Tacet a Mortuis (The Elite King's Club 3)

“No words.” I shook my head, shutting the door and turning to face him again.

“Your mother-in-law is cracking the whip, Mads—” Tate rounded the garage and paused when she saw the car.

“Oh yaaaasss!” She clicked her fingers. “Oh my fuck! This is perfect! Girls trips…” She jumped in the spot.

Bishop rolled his eyes, leading us out the garage and back to the limo that was awaiting us.

“Mom…” he warned, leaning into the window. I climbed in behind him. Nate closed the trunk and tapped it.

“Packed some good panties in there, sis.”

Bishop glared at him, and then came back to me. “Behave yourself, baby.”

I offered him a smile. “I will.”

“She won’t.” Scarlet was fast becoming one of my most favorite people.

“Mom…” Bishop warned again, his eyes staying on me.

“Oh calm down, Bishop. I’ll take good care of her.”

He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. “See you soon.” Then shut the door, stepping backward as the limo pulled away.

“Yeah,” I cleared my throat. “See you soon.”

“Everything is going to be fine, sweetheart.” Scarlet patted my leg.

I smiled, looking out the window. I wasn’t sold on if this was going to be fine. I had just left a whole bunch of guys that I love to fight a battle, while I went off and hid. It felt wrong and went against everything I stood for. Every fiber of my being was screaming to jump from this car and run back to them. I didn’t want to run. I understood why Tillie and Tatum did, but not me. What if something happened to Bishop. My heart cracked in my chest and sweat broke out over my flesh. I needed to squash all thoughts that involved Bishop in harm’s way. Or any of them, for that matter.

“So,” I exhaled, hushing my thoughts. “Where are we going?”

She looked up at me from her phone. “Just to LA. Trust me, if the baby had a passport, we would be flying out of here.” She went back to tapping on her phone as the limo continued to drive us toward the airstrip. With every mile that we took, it felt like my heart was being ripped from my chest.

Resting my head against the headrest in the chair, I looked over at Tillie who was with the baby opposite me. We still hadn’t had a chance to talk, I guessed I was just waiting for the right time. Hopefully I’d get that time in LA. The jet engines fired up and I pulled my ear pods out, putting them in my ear and opening up a text.

Just about to fly out. I miss you

Seconds pass and I don’t get a reply, so I turn my phone into airplane mode and open Spotify. Pressing play on Luav “The Other,” I sink into the tune and engulf myself in the lyrics. The smooth sound of heartbreak. Looking down, I quickly add it to our playlist. That’s song one in my song a day. Hitting repeat, I let it put me to sleep like a soft lullaby.

With Nate riding shotgun and Daemon in the back of my Maserati, I drove us back to my house. I’d been running away from this place because I knew Khales was there, but I needed to call a meeting with Dad to get to the bottom of whatever the fuck was happening within the Kings.

“A Lambo? Like, really?” Nate hadn’t stopped going on about my present to Madison since we left the house.

“Yes, really,” I deadpanned.

“Why do you have to show us up like that? Now it’s going to make my one look shit not to mention Hunter and Jase, and I heard Saint, Eli, Chase, Brantley, and Cash all got her something too.”

“Nate, it’s not a competition.”

“Oh but it is, though! You know I’m an overachiever.”

I sighed, hitting the indicator to my street. I looked in the rearview mirror. “Bonum est tibi?” Asking if the kid was okay seemed like the least I could do—since he was stuck with us for however long. I still wasn’t sure how to characterize him yet, and if it wasn’t for his relationship with Madison, I’d kill him myself for shooting her—but I couldn’t. When it came down to my rage, there was only one other feeling that trumped it. Her. I didn’t trust him, I couldn’t. I trusted no one outside of my circle.

He nodded, then took his glare back out the window. “Ne putes illa erunt discedite?” Asking me if Madison would stay away was a given. You didn’t have to be a Madspert to know the girl goes down with her own. I open my mouth to answer, but Nate cuts me off with a scoff.

“Ney!”

He was fluent in Latin as we all were, he was just being a smart ass—per usual.

I shrugged, pulling into my driveway. “Nos autem non scire nisi runs.” Because I would know if she did. I’d have my mother grilling me. I jumped out of the car and my feet hadn’t even hit the asphalt when I heard Khales’ voice.