The Laws of Kings

by Jennifer Loren

  “I don’t know, but I think I better not skip dinner tonight.”

  The table is set for eight, and I quickly try to do the math in my head when Austin walks into the room. “Hi, Dace.”

  “Hi.”

  “I’m glad you came,” she says standing there in her well-fitted dinner dress, reminding me that Michael likes everyone to dress for dinner even if it is at home. I’m sure my outfit is not going to pass his inspection.

  “Dace, glad to see you made it okay. Although, I would have preferred to see you in a dinner jacket. I guess I will just be glad you’re not wearing a t-shirt and a leather jacket.”

  “Dace!” Sage yells, running up to me with her arms held out for me to pick her up.

  Smiling, I do as asked. “How are you beautiful? Have you been keeping your nanny busy playing all day?”

  “Yes,” she giggles as I kiss her face playfully.

  “Yes, well that’s good. You must have made me pictures today then? I haven’t gotten a good picture to hang in a long time,” I say as she nods excitedly and points to her room. I hide out and away from the other dinner guests in her room until we are called to eat. The moment I walk into the dining room, I want to run back to Sage’s room and away from this sure to be awkward meal.

  “Dace, you are in between Aaron and Austin. And do you know Jamee, Austin’s partner?”

  “No, nice to meet you,” I say.

  “Nice to meet you as well,” she says with a wink as if we hold a sweet secret between us.

  “And this is Jack Reed, Austin and Aaron’s father and our humble city’s chief of police,” Michael says as I shake the man’s hand and exchange nods. Antony makes eye contact with me, looking as uncomfortable as I am, especially with Michael’s tie, tied tight around his neck. Cops and a mafia family sitting down for dinner together? This is about as right as Hell’s Angels being invited to the White House for tea. The worst part of all this is sitting by my brother’s wife, all the while picturing her naked and all the amazing things I have done to her and, better yet, the incredible things she has done to me. It’s difficult to keep my dick down, but I feel a little satisfaction when I reach for the salt causing her to lose her train of thought as I push into her to reach. I am not sure if anyone noticed the odd exchange of looks between us, but why would they? We barely know each other, as far as anyone else knows. Throughout dinner, Michael makes polite small talk, and everything seems to be moving along without trouble, at least for a brief period before announcing his plans to take down Ettore and using it to win the governorship. He explains his plans to get the chief to lend police support and concentrate their efforts primarily on putting Ettore in jail. The whole idea that this man would agree to such bullshit is laughable, but for some reason, this supposed proud man agrees without hesitation. Austin and Aaron both breathe with a rumble against their lips, obviously wanting to protest, but they keep quiet. Antony and I are slated to go behind the scenes and get information for them to use to take him apart. We are to use what we know now and step up our efforts to turn people against Ettore, getting them to give up vital information. I, especially, am supposed to continue to be loyal to Ettore, gaining his trust until he gives up enough that will put him away for the rest of his life. It goes against everything our father has taught us: You stand up for family, not take them down for your own gain. The lines in this family are getting blurred, lost even, and I’m not sure which side to choose anymore. I wish I didn’t have to choose, but I see no way to stop the war that is surely coming.

  “So we are going to be working with cops to take down our own brother?” I ask, nodding with a laugh.

  “This is serious, Dace. Michael has thought all this through, and I, for one, am standing one hundred percent behind him,” my father announces with his wine glass held up to his pride and first born son.

  “You are all delusional if you think this is going to work. That this isn’t going to somehow blow up in your face. Ettore is smart, and do you not think he has his own spies in every corner of this city?” I say forcefully.

  “I agree with him. For once, someone has some sense. This whole dinner and sudden family relationship is making me sick to my stomach. Thanks for the lovely meal, but I can’t handle much more,” Aaron says as Austin sits quietly, but their father stands and chases Aaron down, apparently trying to reason with him.

  I don’t know how my father got this man to bow down to Michael, but I am clearly missing a huge piece to this puzzle. “What’s happening here? Why all of a sudden are these two families together? Someone needs to explain to me why I should suddenly trust the cops after they killed …?” I hold off talking about Mother. This is not the time or place to bring up an argument that should be had among family only.

  “Because, Dace, we have a similar enemy and goals,” Michael says coolly.

  “Oh, well that explains absolutely fucking nothing. I’m following Aaron and getting the hell out of here.”

  “Dace, come with me.” Michael stands up and motions for me to follow him into his den, and Antony doesn’t miss the opportunity to tag along.

  Michael looks at him oddly when he barges into the room with us. “I’m just as confused as he is,” Antony says, defending his presence.

  “Fine, but I don’t want what I am about to say to you to be talked about outside this room,” Michael says as my father walks in and shuts the door behind him. “Jack Reed has a gambling addiction, something me and Father have known about for some time.” I step back as the puzzle pieces suddenly start lining up. “Jack was in heavy debt to one of Ettore’s men. The man was about to lose their family home and I am sure his job too by the time Austin came to me to help them. Their whole family would have come under suspicion if their father’s gambling issues had gotten out.” My eyes widen as I watch my brother explain the man’s hardship that he put his children under. “She needed a lot of money to get him out of debt, and I am glad that I was able to help eliminate that burden from her.”

