Somehow the ride back to Vickery Meadow was a lot different when she had a set of keys to her own apartment in her pocket. She felt far less angry and downtrodden. There was almost a lightness to her emotional state. Kami actually could not recall feeling like this ever before in her life. She switched busses twice and still the sensation persisted. And when she finally saw the spires of San Mateo’s parish speed by outside the window, Kami reached for the pull and stopped the bus on the corner by the church instead of going all the way to the stop on the next block that was closest to her parents’ apartment building.
The sun had fully broken through the clouds. It was suddenly a whole lot muggier, but still not warm. The chill breeze blew down the streets and picked up trash on its way. The swirling eddies of dirt and debris seemed to spin away from Kami as she walked toward the beautiful old church building. She could not help but feel as though this was all because of her new outlook on life.
The old building was a combination of old Spanish mission and some early European influences in the stained glass windows that flanked both sides of the small cathedral-like entrance. As Kami climbed these steps she could not help but feel as though she were ten years old once again trying to make it to catechism classes on time.
The doors squeaked as she pushed her way inside. The church smelled of incense and something that always reminded Kami of her mother’s Sunday perfume. The beeswax candles were burning up near the altar. Kami paused there before the icon of the Mother Mary and let the peaceful atmosphere of the church itself wrap around her. This was a good place and it had nothing to do with her mother or her father or their twisted expectations for her life.
“Kami?”
She turned at the sound of Father Kearney’s familiar voice. The priest was still wearing his robes from the last mass that had taken place only a few hours before. No doubt he’d been in his office getting lost in some text or perhaps speaking with his parishioners.
“Hello, Father Kearney.” Kami smiled, and then suddenly realized that this was going to be really, really awkward. As in she had no idea how to begin this conversation without making herself sound like a terrible daughter. “I needed to speak with you.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” The priest folded his hands inside his cassock.
The interior of the small cathedral was the perfect temperature and always was thanks to the stucco exterior that insulated the way only adobe-style buildings could. The overhead lights were off and only the afternoon sun streamed in through the high windows. It was peaceful in here and it felt oddly private.
“I don’t, uh, know what my parents have told you.” Kami cleared her throat. She was looking down. Why was she staring at her hands? She really had nothing to be ashamed of. At least not in her mind. And that was what counted, right? “I don’t know what they’ve said, but I need to let you know that I have no interest in marrying Roberto Villareal. I refuse to, actually. And since I’ve been married for over a year to another man I feel that I have the right to refuse my parents’ wishes.”
The priest had been fairly sympathetic and seemed to be unsurprised by her words all up until that last bit. When Kami dropped that bombshell the elderly man’s eyes opened wide with obvious shock. He reached out and touched her arm. “My girl, did you say that you have been married for over a year?”
“Yes, Father.” No shame. No shame. She hadn’t done anything wrong. “I met Devon nearly six years ago. Maybe more. I don’t know. I’ve known him for a long time. But neither of our families would have been receptive to the match. My father and mother have always been adamant that I marry the man they choose for me. But I work hard, Father. I deserve to marry a man I love. I want to be an independent woman. I’m twenty-six. I’m not a child.”
“I agree.” Father Kearney sighed. “It’s hard sometimes for parents who still hold the values of their former countries and their former lives. But you were raised here. You have American values, and if you truly feel that you have done your best to be a dutiful and respectful daughter, then there is really nothing that they can do about it.”
“Thank you.” The amount of relief she felt in that moment was immeasurable.
The priest seemed to guess her worries. “You thought that I would side with your parents on this issue?”
“I don’t know!” Kami didn’t want to be rude. She perched on the edge of a church pew and tried to get her thoughts together. “I don’t think that Devon is Catholic. I don’t know that he’s anything in particular. He’s always been very respectful of my beliefs. But that isn’t enough for my folks. It never would be.”
“I know.” The priest pursed his lips. “I normally do not divulge what I’ve been told by my parishioners, but since this directly affects you I feel that I should.” He paused, and Kami felt as though she was about to hear something truly awful. “You father came to me the other day ranting and raving because you had left and because you refused to give him what he felt was his financial due as your parent. I didn’t fully understand what his major gripe was. Something about taxes and insurance.”
“He doesn’t approve of paying for those things.” Kami sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Sometimes she was embarrassed by her father’s selfishness and refusal to be a contributing member of society. “He wants the government to pay for him to see a doctor when he’s sick or injured, but he doesn’t want to pay taxes. He feels only citizens should do that.”
“Ah.” Father Kearney did not venture an opinion and Kami was very grateful for that.
“It angers him that my citizenship, which actually allowed him and my mother to stay here and get work Visas, makes me have to pay taxes or risk the wrath of the IRS. It’s really aggravating to him. I’m sorry that he brought that problem to you.”
“Kami, your father was demanding that I excommunicate you because you had defied him.” Father Kearney’s quiet voice had the effect of a thunderclap inside the church.
Kami could only stare in shock. “No!” she finally managed to say. “But why would he do that?”
“He has decided that if you won’t marry Roberto this afternoon at four o’clock, he is going to disown you.”
