“What else do we do?” Tomas asks. “I mean, what would you do?”
“I would leave for the West Coast. I’ve been thinking about it for a while.” I shrug while staring off into the gardens. It’s such a glorious view that I feel enchanted by the sight of it—though that may be my wishful thinking kicking in. “California would be nice. I could grab a nice house on the beach or something.”
“West Coast sounds nice,” Mikhail agrees. “I like the sound of a fresh start.”
I purse my lips thoughtfully, fixing him with a curious glance. “Macedon was our fathers’ legacy.”
“No use carrying around the past,” Mikhail says. “Isn’t that right, gentleman?”
“You’re trying too hard,” Parker states without looking at the kid. “Your brother wasn’t like this at all.”
Mikhail frowns, staring at his shoes. “I’m not trying to be like my brother. I’m trying to be like myself. My father taught me everything I know.”
“Your brother deserves your respect,” Parker spits. “He was a good man, and he had honor. Can you say the same for yourself?”
A torrent of silence rips through the room when shuffling footsteps sound from the hallway. Adelaide appears sleepy and slightly troubled, but we all contain our emotions as she wanders toward Tomas to whisper something into his ear.
“I’ll be up in just a minute, bug,” Tomas tells his sister. “We’ll keep it down. I promise.”
He stares after her as she walks like a zombie out of the room and disappears somewhere in the mansion. The silence remains for a while until Tomas fixes Mikhail and Parker with a sharp eye.
“She heard us talking,” he says stiffly. “We should keep it down.”
“All I’m saying,” I whisper, “is that it’s time for us to make a new mark.”
Tomas shakes his head. “I can’t leave my sister here. I can’t take her with me either. Why would I abandon all this?”
“Why the hell would you want to keep it?”
Something flashes in his eyes—a memory or a thought—and then it’s gone, blinked out of existence as he reaches for his glass. “It’s up to you, Soren. Do what you want.”
“What about Alex?” Parker asks. “You just going to leave her here?”
“She’s not my responsibility,” I claim blandly. “She wants to do her own thing. Isn’t that right? She’s always going on about being independent.”
“Not lately,” Tomas corrects in a low voice. “But yes, she’s stubborn as a fucking mule.”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed her change.”
Parker groans with frustration. “She has changed.”
“She’s sharp, manipulative, and she’s been forgetting too much shit.”
“I told her she wasn’t fit to run this business.”
I lower my gaze to the ground, swallowing my guilt as I add, “Yeah, I don’t think she can do it alone, but I can’t suffer with her either.”
“So, that’s it?” Tomas asks. “You’re leaving?”
“I don’t know yet.”
He shakes his head. “Just let me know when you make a decision.”
“Who died and made you king?”
The room explodes with silence as I avoid everyone’s inquiring eyes. I stand up and wander toward the drink cart with my empty glass, gesturing to the liquor to see if anyone else wants a refill. Both Mikhail and Parker raise their glasses.
It’s going to be a long fucking night.