  “And you were able to pay off his debt in exchange for a wife? Is that what you are telling me, Michael?” I ask as my heart begins to race and my blood begins to boil.

  “It’s not quite like that. Austin and I were already dating, and I’m sure would have married eventually. This simply propelled it a little bit. I didn’t simply pay off his debt; I secured his son’s future and his daughter’s, and in the process, I bought their allegiance to me. I don’t have to tell you that his endorsement is a huge help to my campaign. This is the first step, gentlemen, and the next is to get rid of Ettore and clean our slate before I win the votes.”

  “Okay, so what does that mean for Dace and me? If we work for you and Ettore finds out, we become a target.”

  “With my bid for office, Ettore can’t touch us. Any attempt would bring more attention to him than he could ever want,” Michael boasts.

  “Also, Antony, we would like to make you a celebrity of sorts with your permission,” my father says, putting his arm around my brother’s shoulders as Michael crosses his arms and smiles. “We want you to know we fully understand who you are and we support you in every way. In fact, we would like to make a public announcement in support of you.” Antony looks around himself nervously as if he is suddenly being surrounded by hungry predators. “I’m sure Dace agrees that you are an excellent spokesman for gays in this city.”

  “Antony, I would like to make you my gay rights advisor,” Michael states proudly. “You have grown into an amazing man, Antony, and I know you can really do a lot of good things.” Before I can say a word, I notice Antony’s expression as he is praised by our father and brother and shown more attention than he has ever gotten from them, attention he has longed for since our mother’s death. Something about this bothers me, but I have never seen Antony so happy. The praising continues as they discuss details with him about what they would like for him to do. This night has been exhausting, and the first chance I get to excuse myself and walk out, I do, but on the way, I sp
ot Austin walking into one of the spare bedrooms. Antony was right; she’s not sleeping with him. What happened, Austin? You obviously don’t love him, so why go this far?

  Chapter 26

  Austin

  Sitting down to breakfast, Michael playfully teases Sage to make her laugh. I enjoy watching them play together; it’s so innocent and pure. “It’s good to see you smile again. You have been so down lately. I was beginning to worry.”

  “I’m fine. It’s just a lot to get used to in such a short time.”

  He reaches over and grabs my hand. “You know you mean a lot to me, and I want nothing more than to make you happy. Please tell me how I can do that?”

  “I’m happy, Michael. I only need a little time to get used to things.”

  “How about a trip together, get away from it all, just the two of us?” he says, savoring the idea already.

  “I couldn’t possibly get off of work right now. You need to ask for vacation months in advance.”

  “Hmm, okay. You know you don’t have to work. I can take care of you.”

  “I love working. I…”

  “I understand. I didn’t say you shouldn’t work; I am only giving you an option. And maybe you quit this job and do something else you have always wanted to do but couldn’t afford to? Something a little safer.”

  “I can take care of myself. I’m very good at my job, and I love it.” He nods and seems to give up his pursuit to have me quit, for now. His tender touches and sweet smiles assure me that he is never going to give up on getting me into his bed though. He promised to give me some time, but I’m not sure how much time he is really willing to give. I am his wife, and I should be “performing” as my father said, right before I smacked him. I feel awful whenever he kisses me goodnight and holds my hand tight, gazing over me with desire. All I can do is force a smile and kiss his cheek before walking away from him to go to my room by myself. I want to give myself to him, I do, and I had planned to. It’s not as if he isn’t handsome or desirable, it’s that … he’s not Dace. If Dace had not come back, I might have been able to move on and do everything I had set in my mind to do when I agreed to this. There is no way to change anything now, so I need to move on. I need to give myself to him and forget.

  “Okay, I have to go. I have a ton of meetings today. Goodbye, little one.” Michael kisses his daughter before leaning towards me. I turn my head towards him and allow him to kiss my lips which excites him more than I expected. He kisses me again and breathes a slow groan against my cheek. “See you tonight?” I nod. “I can’t wait.” His excitement is written all over his smiling face.

  I still can’t believe I’m here in this place, in this life. Things happened so fast, and I was so scared for my brother that I would have done anything to get him back safely. Michael had tried everything to convince Ettore to let him go and even paid my father’s debts, but still, they held him, beat him, all because of me. Because I held onto that notebook with the notes, and they thought he had them. After a long conversation with Michael, I was convinced that I needed to confess:

  “I have something I am sure they want Michael.”

  “Like what, Honey?”

  “I found a notebook full of information on him, and that’s how I have been able to follow his trail of activity. I am sure they think Aaron has it since he claimed he had the informant giving us the information. It’s all in code, but with each place, I find the code becomes clearer and easier for me to figure out. I know I’m close to getting him, I know I am, but I can’t risk my brother.”

  Michael takes my hands. “Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me that, and now that you have, we can use it for leverage against them. Do you have the notebook with you?”