“And what do you think?” Kami could not help but wonder how close she was to that four o’clock number. She would hate to be anywhere in the vicinity of this cathedral when her father showed up. That would mean she would need to duck and cover or something just to avoid being dragged to the altar. “Would you make me marry a boy I did not love?”
“Good gracious, child!” Father Kearney actually laughed. “I cannot believe you would even ask such a thing. This is not the sixteenth century. The church has not condoned that sort of behavior in centuries!”
“Then I’m not excommunicated?” For some reason that word was actually difficult to choke out. It sounded positively medieval! Who requested that sort of thing? Especially when it was meant as a punishment for a daughter who refused to go against her own emotions and her personal beliefs?
“Of course not.” The father reached out and drew her in for a hug. He rubbed her back and patted her gently a few times as though she were still a kid. “I have known you since I christened you as a baby. I am so glad that you are happily married and hopefully settled in a place with your husband?”
“Yes!” She could not begin to hide her excitement. “He found us an apartment near the places where I work in downtown Dallas. It is so beautiful!”
Father Kearney’s eyebrows lifted. “That’s an expensive part of town, Kami. What on earth does your husband do for a living?”
Kami gnawed her lip. “His name is Devon King.”
“King.”
“Yes.”
“My goodness,” Father Kearney whispered. “Then at least I never have fear that he can’t take care of you the way you deserve!”
“He’s letting me take care of myself,” Kami insisted. “I’m in school, Father! I’m attending online courses to be an accountant. I’m going to get a degree and
then I’m going to have a career. You have no idea how wonderful it is!” Kami gushed and gushed and soon enough the old man’s lined face was glowing as he at least confirmed with her that she was happy, happy, happy.
“You had better go, Mrs. King,” Father Kearney pulled a smart phone from the folds of his robe. It was a comical gesture all things considered, but Kami could see the time on the phone’s screen. “It is three-forty and your father and mother will likely be here any minute to wait for you. I will be happy to tell them that you stopped by to tell me in person that the event will not be happening.” Father Kearney took her hands. “You have no idea how proud that makes me, Kami. It shows courage and integrity, and no priest could ever want more for a child he helped to raise from the time she was an infant.”
“Thank you,” Kami whispered. She flung her arms around the priest and held him tight for just a moment. “Thank you so very much.”
Chapter Nineteen
“No. Absolutely not.” Devon wondered if there was another firmer way to say no. He felt like the word itself should have been sufficient to make his point. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be anywhere near enough to keep Orion from trying to glare him into submission.
Orion dangled the keys to his sports car in front of him. “You don’t even have a car right now. That’s why you’re here, right?”
“I’ve already spoken with my insurance company,” Devon growled. “It’s not like I’m not going to have one soon enough. It’s just that today is Sunday. It’s a little difficult to get someone to respond to you on a weekend. To say nothing of the weird weather. The whole city is practically shut down.”
“And this is how you’re going to get a car,” Orion said in a clipped voice as he clenched his fist around the keys.
The two brothers were sitting in the kitchen of the University Park house. This meant that there were dozens of catering personnel whirling around and around them in an effort to finish getting the food for Tisha Olivares-King’s party ready.
The house was decorated to the nines. There was greenery hanging from every single available surface and red bows tucked into every crevice. Christmas music played in the background and Devon was getting sick and tired of hearing the dulcet tones of Nat King Cole singing about chestnuts roasting over a fire. The only Christmas that Devon wanted to anticipate was the one that would end with him giving Kami some kind of gift that he still had yet to decide on.
“Mother expects you to escort Tansy Dunlop,” Orion reminded Devon quietly. “You cannot possibly weasel out of this at the last minute. It’s just not going to work. All right? I got the limo. I made sure that the woman will get here because that is very important to Mother for some reason. But you need to be here. Mother is expecting it. You told her you would.”
“Strike that!” Devon said roughly. “I didn’t promise shit! You did. You were the one who told her that I would agree. You were the one who then told her that I had. This is your fault.”
Orion’s expression turned ugly. He leaned in and glared right in Devon’s face. It was a heavily charged atmosphere that seemed incongruent with the Christmas tunes talking about season’s greetings and goodwill to all men. Apparently that did not include shifters. “You agreed because you knew that if you didn’t, our mother will happily go into work tomorrow and sign and order—which we cannot stop her from doing—to fire every contractor and every support personnel in the entire company. Do you know what will happen to King Security Systems then?”
Devon swallowed. He did know. He knew well because he was in charge of those areas of the company. Orion handled contracts both new and current. Devon was the one who dealt with human resources and personnel. It was what had brought him into contact with Kami to begin with. Even though it would not matter one bit to him if she was abruptly unemployed tomorrow morning, Devon could not possibly ignore the disastrous effect it would have on the rest of the company and their employees to be summarily fired right before the holidays.
The reality of this moment was appalling. It dragged Devon out of the happiness bubble where he had been living since the moment he had woken up with Kami’s naked body pressed against his. Now he was stuck back in his real world and it sucked.
