angel did, though I could see a faint resemblance between them. Throughout the entire exchange, he hadn’t spoken, but when he turned, I could see the same smugness on his face that his father displayed so foolishly.
Z repeated Angel’s actions and directed the staff to take their bags. It didn’t look like they were planning to stay long, but Angel was clearly not happy to have them here. I was ready to slip back upstairs, but I couldn’t take my eyes away. The guys had already put their guns away, but their expressions remained hard.
“I was so sorry to hear about your grandfather,” the son spoke. It was odd that he didn’t sound the least bit sympathetic. “Did you ever catch who was responsible?”
“No, but I’ll find them.”
“Eventually. You’ve got your hands full already, don’t you?” Angel’s cold gaze sliced to the older man. I held my breath as I waited to hear his response or to see what he might do.
Suddenly, movement to my left caught my attention. Lucas had somehow spotted me and moved unassumingly toward my hiding spot. “What are you doing,” he hissed when he reached me. He grabbed my armed and pulled me deeper into the shadows. I could hear Angel speaking but couldn’t make out what he was saying. Whatever they were discussing didn’t sound friendly.
“Who are they?” I asked even though I already knew. Until the funeral, Angel’s family had been but a myth. He’d barely spoke to any of them at the funeral, but even so, the hostility between Angel and Reginald was certainly a twist.
“Reginald and Andrew are father and son. They’re also Angel’s cousins.”
“Why are they here?”
He took a deep breath and blew it all out at once. “It doesn’t matter. They’ll be gone tomorrow. You just need to stay away from them.”
“It’s going to be kind of hard with them in the same house, isn’t it?”
“I’m serious, Mian. Stay away from Reginald. He’s bad news, and you don’t want him to find out about you and Angel?” His lips closed in a tight line.
“What is it that Angel doesn’t want them to know?” I demanded. I was sick of them forcing me to live by their rules. If Angel was going to keep me here, I had a right to know what my father married me into.
He shoved his fingers in his hair before saying, “You should really be hearing this from Angel.”
“Well, according to Angel, I’m his wife, so why don’t I found out right now? Family should meet, after all.” Before he could react, I walked around him and hurried into the foyer. I was met with surprised looks from Reginald and Andrew. Angel, Z, and Lucas, however, were not amused.
“Hi.” I held out my hand to Reginald who was slow to get over his shock.
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” he said as he shook my head. “Who are you?”
“I’m sorry. My name is Mian Ross,” I paused and peeked over my shoulder at Angel before saying, “Actually, I guess it’s Knight now.” If I thought I took him by surprise before, it was nothing compared to the startled incredulity taking over his face now.
“Come again, young lady?”
“Angel and I are married,” I giggled, playing the role of a happy bride. I shouldn’t have enjoyed pissing Angel off as much as I did. I felt fingers wrap around one side of my waist before I was pulled away from Reginald and Andrew. I looked up and found Angel’s simmering brown gaze boring into me.
“What are you doing?”
“Honey, you didn’t tell me we were having guests. I would have put on something more appropriate.” His eyes promised retribution as Reginald introduced me to his son. Their gazes were curious and calculation as they sized me up.
“So when did this happen?” Reginald questioned while looking between Angel and me.
“Three years ago,” I blurted before Angel could stop me. I was going to be bound and gagged to his bed later. I just knew it.
“My dear, you don’t look old enough to have been married for three years. How have we’ve never heard about your marriage before?” Reginald directed the question to Angel, but it was I who answered.
“I was only sixteen when our fathers arranged for us to be married against—”
I never got to finish that sentence when Angel picked me up and hauled me over his shoulder before walking away, leaving his perplexed family behind.
He carried me into a room, dropped me on my feet none too gently, and shut the door. He kept his back turned, and his hands braced on the door. His shoulders moved as he breathed in and out deeply. A few moments passed before he turned and regarded me with his back against the door, seemingly calm.
“What the hell was that, Sprite?”
“You insist that this marriage our fathers forged is real, so I’m just playing the part, husband.”
“You think you can play this game, but let me enlighten you, wife, this isn’t a chess board. When you move your pieces, you better be goddamn sure of the play.”
“How can I be sure of anything if you keep secrets from me?”
“Reginald isn’t your fucking concern.”
“Then why does Lucas think I should hear it from you?”
He cursed and said, “What happens to you now is on you. Remember that.” He then ripped open the door. “Go upstairs and wait for me.” He didn’t speak after that, and neither did I. He was wound tight as he held the door open. Upstairs, I held my son and waited for the consequences of what I’d done.