Dynasty (Boys of Winter 1)

I nod. “And when I’m initiated and officially take my father’s place?”

“They’ll keep coming for you,” Carver says. “They’ll just try and be a little more discreet about it, try and make it look like an accident.”

Fuck.

I stand and start pacing the room, feeling all of their stares on me, but I don’t care, there’s far too much going through my head. “So, we take out the threat before the threat gets me,” I say. “Take out the head of each family, then their sons or daughters will step up, and we’ll have a clean slate.”

Silence. Fucking silence.

I turn back and look at them, wondering when in fresh hell did I become so comfortable with the idea of murder? I’m a stranger to myself. “What?” I question, knowing perfectly well that the guys don’t have an issue with it either. “It sounds like a reasonable plan of attack to me.”

The guys start glancing around at one another before all eyes fall to Carver and he stands. He makes his way over to me but makes a point of not being close enough to touch. “For the most part,” he says, “your plan is as solid as any of the ones we’ve come up with.”

“But?”

“But you’ve got one major problem,” he says, pausing and meeting my eyes. His lips press into a hard line, and I wait, fearing that whatever is about to come out of his mouth is going to destroy me. Carver lets out a heavy sigh and the hesitation in his eyes is enough to have my whole body tensing, preparing me for the worst. “The head of a family must advocate for their family’s beliefs, not his or her own. So, if the son or daughter inherits the position and stands with you, but the majority of their family is against you, you’ve achieved nothing.”

I shake my head. “Yeah, but at least then those responsible for killing my parents are punished.”

Carver sighs. “Let me make this nice and clear for you,” he tells me. “Those eight families include the Irvine family, the Montgomerys, the Rhodes, Hardings, Kennedys, and the Scardonis,” Carver’s gaze sweeps across to Grayson’s before coming back to mine. “Then you have the Beckett family and last but not least the Carver family.” He pauses for just a moment as I suck in a breath, my eyes widening in horror as I realize the weight of what he’s saying.

I glance back at Grayson then focus in on Carver. “Your parents were responsible for killing mine,” I growl. “They tried to kill me. Twice.”

Carver nods as though it’s just a cold hard fact that he’s somehow emotionally separated himself from. “They did,” he tells me. “And if I kill my father for you, I’m promoted to the head of my family, which means it’s me who’ll have to stand against you, not him.”

My heart races as I stare up at him in horror, and then without another word, I walk away.

CHAPTER 34

My back crashes against the headboard of my bed. What was I doing allowing myself to get close to Carver like that? I guess it doesn’t really matter about Grayson, it’s not like I’d really let him in, but in case he didn’t catch on, the invitation to fuck is now so far off the table, it doesn’t even exist. But Carver. Damn it, why does that hurt so bad? His family had a hand in my parents’ brutal murder, Grayson’s too.

Maybe this is just some sick joke? Maybe it’s just Carver’s way of trying to push me away because I know he felt it in the woods tonight, the connection between us is so damn real. Though, maybe that’s why he keeps pushing me away. He knows that when his father dies—from either natural or other causes—he’s going to have to stand against me, and when that day comes, it’s going to hurt. I guess this is why Grayson has kept himself at a distance.

Well played, Mr. Beckett. Well played.

I hear the soft thud from the front door and I pull my blanket right over my head. I hear King and Cruz’s soft conversation as they make their way through the home that I still struggle to believe is mine. Maybe if I hide well enough, they’ll just go away. Yeah, doubt it. Though now that I know Carver and Grayson are double agents, maybe I should figure out how to change the security codes for the gate and the house.

A knock sounds at my bedroom door before I hear King’s muffled voice. “Babe, are you in here?”

“No.”

The door swings open and I find both Cruz and King staring at me. “Go away,” I grumble, pulling the blanket right over my head. “Let me sulk in peace.”

“No can do,” Cruz declares, welcoming himself into my room. “We need to make sure that you’re not about to do something stupid, and figured that you might have a whole bunch of questions now that you know what’s going on.”