“Adam was a farmer. He didn’t have much land, but he had a gift. Alexander was barely sixteen when he died. The little he’d learned from his father wasn’t enough to keep the farm going and pay the few hands they had. It wasn’t long before Alexander turned to petty crime to keep food on the table. When they were on the verge of losing their land that desperation made him reckless.”
“What about his mother? Couldn’t she have just remarried? Wasn’t that the way then?” Hell, it was still the way now.
“Adam and Amelia’s marriage was arranged, but there was a rumor they had actually fallen in love.”
“She thought to remarry would betray their love.”
“I don’t believe in one true love. I think we’re all in danger of falling in love over and over again.” I stopped breathing when he focused on me. “It can happen any moment.”
Um.
I was one more lingering gaze from leaving when I glanced away, and he muttered, “Frankly, I thought her children deserved better.”
“So did she,” I retorted. He held my gaze again and smiled. Clearing my throat, I looked away. “So what happened next? He steals to bring home cash. I could have guessed as much.”
“Yes, well, one day, he decides to rob the home of John Sullivan. He was a young politician with little experience but gaining ground fast. I won’t bore you with politics, but I will tell you his newfound popularity also made him enemies in high places.”
“What kind of enemies?”
“Enemies who didn’t wish to offer him the chance to make a difference. Enemies like Louis Wilde.”
“What did he do?”
“He caught Alexander stealing Sullivan’s family ring. When Alexander begged Wilde not to turn him in, Wilde offered him money in exchange for the ring and his silence. My third grandfather didn’t know the kind of deal he was making until Wilde later visited him on his farm.”
“Why?”
“He wanted Alexander to kill John Sullivan.”
“Why would he think a petty thief capable of murder and why would Alexander trust him?”
“Men like Wilde believed money could buy anyone, and he was right, but he underestimated Alexander.”
“How so?”
“The gun he used to kill Sullivan belonged to Wilde. The son of a bitch broke into his home, stole the gun, and killed Sullivan with it. Not only that, but he stole the ring back and hid it in a place that Wilde would never find, but it would also implicate him in Sullivan’s murder.””
“Why go through all that trouble?”
“Men like Wilde don’t get their hands dirty unless they’ve already found a way to clean them up.”
“Alexander thought he was going to turn on him?”
“If he was or not, Alexander never gave him the chance to double-cross him.”
“You sound like you admire him.”
“He was a smart man. Cunning. Ambitious.”
“I’m sorry to break it to you, but your great-great-great-grandfather was a murdering thief.”
He chuckled. “That too, I suppose.” He seemed so different from Angel who would have warned me to watch my mouth. It was almost astonishing how the two shared the same blood.
“So what happened after Alexander blackmailed him?”
“He hired him again. I guess he appreciated a man who was smart enough to best him. The jobs got bigger, more elaborate, and soon, he was getting his hands dirty for more than just Wilde.” He angled his body, so he faced me, and I didn’t miss how he moved closer. “It wasn’t long before Wilde, and the others thought they could control him.”
“So he started the book and took control.”
“That’s how the story goes,” he answered smoothly.
“Why didn’t they just kill him?”
“Ah.” He snorted. “It wouldn’t have mattered. In exchange for his protection and a piece of the pie, he secretly entrusted the book and its contents with Meredith and Angelo. Meredith was content with stability, but eventually, Angelo wanted more. He wanted to share Alexander’s power.”
“Let me guess… Alexander said no, so Angelo killed his own brother.” It was a test, one I was hoping he would pass because I desperately needed an ally.
“No, actually. Alexander made a will, but it was more like a rulebook. Meredith’s or Angelo’s line could inherit if his own line broke any of the rules.”
“What were the rules?”
He hesitated, and the moment he began to answer was when a voice deeper and deadlier broke the silence. “Don’t you two look cozy.”
I could feel Angel’s anger washing over me, as unpredictable and wild as a tsunami, as I turned to face him. Andrew discreetly put distance between us. “Why are you sneaking up on us?”
He took his time answering when Caylen noticed him and excitedly ambled forward. Angel didn’t waste time bending his magnificent body to pick him up. I used the distraction to check him out since he’d changed clothes. He was looking sinfully devilish in the dark gray three-piece suit with a black waistcoat and tie. Angel so finely dressed made me feel inadequate in my faded blue jeans and yellow smiley face t-shirt. It made me feel like I didn’t deserve to be on his arm.