  “No, I put it in a storage unit under my mother’s name. I keep her things in there that I hid from my father until I was old enough to store them. I need to give it back to them to get my brother back, don’t I?”

  “I think it’s best, but don’t worry. I will make copies, and I will help you take my brother down.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because I don’t want any part of that business he is involved in, and I have tried and tried to get him to get out and let it die with our father, but he won’t. I told him it will get him killed one day, like it did my wife and child. That world is harsh, and it’s hard to build a happy, healthy family from it. It’s not as if my father doesn’t have enough money to support us all for as long as we live. Ettore doesn’t have to do the things he does; he chooses to because he enjoys it. He enjoys the killing and the twisted games he plays with people. You can’t change a person like that. You can only lock them up and keep them and everyone else safe.”

  “I want to trust you, I do, but that notebook is a huge help in prosecuting Ettore. Aaron would be irate if I gave it up.”

  “I tell you what. We will go get the notebook together and make copies of it, and then I will take the original to give back to them, but I need you to do something for me first. I need you to agree to marry me.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because that’s the only way I can protect you and your family. I need to make you all a part of my family and, in the process, put a barrier around you that would scare Ettore from coming after you or killing Aaron. Even if we give the notebook back, there is no guarantee they won’t kill him after they have it. The only way to guarantee that is to make him family, make you the wife of the future governor, someone he won’t want to harm. So marry me, Austin, and guarantee your brother’s life will be spared and he will be returned safely. I promise not to force you to do anything you don’t want to, but I know I can make you happy and keep you safe while we both hunt down my brother. Once I’m governor, then getting rid of Ettore can’t hurt us anymore. I will be too powerful for our enemies to touch. All I ask is that you give me a chance and stand at my side to help me win. After that, if you are not happy with me, then I will agree to an annulment.”

  We are interrupted when Dominic Colletto walks into the room. “Michael, do you mind giving us a minute?” Michael kisses my hand and leaves me alone with his father. “I know the idea of marrying my son right now must be hard to consider, especially since you have been sleeping with his brother.” I snap my head in his direction. “Yes, I have known about you two for some time.”

  “Are you going to tell Michael?”

  “No, there is no sense breaking his heart, not because of you, but because of his brother’s betrayal.”

  “Dace didn’t know who I was, and he certainly didn’t know about Michael and me. If he had, I am sure he wouldn’t have even considered being with me.”

  Dominic holds up his hand to me. “The facts of the past don’t matter. What matters are the facts we have now, which are, that you need Michael’s help because I promise you, Austin, Dace isn’t coming back. He is still in love with a woman he was running around with before he met you. You were only a distraction that he thought he could replace her with, and as soon as she called him, he went running to her and left you here without a second thought. Dace is in love with someone else, Austin, and he is never, ever coming back to you. That’s how he is, he’s a wanderer, not someone that settles down and makes a life with someone. He gets bored and he moves on. I imagine he finally got what he wanted from you, accomplished what he wanted to and ran back to his adventures. However, Michael loves you dearly, and he will do anything to make you happy. He’s handsome and intelligent and thinks the same way you do about the law. It’s your decision, of course, but if you say no to Michael then what are you going to do? Are you going to wait around forever for a man that doesn’t love you while risking your brother’s life?

  I consider his idea as I play with the elephant around my neck. I hate him for leaving me. I hate him for not even saying goodbye. We had plans, and he changed his mind that easily? Why? Didn’t I deserve at least a note of explanation?

  “Can you give me a second?” Dominic nods, and I walk away with my phone in h
and and try calling Dace one more time. He never picks up, and his voicemail is turned off. Ring after ring pushes me to my breaking point. I rush back to Michael and jump into his comforting arms, instantly feeling as though my pain is a little easier to take. “Okay, I’ll marry you. I’ll marry you, Michael.”

  Even Antony didn’t know where Dace was and had assumed the same thing I had, that he wasn’t coming back. What else could I have thought or done? I wanted revenge, and I wanted my mother’s killer, and if I had to sleep with the enemy to do it then I would. What do I care about my own happiness when I can have revenge?

  I still have a few hours before work, and instead of going right in as I would normally do, I stop by to see Preston. Only Preston isn’t home. I guess I should have known that he would be at work by now. I start to leave; I even make it to the elevator, but I don’t push the lobby button. Instead, I push the button that sends me up. As soon as the elevator doors open, I spot him in his doorway, waiting for me.

  “You shouldn’t be here, Austin.”

  “Why? Tell me why you left me? I need to know, Dace. Why? You said I am supposed to be with you, right?”

  He steps back looking at me. “I didn’t leave you. I had a job Ettore gave me at the last minute. I was coming back. I tried to call you a million times, but you never answered.” I shake my head. “I did, but you never returned any of my messages either, and I shouldn’t have even left any. I thought something was wrong. I was worried sick about you, and then I came back and find you marrying my brother. Tell me why? Why would you go that far? To help your father?”

  “I don’t care about my father.”

  “Then why, Austin. What could possibly push you to make that kind of decision?”

  “They told me you weren’t coming back, that you went back to your old life with another woman.”

  “Who told you that?”