“Fine.” Devon gave one sharp nod of his head. “I have no choice. Do I? Not really?”
“No.” Orion grimaced. “None of us have choices about this. Our brothers will be here for this celebration too.”
Devon felt a moment’s pang of jealousy. “Except for Edward and Diana. They’re happily protected in Italy right now and completely unaware of the crap they left behind.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Orion grunted. “Edward is perfectly aware of what’s going on. He just knows he can’t do anything about it. This is up to us now.”
“And that means I have to escort a twenty-three year old debutante to our mother’s Christmas party?” Devon was hyper aware of the fact that his mother was probably upstairs finalizing whatever outfit she intended to wear to the party that would no doubt have been designed for a much younger woman. “And what do you think is going to happen when Tansy and our mother realize that there is no way in hell I’m going to be interested in furthering this relationship? Do you think that she’s finally going to let up? Or will it just kick this can down the road?”
“Right now?” Orion pointed at Devon. “You and I both know that we have to put a gag on that woman. We have to find a way to prove that she has orchestrated two deaths with the sole intention of making sure that she gets to inherit our company, our house, our money, our lives…”
Devon was absolutely floored to hear Orion say that out loud. Murder. He was going to try and pin murders on their mother and yet Orion was so deeply tied to Tisha Olivares-King that he would roll over and play dead if she asked him to. How was that going to work? How could it?
“Don’t look at me like that!” Orion snarled. His anger was palpable. “I can prove it! I can. I know it’s true. That bitch made sure our father died. She managed it somehow. I don’t know if Tex helped her or not. But she managed to make him go away too. Right? She got what she wanted. We just need to find out what happened in those last few weeks. We have to find out why she chose right now.”
Devon glanced around. Did Orion not realize that there was catering staff wandering around down here? There were servers and cooks and household personnel running in and out of this kitchen. He couldn’t just spout off like that and think that nobody was going to hear him!
“Orion, you have to stop,” Devon murmured. “Fine. I’ll be waiting for Tansy Dunlop the future non-bride of the King family. I’ll schmooze her grandmother and try to forget that her father was the one man in Dallas that our father hated most. I’ll even try to pretend that I don’t realize what’s really going on underneath all of this bullshit, but you have to stop saying this stuff out loud in front of random people who could repeat it!”
“Why not?” Orion shook his head with disdain. “I totally plan to let Skye write a story about it. She and I have been planning blog entries that will put our mother in her place.”
“You what?” Devon gaped at his brother. He felt as though someone had dumped ice water down his back. Something hard and foreign lodged in his gut and he could not help but feel like it was time to take one of those red Christmas bows and just use it to gag Orion and keep his mouth closed permanently. “You can’t be serious! Does Jason know that you’re going to use his wife to do this? It could make Skye a target for Mother! You could be putting her in danger.”
“Skye is a big girl,” Orion retorted. He reached for a beer in the fridge and popped it open. At least he was drinking beer and not Absinthe. Things always went bad when he was drinking Absinthe. “She knows what’s at stake. And Jason just wants the stupid land. If I could give him that, he would let me do whatever I want. He and Skye still want to build another house on it and let Gemini have the old ranch house.”
“To be fair,” Devon said drily. “Gemini has been li
ving in that house for years now. He probably has squatters rights. In fact, if you read the will, it probably makes a bunch of assignations to the eldest son. And if you think that means you, then you’ve got your head farther up your ass than I first thought.”
“Don’t push me,” Orion growled. “And you’d better go get your fancy clothes on because I hear Mother on the stairs.”
Of course. Who with the preternatural hearing of a wolf could possibly miss the sound of those horrible heels on the wood stairs? Devon cringed as he considered the necessity of going upstairs and putting on what? Should he find an ugly Christmas sweater and pretend that he was all about the holiday spirit? Or should he just admit that he thought this was all a bunch of shit and that even though he had agreed to escort Tansy Dunlop, he wasn’t going to pretend to enjoy it?
“By the way,” Orion said with a very pointed smirk. “The flowers I ordered for your date are in the hallway. You should really make a big deal of presenting them to her when her father is standing there. I’m pretty sure he’s the one we’re supposed to be romancing.”
“Because Mother wants to what? Have him under her thumb to run the company when she’s managed to get rid of us?” Devon muttered. “Great. This is just getting better and better every second.”
He left Orion there in the kitchen with the very obviously curious catering staff and headed into the living room. Sure enough there was an enormous bouquet on a side table that looked fit for a queen.
“You aren’t even dressed!” Tisha Olivares-King clomped up to Devon on her sparkling stiletto heels.
Of course that bling was paltry compared to the diamond choker sparkling at her throat or the fabulously slutty red dress that looked as though it had been painted with sequins and then dipped in some kind of rubbery shimmering material that was perhaps designed to make sure the wearer was so packed into the dress that her body looked like that of a twenty year old.
“Yeah,” Devon said dully. “I’m going upstairs to take care of that. I just didn’t want to, uh, get dirty or something before Tansy gets here.”
Billion Dollar Wolves: Boxset Bks 1-5 Page 85
